Episode 1 The Adventure Show


Episode 1

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Hello, and a very warm welcome to a brand new series

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of The Adventure Show, bringing you the best action

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and adventure from across Scotland

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and around the world.

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And this year, we're covering

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the Mountain Bike World Cup in Fort William

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and delving into the world of extreme triathlons

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and mountain marathons.

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And we're not just going to be spectators either,

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we're going to be taking on some serious challenges,

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both on dry land and in the water.

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And I'm back again too, showing you some of the finest

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mountains in Scotland.

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I'll also be checking out some of the best

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of what the continent has to offer.

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We're starting off with the premier canoe slalom

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on the River Tay in Highland Perthshire.

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It's great to be back at one of the most important

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races of the season at the spiritual home of Scottish paddling.

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It's really good to come back to the home water, you know.

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Just to see all the youngsters

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on this water is great

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and for us, coming up to this river, they all seem to love it.

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There's always a big buzz about.

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Later in this month's Adventure Show,

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Deziree will be exploring the wilds of Wester Ross

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on foot and by boat...

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Oh, no! I'm sorry!

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..and Cameron will be heading up one of Perthshire's iconic hills

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Ben Vrackie, and we'll be taking to the skies...

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Yeah!

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..for a sport that's always full of surprises.

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You never know what the next thermal is going to bring.

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I banked over the turn and there's an eagle on my wingtip

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and I'm flying with it and we're going up together

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and he's looking at me and I'm looking at him

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and he's going "Cawww!" and I'm going "Hello, how are you doing?"

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You know, it's a good climb and up we go.

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All of that is to come, but first to the Grandtully Premier Slalom.

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Now, after the success of Scottish paddlers in last year's Olympics,

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I think it's fair to say that this is a sport that's riding high.

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We've got a lot of up-and-coming athletes. I see a lot of talent,

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Like, I look at them and I admire them so much

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for the hours they put in already.

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We're pushing to be one of the best nations in the world now

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and hopefully that will encourage some youngsters

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to get involved in the sport

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as they see the success of our better athletes.

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After the Olympics,

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I think even more youngsters will start as well.

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The people that are paddling now are young and very, very fast.

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MAN SHOUTS

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And we've no shortage of action from the water.

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In this programme, we have the men's and women's K1 class where

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they use double-bladed paddles

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and we've the single-bladed C1 and C2 classes

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where the racers kneel in the boats.

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Heading up the C2 class

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are Tim Baillie, who grew up in Aberdeen, and Etienne Stott.

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They put in the performance of a lifetime

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to win Olympic gold at London 2012.

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We've had a lot of almost...

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close-but-no-cigar sort of races

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where we've felt we've performed pretty well and just little bits

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haven't worked out and so, yeah,

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winning the Olympics is absolutely a crowning glory.

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And we've put Tim and Etienne to good use.

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They're showing us what this year's Grandtully is like.

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Getting up some speed now to cross the start line.

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The water's quite shallow at the top of the course here,

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so the boat is draggy, you can see the bows lifting up in the water.

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-We're really pushing hard.

-So you've got to get up your momentum,

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slide down the top four and just try and steer it into gate two

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and put the burners on and race across the three,

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try to hold the bow up, have to be a bit careful to get out of there.

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Working hard out and just steering a little into four,

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got a boost through there,

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turn it back hard in five, try and work hard to get above the rock.

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We need to be careful not to chip

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the side of the boat on the underwater rock there

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and a very tight sequence approaching now,

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bit of water over the bows there, just slowing us

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up a little bit as we work to a tight manoeuvre here,

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downstream in the eddy.

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Working hard to get away again, keep the speed up,

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trying to be careful into the upstream,

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try and hold the boat upstream as far as we can and out.

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Trying to keep the bows down through these gates,

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keep the boat down in the water into the ups

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so we can use the eddy water to bounce around.

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And now working into the final sequence.

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The physical effort of the run has really filled up your arms

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with lactic acid. It's going to be hard work from now on.

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We've got to be very precise around these final turns.

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Yeah, working as hard as we can, but also being careful not to hit

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the last couple of gates, and round the last up

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and then really trying to get our stroke rate up

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and go as fast as we can to the finish.

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And across the finish line,

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Tim leans forward to steal a few hundredths.

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We'll find out later on in the programme whether Tim

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and Etienne can take the top spot here in Grandtully,

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but first we're starting with the women's K1.

