There are a large number of permanent orienteering courses (POCs) set in a wide variety of locations from remote forests to the public parks in our cities.

They can be used for training in a number of ways. They are excellent for beginners who can practise their skills without the pressure of competition. Most permanent course packs will contain a number of suggested courses of different lengths and technical difficulty. A list of permanent courses in your area can be obtained from the British Orienteering website.

At each of the control sites there is normally a wooden post, which has the number of the control and a letter for you to copy to prove you have visited the correct control.

On the map below, a suggested Yellow standard course of 2.1 km would be Start (which is indicated as a triangle) 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and finishing back at the start.

You can adapt permanent courses to suit your own group's needs.
Star exercise. (single control and return) 1. 8. 9. 10. 11 or 7.
Shorter courses 1,12,15,11 or 9,10,14,6,7.