Orienteering at Hill End – Going in the Right Direction!

Written by Lucy Crittenden, Hill End Centre

The Hill End Outdoor Education Centre is a beautiful and special place that has been a part of childhood for generations of Oxfordshire children who visit for day trips and residentials. Run by local authorities for decades, Hill End is now a charitable trust determined to offer the best possible experience to the thousands of people who visit every year, and ensure the outdoor education they enjoy is of the very highest quality.

We applied to British Orienteering in 2023 to regain our Recognised Centre Status after this period of transition - to improve our practice, develop our offer, and demonstrate our quality to the schools and other groups who visit. We also sought to engage more effectively with the orienteering community, who share our passion for getting outdoors for enjoyment, health and wellbeing.

Hill End had a number of existing permanent courses, and we wanted to use these more effectively to develop the maps and trails days we host for schools, and to achieve the best learning outcomes. Our lead tutor Richard worked closely with Jim from British Orienteering before, during and after his site visit, receiving help and support throughout. He also helped us with our session plans and ways of working. It was great to have the benefit of his wealth of knowledge and experience

We were absolutely delighted to be awarded Recognised Centre Status in March 2024, and marked this by hosting a special family orienteering day in the Easter holidays - to allow all ages to come and enjoy our stunning grounds, learn new skills and have fun outdoors! We look forward to continuing to learn and improve, and to ensure we can offer orienteering to our next generations of outdoor explorers.