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Today, the water level here at Grandtully is extremely low,

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which is going to make for some tough racing.

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You really have to attack the course and keep the boat running

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cos there's not much time on the course at all to make up on,

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like, staggers, like, everyone could do them forward, basically,

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so you really have to be the fastest you can on them.

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The bottom of the course is very physical cos you've got

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a couple of ups and then there's some down sets,

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so you're zigzagging across the river

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and they're really testing you physically down there.

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Each competitor has two runs down the course

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and it's the fastest time from either the first or second

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run that counts, with two seconds added for a touch on a gate

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and 50 seconds if you miss it entirely.

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In the women's K1 class,

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the first run proved to be a closely-fought contest.

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Just four seconds separated the top three paddlers...

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They're all highly experienced racers, with both Lizzie

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and Fiona former Olympians.

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Just behind them in fourth is a potential hope for the future,

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under-18 paddler Kimberley Woods.

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We're joining the action for the second run as Lizzie Neave

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takes to the water and there's still all to play for.

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Whoa! Putting the power on at the top,

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getting as much speed as she possibly can.

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And Lizzie, of course, and Fiona Pennie, such great rivals.

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Lizzie was the Olympic boat last year in London,

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four years before that it was Fiona Pennie over in Beijing

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but Lizzie finished the first run in second place

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with a time of 108.65,

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2.39 seconds behind Fiona Pennie.

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So what can Lizzie do to improve on that?

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Number four on her jersey.

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Alongside Fiona Pennie, they used to train together all the time.

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They've now split up and changed coaches

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and they're training individually and the idea is to get them

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both faster without watching what each other is doing.

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Lizzie with the Union Jack on the paddle blades there.

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Can she improve on her time?

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108.65 it was, the first time down.

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Now she heads towards 15.

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And when the sun comes out it keeps us all nice and warm,

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but Lizzie Neave will be absolutely boiling at this stage of the course.

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All the effort put in and she powers on down towards the bottom

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and heads towards the last upstream gate.

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Round that and powers on to the finish.

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Well, this is looking quicker than her first run,

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but is it good enough to beat Fiona?

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No, not quite. 107.8.

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That may be enough for a podium finish,

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but no win here today for Lizzie Neave.

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So, Kimberley Woods here looking really good so far.

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Dipping very tight to that gate, did very well,

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hoping for a nice, clean line through here,

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so lying in fourth position after the first run,

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Kimberley Woods didn't pick up any penalties in the first run.

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So, Kimberley, junior, under-18, but here competing well for a top spot.

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And very good, long reach, this girl has.

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Technically pretty competent, strong.

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And then coming into upstream gate 12,

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a nice powerful spin on that left hand

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and getting the blade in, turning the boat and the blade,

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moving the boat around the blade rather than the other way round.

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And very nicely done. The gate was just swinging there.

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She turned it perfectly, and she's tight there into 17.

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So, Kimberley looking good so far.

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Oh, a little bit slow around 19, tiring a little bit

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as she comes into the last gate and a sprint to the finish.

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And as she comes to the line, she looks absolutely exhausted,

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finishing at a time of 109.73.

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That puts her currently into third place

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and it's a great run

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for this rising star.

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Here is Louise Donnington, third after the first run,

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a time of 110.24.

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Nice and smooth round the top section, absolutely fine,

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now this bit here.

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This is where the time can be made up if you keep it nice and smooth,

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get the boat in the right position and just get through these

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downstream gates - has she done it?

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Doesn't have to correct too much, just a bit of bow rudder there.

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And flies around. Yeah, not looking too bad...

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Oh, a little mistake there! Had to correct.

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That'll cost her a bit of time.

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Unfortunately, she's clipped gate eight, that's going to be

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a two-second penalty and it's knocked her off her stride.

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Out of line for gate 10. My goodness, she needs to refocus

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if she's got any chance of reining in Fiona's first-run time.

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She was looking so smooth and so sweet in the middle section

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until gate number eight when it just went a wee bit wrong there.

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Just lost the bow of the boat in the white water

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and had to do some evasive action.

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It could have cost her too much time but we'll see.

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Looks like she's still got plenty left in the tank, though,

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as she batters on down to the bottom.

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But that two-second penalty is costly.

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It brings her total time to 110.13

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and that'll keep her off the podium.

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So on the course now,

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Fiona Pennie who was quite far ahead of everybody else.

