You are approaching the first control - LZ.

Orienteering is all about navigating over a course marked by controls. You have seen the tools, map and compass, the rest is up to you. You have to decide what route to take, how fast to go and what to do if things go wrong. That's what makes Orienteering challenging and fun. It also means that you can improve your performance even if you don't, or can't, become a faster runner. The more efficient and direct your route, the faster you will complete the course. The difference between beginners and experienced orienteers is that experienced orienteers make fewer mistakes and know where they are all the time, not that they are faster runners. Good navigators who run a bit will beat poor navigators who run fast.

Navigation is a combination of recognising the features - paths, fences, boulders, crags, distinctive trees, ditches, streams, earth banks, depressions and pits. The vegetation - boundaries, easily runnable forest, dense forest, open ground, rough open ground and marshland and the contour features - re-entrants, spurs, banks, cliffs, knolls, valleys, hills. All these, and more, are marked clearly on orienteering maps. All you have to do is to decide which feature on the map corresponds with which feature on the ground.

That's what real map reading is all about - being able to relate the map to real terrain. That's what makes orienteering more than cross-country running. But there's more! not only do you have to be able to accurately read the map, you also have to be able to decide which route from point to point is likely to be the fastest route for you. That demands thought and experience. Orienteers don't get old - they just get more experienced.

Control 1 lies dead ahead Control 1 lies a few metres ahead - or does it?
You managed that ok didn't you? Yes, all you had to do was to run up the path. The first control often fairly straightforward to find so don't get cocky, there's a long way to go and many things could go wrong before you reach the finish. So what do you do next? Now that you have got to what you think is your next control?

Check the code on the control kite. Is this really your next control? It might be a control on another course. Here, have a look at your description sheet.
This control should be LZ, but is it? You should always check. In this case the 'vegetation change' - the thicker forest - can be seen in the background.

If you're sure it's your control, punch box 1 on your control card below with the punch that's hanging from the kite. Double check you're punching box 1, mistakes do happen! When you've punched, watch what happens to your control card.

You can punch whenever you see one of these control kites, or markers. You should always punch in the appropriate box on your control card which you will find the top of every page. If you make a mistake you can over-punch when you get to the correct control. Just as in a real event, it is up to you to punch the right marks in the right boxes. We'll help you this time, try punching on the big card below, but after this control it's up to you to get it right. At the finish we will have a look at your control card and tell you how well you did. We'll give you a course time and we'll tell you about any missed or wrong punchmarks.

Run off to the next control. What? You mean you didn't work out your route to the next control? Ok, move away a few metres, so that you don't act as a beacon to guide other runners, and sort out where you're going next.