150 orienteers in the atmospheric setting of The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Report by Andrew Evans Chair of Dartford Orienteering Klubb

About 150 orienteers came together for the South East Sprint Championships in the atmospheric setting of The Historic Dockyard Chatham on Saturday, 4th December organised by Dartford Orienteering Klubb.

It was a two-round event with the morning and afternoon areas having little overlap. Lots of barred off routes and underground passageways added interest, as well as route choices including crossing the deck of HMS Gannet built in 1874 and descending steps to pass underneath Ocelot, the Dockyard’s submarine in dry dock. There was much scratching of heads as the final stages of the second round courses entered a building mapped from a bird’s eye view from under the roof until competitors realised that had to ascend to the roof rafters for controls on the upper-most level before descending down the spiraling walkways of the RNLI Historic Lifeboat Collection for a sprint finish.

Commenting on the event, Chloe Wilson, Visitor Enterprise Sales Manager, said:

"The team at Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust thoroughly enjoyed hosting their inaugural orienteering event this weekend. They hope you liked your small taster of The Historic Dockyard Chatham. As yours was just a flying visit, they would like to invite you back in the New Year for the full museum experience. As a thank you for participating in the event, they are offering a special 25% off tickets for 2022.”

There were many positive comments about the area from participants and we expect several will wish to take advantage of this generous offer and either return for a more leisurely tour of the wonderful attractions and fascinating information made available by the numerous guides on-site or even decide to host a function at this incredible location.