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And Fiona now is really, really showing her class.

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Absolutely fantastic paddler, totally motivated.

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She told me earlier on that she wants to continue until 2016.

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To stay in the elite level until Brazil would be a tremendous

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achievement, but she has now relocated from Nottingham to London,

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so that she can train full-time on the artificial river down there

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that was built for the Olympics. And Fiona absolutely looking superb.

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Very long reach, strong shoulders and hands,

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driving the boat forward - certainly the fastest paddler

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we've seen through the middle part of the course. Nicely done, Fiona.

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Just a little bit...you could see the paddle slightly in the water,

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not completely clean,

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but she is in a class of her own by the looks of it today.

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Leant back slightly before there.

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Two strokes of the right hand, she wouldn't have liked to do that.

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Oh, just slightly fluffed that, but Fiona pushing on into 17,

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and straight across the river to catch 18 upstream. Nicely done.

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So, here she goes, powering through 19 to the finish.

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And that is another great run from Fiona, 106.47,

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almost identical to her first run

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and easily enough to secure the top spot,

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so confirmation of those results...

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Yes, it was a tough race - physical, very physical,

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still out of breath now, but, yeah, you really had to push.

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Yes, I did a very good first run and I was pleased,

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it was very solid and it's all about tightening the lines up

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and trying to go a bit faster in the second run.

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Congratulations to Fiona Pennie -

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a winner here at Grandtully once again.

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Now, you can call it good planning or you can call it luck.

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I prefer the former, but we spoke to Fiona before this event

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and she revealed her tricks of the trade for getting down this

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river as fast as possible.

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Fiona, competition on natural rivers are quite unusual for you,

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so this is quite a different option for you.

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Yes, I'm sure nowadays most of our races are on artificial courses

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and coming back to paddle on a natural course,

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you sort of have to think a little bit differently.

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Are you going to show us some of the things actually on the river?

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I'll stand at the side and watch you.

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-I'll not follow you down cos I'll end up swimming.

-I'll give it a try.

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First up, the stagger.

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This is a sequence of downstream gates set across the current.

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It's much harder than it first appears. The key is getting

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the boat on the correct line before moving across the current.

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You come out of this gate.

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What's important is that we turn before the gate, do a big sweep,

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do a rudder before the gate, sweep through, another sweep,

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rudder before the gate.

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On down to the next section -

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sweep, rudder,

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rudder before the gate and away.

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We change where we put the weight in the boat, you know,

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we lean back a little bit for the pole.

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It makes it easier to turn the boat,

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and then when we go away from the gate again, leaving the gate,

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we tend to put the weight on the front of the boat to try to get

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the boat to squirt forward.

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When it comes to the upstream break-out gates,

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there are two techniques. This is the basic three-stroke break-out.

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Coming down the current into the eddy, sweep into the gate,

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bear rudder around the pole and sweep out of the gate and away.

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That's a fairly safe way of getting around the poles here,

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unlikely to hit the poles.

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It's just something we do when the water's a little more tricky

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around the gate and we can't predict what's going to happen.

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When conditions are more favourable, there's a faster option,

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the reverse stroke breakout.

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We come a lot closer to the gate when we're coming into the eddy.

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So come down, getting the bows right under the gate,

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neck around the pole, reverse and rudder and out.

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You use a lot of strength to do the upstreams very quickly

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and obviously we've had lots of hours in the gym to get that strength.

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You just learn the spacing.

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You have to know how far away from the pole you want to be when

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you start initiating the turn on the boat, when you come around the gate,

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and then, you know, just a lot of practice.

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Let's face it, I don't think I'll be trying those any time soon,

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but we will be seeing plenty of those techniques later on.

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That's all to come.

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Right now, we're heading to the north-west Highlands with Deziree Wilson.

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On a cold, slightly dreich day, typical of this year's spring,

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Deziree has joined Backcountry enthusiast Andy Toop

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for an unusual journey.

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Well, at first glance it looks like we're just out for a nice walk

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but that's not the whole story.

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Although we're on foot just now, around the corner there's a loch

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and then further along our route we've got a river to negotiate

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so what's the secret?

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Well, today I haven't got my trekking poles with me,

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but I've got paddles.

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This is packrafting.

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It is a combination of rafting on one-person dinghies,

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small enough to fit in a backpack, and hiking when the river runs out.

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The whole idea of having the ability to link the blue bits together

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on a map is, I suppose, the idea of packrafting.

