Colin Nicholson

You’re deep in the forest, trying to figure out your way, and you don’t have your phone. All you have is a map, which is covered with hieroglyphics, and an old-fashioned compass.  It might sound like a troubled dream, but this is the world of orienteering. It’s a pastime with its origins in the Nordic countries, encouraged by their ‘right to roam’ policies; fitting, then, that Kuopio hosted the annual World Orienteering Championships this summer, as part of the Finnish city’s 250th anniversary celebrations.  What is orienteering? Requiring a mix of brainpower and fitness, orienteering is an adventurous sport where participants compete to reach a series of checkpoints using only a paper map and compass. It’s typically done outdoors, in forests and parks, but can also be done in urban environments. Some take it at a leisurely pace, but competitive orienteering calls for speed.   Perhaps inspired by the phone-free challenge of the BBC’s much-loved adventure travel show Race Across The World and the rise in unplugged escapes, interest in the sport is growing. It melds together a few current crazes: running and wellness and wholesome hobbying. Ultimately, orienteering offers the most exhilarating digital detox you can find.  Photograph: Courtesy of World Orienteering Championships So I’m in Kuopio to give it a go. The city is in Savo, Finland’s lake district, and you can reach it from Helsinki by plane, by train – a beautiful rail journey with lakes on either side – or by car, i