Jargon

Taped route - A route you have to follow, marked with lengths of coloured plastic tape. Often leads you from registration to the Start and from the Finish back to the car park. You will get used to following bits of coloured tape. My longest walk to the start - nearly 3km! At some events you have a taped route on a course, normally for safety reasons or to cross land with only limited access permissions.

Technical Difficulty - Grading of difficulty, ranging from 1 (easy) to 5 (very hard). Definitions can be found on BOF site.

Thumb compass - A compass that is strapped on to the thumb. Becoming very popular amongst competetive orienteers.

Thumbing - A technique for holding a map, using your thumb to indicate your present position. To do properly you need to fold the map to an appropriate size.

Veteran - Someone who has started to get old. Defined as having reached one's 40th birthday, i.e. age class M40, W45, older. [check the age]

VHI - Veteran Home Internationals. Annual event for teams of veterans from England, Wales, Scotland & Ireland. Usually won by England.

White course - The shortest and easiest course that a colour-coded event may offer. Suitable for very young children, accompanied by an adult. SWOC does not normally have white courses.

WOA - Welsh Orienteering Association. The national association for Wales.

WOC - World Orienteering Championships. An IOF event held every 2 years. Britain's Yvette Baker won the short distance class in 1999.

Yellow course - A fairly short and fairly easy course at a colour-coded event. Longer and harder than White, shorter and easier than Orange.