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The ability to travel through

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and immerse myself in the wilderness, in the Backcountry, is the appeal.

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So, how does it work? It's easy.

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When you're hiking, the raft is packed in your rucksack,

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and when you reach a piece of water, you take it out,

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blow it up, and off you paddle.

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At least that's the theory.

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-I can let the bag inflate or I can try and catch wind.

-OK.

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Close it up.

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And once you're there, put it on your thighs.

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Yes, yes, that's good.

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Oh, look at that!

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If you take the beach dinghies from your childhood,

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those ones that cost a fiver -

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take one of those and make it a real grown-up's dinghy

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that's the same size and shape.

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The boat's super stable.

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-And I'm in.

-OK.

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'I came across packrafts with a bunch of guys adventuring in Alaska.

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'So, we bought packrafts on a whim, I suppose.

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'The way it opens up the areas you can travel through is just unbelievable.

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'You find yourself in places where maybe no-one's been.'

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-Such a great craft for beginners.

-Yes.

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-They're super friendly.

-Yeah.

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There you go, you are a packrafting professional already.

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'To be self-sufficient with regards to my mode of travel

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'and having those options.

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'I can take un-navigated paths,

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'un-navigated rivers, that's the appeal.

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'It's new, it's exciting, it feels like real adventuring to me.'

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-Do you want some help with yours? Are you OK?

-I'll be OK, thank you.

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That's good. I reckon just here keeps it out of the wind

0:19:090:19:13

as much as possible.

0:19:130:19:15

We wouldn't want it blowing away as it's the best part of £1,000.

0:19:170:19:21

It seems a lot for what is a kiddy's dinghy

0:19:220:19:25

but they're incredibly robust.

0:19:250:19:29

As neat as possible, getting all the air out

0:19:300:19:33

-because that's what's going to give us our minute pack size.

-OK.

0:19:330:19:38

There are so many permutations, so many hills, glens, tops.

0:19:480:19:54

You can just get lost for days and days.

0:19:540:19:59

-Lost in a good way, you know?

-Yeah, I was thinking,

0:19:590:20:01

it's pretty unlikely we're going to meet anybody else around here today.

0:20:010:20:04

And I'm not noticing the weight of it that much at all.

0:20:040:20:08

It doesn't really feel like I'm carrying a rucksack

0:20:080:20:10

that's much heavier than what I would be used to carrying

0:20:100:20:13

for a day hike anyway.

0:20:130:20:14

That's the river down there. We're going to head out...

0:20:160:20:20

then you see the river down there.

0:20:200:20:22

That sort of ultralight revolution that's come through from the States,

0:20:220:20:26

we are down at 2.5 kilos and, you know,

0:20:260:20:29

you're looking at other crafts which are closer to 12 or 15 kilos, and

0:20:290:20:33

you just couldn't lug those around with your own personal kit as well.

0:20:330:20:36

There's lots of other kit that we have that makes all this possible.

0:20:360:20:40

Maybe a few years ago it wouldn't be possible.

0:20:400:20:43

Even with the same boats cos everything else is so heavy

0:20:430:20:46

but it's good the way things are advancing.

0:20:460:20:48

If we drop down here, we can see most of the rapid.

0:20:530:20:56

It's going to swing left and hopefully there'll be

0:20:560:20:59

an eddy down there and stuff, what do you reckon to that?

0:20:590:21:02

If I just tuck in behind you and then just follow your line.

0:21:020:21:05

The nature of these rivers in these tucked-away glens,

0:21:200:21:25

you are running them blind, there's no guidebooks.

0:21:250:21:29

If we couldn't see...

0:21:290:21:31

The few times we couldn't see, it was getting out and having a look.

0:21:310:21:35

We had to walk a wee bit down where it was too shallow.

0:21:370:21:41

Again, that's all just part of it.

0:21:410:21:43

I really like that element of just not really knowing what was coming next.

0:21:450:21:49

Every section was a wee bit different,

0:21:490:21:51

you're having to do something a little bit different with boat,

0:21:510:21:54

a bit different with the paddle.

0:21:540:21:55

There's just something quite fun about it.

0:21:550:21:58

You feel like you are journeying just that little section as well.

0:21:580:22:01

Oh, no! Sorry!

0:22:030:22:05

It's definitely an adventure off the beaten path.

0:22:050:22:08

It's part of the drive, part of the passion that fuels this thing for me.

