NI Colour Series 3 2026
17 May @ 10:00 – 15:00
Magilligan sand dunes
Event Location (live map)
Event Entries
Entries are online only via SI Entries.Please note that each entry must include the car registration of the vehicle you wil travel to the event in.
Entries close Sunday 10th May 2026 at 21:30
Car Entry Restrictions
Only cars whose registrations have been submitted will be allowed onto the competition car park. Entry to the Magilligan range complex will be possible from 10.30 – 12.45. Entry after 12.45 will not be possible.
All adults will be required to have photo ID avaiable.
Event Layout
New 2026 BOF Insurance Rules
Please note: Participants who are not members of British Orienteering are not
covered by British Orienteering’s public liability insurance. By entering this event, you acknowledge that you are taking part at your own risk. For example, if you were to accidentally injure a member of the public or damage property during the event, you would not be covered.
Event Enquiries
These will operate from 10:30am. Having entered online you can go directly to the start. Runners who have hired a dipper can collect them from Enquiries / Download.
Electronic Punching
SI dippers (not SI Air) are available for hire and can be booked in the entry system.
Sportident Electronic punching with beacon mode enabled for SI Air on all controls but not on the start and finish boxes which must be “dipped” in the traditional manner.
Start Times
The pre-entry start blocks are from 11.00am to 1.00pm.
Start and Finish
The start and finish are both adjacent to the car parking area. All competitors must report to the Download even if they do not complete their courses.
Courses Close
Courses close at 3.00pm. Please ensure you have returned to download by this time to be checked in, even if you have not completed your course.
Entry Fees
| Member | Non-Member | |
| Senior (aged 21 or over) | £12 | £16 |
| Junior or Student | £6 | £8 |
| Beginner Group* | £6 | £8 |
| Maximum charge for a family** | £30 | £40 |
Member means you are a member of a BOF, IOA or IOF Orienteering Club.
*For beginner groups doing a course together, you only need to enter one name per map and SI Card. You can amend the “group name” at Registration on the day if you want.
**If you are entering family members in multiple classes and it comes to more than £25 (£30 for non-member) then please contact the organiser after you have paid for the individual Senior, or Junior/Student entries and we will arrange refund of the difference. Parents accompanying children go free.
Course Details
| Course | Controls | Length | MAP Scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 10 | 1.5 km | 1:7 500 |
| Yellow | 8 | 2.2 km | 1:7 500 |
| Orange | 8 | 2.6 km | 1:7 500 |
| Light Green | 9 | 3.0 km | 1:7 500 |
| Short Green | 10 | 3.0 km | 1:7 500 |
| Green | 12 | 4.2 km | 1:7 500 |
| Blue | 14 | 5.8 km | 1:10 000 |
| Brown | 22 | 8.7 km | 1:10 000 |
For an explanation of the Orienteering Colour Coded courses system please see Colour Coded Courses
Planner’s Notes
Terrain
Open sand dunes, generally low lying with a maximum rise of approximately 20m and with some extremely intricate areas. Runnability varies from very fast to tough. In some areas (mapped as vegetation slow running) progress is hindered by low growing prickly Burnet Rose. Gaiters or other similar leg protection is recommended.
Out of Bounds areas
Areas over-printed on the maps with purple cross-hatching are out of bounds. Please also note that all fields adjoining the competition area are out of bounds.
Fences and Crossing Points
Where fences on the map are overprinted in purple as being uncrossable, they must not be crossed. At these locations crossing points have been provided and must be used.
Mapping Notes
All areas used by the courses were resurveyed in September 2024, primarily to pick up additional paths, fences and vegetation. Symbols have been updated to ISOM 2017-2 standard except for contours and form-lines which have been made slightly thinner to improve readability. Military targets are represented by the standard black “x” symbol. Flagpoles are represented by the standard black “o” symbol. Prominent trees have been mapped using the standard large and small prominent tree symbols. Be aware that this does not mean that every isolate tree is mapped (“prominence is in the eye of the beholder, who in this case is the mapper!”).
Toilets
Toilets will be available adajacent to car parking / Enquiries.
Dogs
Dogs are not allowed in the competition area (or in the carpark).
Hazards
This is a military training area so there is the possibility of some debris on the ground eg. barbed wire, metal sheeting, used flares / smoke canisters.
Parents, please advise children not to pick up stray objects, ‘If it’s not yours, don’t touch it!’
Please note that there are many sunken rectangular target boxes (approx. 0.9m x 2m x 1m deep) around the competition area. Generally these are visible on the approach however they are too numerous to tape and so care should be taken. Some are mapped as pits.
All competitors are advised to carry a whistle. Cagoules may be required to be carried in severe weather.
All competitors must report to Download.
Officials
- Organiser: David Blair
- Controller: Anthony McGonigle
- Planner: Chris Colwell (LVO)