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About Us

Dartford Orienteers is a thriving orienteering club based in North West Kent and South East London covering Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Dartford, Gravesend, Greenwich, Hackney, Lewisham, Medway and Sevenoaks.

Our members range from age 3 to 85, and from families looking for an excuse for great days out at weekends in unspoilt and hidden countryside, to competitive athletes who train several times a week. Many people join the club looking for a fun, easy way to get fit, or looking for an accessible outdoor adventure sport that is cheap and enjoyable.

We orienteer in many different parks and woodlands. Many of these, such as Greenwich Park and Foots Cray Meadows, are ideal for beginners. We also orienteer in more challenging areas such as Westerham Chart and Ashdown Forest. Whatever the area, there is nearly always a beginners course available, and help on hand to get you started. When you join the club you will have access to coaching aimed at giving you the skills needed, as well as many other benefits.

In the colder months, many of us also orienteer at the highly competitive (but very sociable), Kent Night Cup - a version of the sport that particularly appeals to the more adventurous. Many also orienteer further afield and in team competitions throught the UK and beyond - in Europe, Australia, even Greenland.

You don't have to be a member of an orienteering club to go orienteering. Many of our members gain great enjoyment helping to organise our events, but members are not expected to volunteer as we know that not everyone has the time or the inclination. Whatever your level of experience, we encourage you to join us so that we can then give you the help you need to get the most out of the sport. Membership fees have been kept low to encourage those new to the sport to join the club and benefit from the coaching we offer; they also entitle you to discounts at some events.

If you have any questions, just send an email to newcomers@dfok.co.uk

History of DFOK

DFOK has been in existence since the early 1970s when it was named Darwin Forest Orienteering Klubb after two schools, Charles Darwin and Forest Hill.

As contact with the schools was lost and many orienteers started to ask where Darwin Forest actually was, the name was changed to Dartford Orienteering Klubb, keeping the original abbreviation DFOK.

In 2007, neighbouring club CROC (Croydon Orienteering Club) joined us, and we now serve a wider area.

In 2022 we started using Dartford Orienteers as the club name.