0:22:080:22:14

It's why I keep doing it, I keep finding myself soaking wet,

0:22:140:22:19

sitting on some windswept loch in the middle of absolutely nowhere.

0:22:190:22:23

But every time I still get that good feeling.

0:22:230:22:25

Oh, goodness! Oh!

0:22:270:22:30

That is not my natural environment, I have to say,

0:22:300:22:33

but I did really enjoy it.

0:22:330:22:35

Time for another?

0:22:350:22:36

To find out more about packrafting

0:22:360:22:38

and the other items in this month's programme,

0:22:380:22:40

don't forget to join the bigger Adventure Show community

0:22:400:22:43

and follow us on Facebook.

0:22:430:22:46

Welcome back to the Premier Slalom here at Grandtully.

0:22:520:22:55

Now it's time for the kneeling C1 discipline.

0:22:550:22:58

In C1s you've actually got to tie yourself into your boat

0:22:580:23:01

so these are Velcro straps which hold yourself in place

0:23:010:23:03

rather than wedging your knees in the kayak.

0:23:030:23:06

Does that make it more difficult to get out

0:23:060:23:08

if you have to get out of the boat?

0:23:080:23:10

It takes a wee bit longer, but not normally a problem at competitions.

0:23:100:23:14

The Grandtully Premier Slalom is unusual because it uses a natural river.

0:23:150:23:20

Every day the water can be different

0:23:200:23:22

and how the course is set plays a huge part in shaping the race.

0:23:220:23:26

We always have the issue with the canoes

0:23:260:23:29

that you have righties and lefties

0:23:290:23:31

so you've got to make the course balanced to suit those

0:23:310:23:34

because you can't have it more biased in one way

0:23:340:23:37

but I think you've always got to find a balance of technical moves

0:23:370:23:40

to challenge the paddlers and also a bit of physical.

0:23:400:23:43

On a natural river like this where you can't actually move

0:23:430:23:46

the boulders around and create eddies and so on,

0:23:460:23:49

what are you looking for to make a really nice, fluid course?

0:23:490:23:52

We're always looking to see where the water runs,

0:23:520:23:55

if a wave runs in a certain way,

0:23:550:23:57

can we set the gates where the paddler has to use

0:23:570:23:59

that bit of water to get the best out of the course, really.

0:23:590:24:02

So you're always looking to try and

0:24:020:24:04

work with the water instead of against it.

0:24:040:24:07

In the first run down for the C1 paddlers, two under-23 competitors

0:24:070:24:11

from south of the border were fighting it out for the fastest time.

0:24:110:24:15

Thomas Quinn had a clean run through the gates

0:24:150:24:18

and came home in a time of 107.84 seconds,

0:24:180:24:21

but even quicker, Adam Burgess limboed his way down the course

0:24:210:24:25

in a time of 105.87.

0:24:250:24:27

With the rest of the field about seven seconds off the pace,

0:24:290:24:31

the scene is set for a showdown between these two paddlers.

0:24:310:24:35

First up is Thomas Quinn.

0:24:350:24:38

It is the fastest time from either run that counts

0:24:380:24:41

so Thomas will be keen to put pressure on Adam Burgess.

0:24:410:24:44

So, Thomas Quinn.

0:24:440:24:46

There's the man - he finished in second place,

0:24:480:24:51

1.97 seconds so he can do this here,

0:24:510:24:54

he can make a big, big run down this course,

0:24:540:24:57

he could take the leader's...

0:24:570:24:59

And he's trying pretty hard for it as well.

0:25:010:25:04

Working very hard indeed, you can see the cadence of the paddling,

0:25:040:25:06

really, really working hard, incredibly hard to get round.

0:25:060:25:10

Using the speed of the river, getting across quickly.

0:25:100:25:12

Oh, this is looking good.

0:25:120:25:14

If he keeps this clean, this could be very impressive indeed.

0:25:140:25:18

Thomas Quinn was from the Lower Wharfe Club,

0:25:190:25:23

working really, really hard to go around 12 there.

0:25:230:25:26

Was he a wee bit wide?

0:25:260:25:27

Just using a little push off that rock, that is allowed.

0:25:270:25:32

If it's there, you are allowed to use it.

0:25:320:25:35

And a little limbo to get through 14.

0:25:350:25:37

Now, what's he got left at the end here? A lovely pirouette through 15.

