Moray will open its doors to the orienteering world this summer with competitors from more than 20 countries already signed up.
Just a month after the registration period opened for the Scottish Six Days Orienteering Festival – due to run from July 30 to August 8 – the number of entries has already surpassed the 500 mark.
The festival will take place at sites across Moray, Nairn and Inverness, and 62 Swiss runners are among the 23 nations so far represented.
The World Championships are being staged alongside the Six Days event, and organisers expect club runners from even more countries to be signing up in the coming months.
More than 4,000 people took part in the 2013 gathering. In a post-event survey, 89% of respondents said they were either very likely or likely to return in 2015, with 29% citing a wish to visit Scotland as a major factor.
Scottish Orienteering Association local development officer Mike Rodgers said the festival was open to everyone, regardless of experience, and urged Moray residents to think about getting involved this year.
He said: “The only disappointment in 2013 was the small number of local people who took part, but I can understand how people might have thought it was for dedicated orienteers only.
“That couldn’t be further from the truth – this is a holiday festival, which is all about mass participation so nobody need think they’re not good enough to take part.”
Anyone interested in finding out more about the event should visit www/
scottish6days.com/2015
or find the event’s page on Facebook.