0:25:370:25:40

And still he looks like he's working very hard,

0:25:420:25:44

still it looks like he's got lots of gas left in the tank

0:25:440:25:47

as he batters on down towards the bottom of the course.

0:25:470:25:50

1.97 he has to make up from the last run to take

0:25:500:25:53

the leader's place on this Premier Slalom at Grandtully.

0:25:530:25:58

Through 19 and off towards the finish for Thomas Quinn.

0:25:580:26:02

And he crosses the line in the time of 106.24,

0:26:040:26:07

faster than his first run but not enough for top spot.

0:26:070:26:10

And he looks so disappointed.

0:26:100:26:12

And here is our leader, Adam Burgess, coming down now.

0:26:150:26:18

A really fine first run he put in, 105.87, with no penalty points.

0:26:180:26:24

What's he got in the second run?

0:26:240:26:27

He uses that stopper to lift up and over.

0:26:290:26:32

So, he's going through three now.

0:26:320:26:34

He knows he's in the lead.

0:26:340:26:36

Clearly he wants to improve on that,

0:26:370:26:40

but he doesn't know how anyone else has done up to this point

0:26:400:26:43

so he'll be wanting to get nice and clean and nice and fast.

0:26:430:26:48

So far, so good for the Stafford and Stone paddler.

0:26:500:26:54

Thomas Quinn really was working so hard at this point

0:26:560:26:59

and got really quick during the middle section of the course.

0:26:590:27:02

Adam Burgess doesn't look as quick but he's very smooth.

0:27:020:27:05

His lines are fine so he knows he's ahead.

0:27:050:27:08

He doesn't have to do anything really to stay ahead,

0:27:080:27:11

keep it nice and clean, keep it nice and careful.

0:27:110:27:14

And he knows he's got the power left.

0:27:140:27:17

It doesn't look like he's had to work ridiculously hard in

0:27:170:27:19

the top section of the course but he can really make up some time here.

0:27:190:27:23

And here we go.

0:27:250:27:27

He keeps it going all the way down to 18,

0:27:270:27:30

and nicely round that.

0:27:300:27:33

Home and free through 19 and off to the finish

0:27:330:27:36

and looking pretty good for Adam Burgess.

0:27:360:27:39

And it is, that tremendous time, 103.66,

0:27:390:27:42

two seconds faster than his first run and three seconds clear of the field.

0:27:420:27:47

A triumph of technique and strength.

0:27:470:27:49

So, at the end of the men's C1 competition,

0:27:500:27:53

Thomas Abbot was third in a time of 111.37.

0:27:530:27:57

Thomas Quinn pushed hard but could only maintain second place at 106.24

0:27:570:28:02

while the clear winner here today was Adam Burgess with 103.66.

0:28:020:28:07

I had a little bit of an error to correct

0:28:070:28:10

on gate two that time, which I did,

0:28:100:28:12

and the same as this morning, just kept it really smooth and it worked.

0:28:120:28:16

Obviously now with the Olympic success in C2,

0:28:160:28:19

how much difference has that made now to your motivation

0:28:190:28:22

and the motivation of the team and the funding and so on?

0:28:220:28:25

It was definitely a really inspiring day watching Dave and Richard

0:28:250:28:29

and Tim and Etienne get the medals.

0:28:290:28:31

I also paddle C2 as well

0:28:310:28:33

and we were one place behind those guys to make the team that year,

0:28:330:28:37

so I guess I am looking forward to 2016 to hopefully making the team in both classes.

0:28:370:28:41

Now it's time for the discipline

0:28:410:28:44

that everyone's talking about, the men's C2 event.

0:28:440:28:47

In canoe slalom, young and inexperienced paddlers compete against the stars.

0:28:470:28:52

For gold medallists Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott,

0:28:520:28:56

this is one of the great things about the sport.

0:28:560:28:59

In football or whatever, the really big sports,

0:28:590:29:01

it's very hard for there to be

0:29:010:29:03

that connection from the top of the sport to the bottom

0:29:030:29:05

but in canoe slalom, it's a nice, friendly sport and it's much easier.

0:29:050:29:09

It's one of the things I think Tim and I are both really keen on.

0:29:090:29:11

When we were younger, because we were in this sport,

0:29:110:29:13

we had access to the top athletes and when you see them

0:29:130:29:16

and you realise that they're just very similar to you,

0:29:160:29:19

they do things differently but they're no different,

0:29:190:29:21

they're not superhuman in any way,

0:29:210:29:23

that's a really powerful message to people to say

0:29:230:29:25

you can do what you want to do, you can do anything you like.

0:29:250:29:27

I noticed yesterday when you were here doing some practice on the river

0:29:270:29:31

that a lot of the younger paddlers saw you coming and moved out of the way

0:29:310:29:34

cos you're Olympic champions, everyone's looking at you.

0:29:340:29:36

Your life has changed quite a bit, I'd imagine, since the Olympics.

0:29:360:29:39

Yeah, I mean, our lives have changed.

0:29:390:29:41

A lot of the things we've done since the Olympics you would never

0:29:410:29:44

have the opportunity to do if you didn't win an Olympic medal but

0:29:440:29:47

at the same time, to be fair, people are probably moving out of the way

0:29:470:29:50

because they see a big C2 with 160 kilos of people in,

0:29:500:29:53

looking fairly out-of-control half of the time, so, I think...

0:29:530:29:56

That's the nice thing about canoeing, it's a really small sport.

0:29:560:29:59

Everyone's known us for years and arguably we're

0:29:590:30:01

at the pinnacle of the sport, winning the Olympic gold medal.

0:30:010:30:05

I remember watching it, the race, and we were joking before,

0:30:050:30:09

you know, we might get a one-two and no-one actually believed that

0:30:090:30:12

but the actual race, I can still remember it now,

0:30:120:30:14

it was absolutely electric.

0:30:140:30:16

A fantastic experience and it is fantastic for the sport.

0:30:160:30:20

Obviously everyone knows Tim and Etienne,

0:30:200:30:22

they've been racing on the circuit for years, but is it different now

0:30:220:30:25

being against these guys because they're now Olympic champions?

0:30:250:30:28

I think definitely getting in at the start, I was quite...

0:30:280:30:31

"This doesn't happen very often to me,

0:30:310:30:33

"getting on the water with the Olympic champions."

0:30:330:30:35

Yes, I had a little smile at the top. I thought, "That's good."

0:30:350:30:39

So, as we head into action for the first run,

0:30:390:30:42

the stage is set for Tim and Etienne

0:30:420:30:44

to show the kind of paddling that won them an Olympic gold medal.

0:30:440:30:48

And in the first run they're on top form once again,

0:30:480:30:51

working hard all the way down the course,

0:30:510:30:53

their years of experience are paying dividends.

0:30:530:30:56

But they're not having it all their own way.

0:30:560:30:58

Rhys Davies and Matt Lister,

0:30:580:31:00

the under-23 silver medallists from last year's European Championships,

0:31:000:31:04

are snapping at their heels.

0:31:040:31:06

And on the first run, Rhys and Matt were just one second behind Tim and Etienne,

0:31:060:31:12

but with two penalty seconds, their total time was 114.13 seconds,

0:31:120:31:17

whilst Tim and Etienne had a clean run with a time of 111.57.

0:31:170:31:22

We're picking up the action as they start their second run down the course.

0:31:220:31:27

And here they come, Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott,

0:31:280:31:31

first after the first run by 2.5 seconds,

0:31:310:31:34

ahead of Rhys Davies and Matt Lister.

0:31:340:31:37

Olympic champions and winners here at Grandtully many times in the past.

0:31:390:31:43

They just seem to attack this course.

0:31:450:31:47

Oh, a bit of work to be done getting around three though,

0:31:480:31:51

it's not easy, those two upstream gates so early in the course.

0:31:510:31:54

Dropping down now, towards the bottom section.

0:31:560:32:00

Not sure if these guys are as smooth as they were first time around.

0:32:040:32:08

Obviously you post a good time,

0:32:080:32:10

second time you can really go for it and if you're going for it,

0:32:100:32:13

that's when, potentially, mistakes could be made, but...

0:32:130:32:16

Looking at 15, the gate swinging there but they're safely through.

0:32:180:32:21

Heading across to 16.

0:32:230:32:24

Keeping the power on.

0:32:240:32:26

And all eyes on that final time to see if

0:32:310:32:35

they've improved on that first time of 111.57.

0:32:350:32:38

Well, Tim and Etienne's strength really paying off here

0:32:400:32:43

through the final gate.

0:32:430:32:44

And they're home in a time of 111.04,

0:32:440:32:47

just half a second faster than their first run.

0:32:470:32:51

So, let's see if the younger team can knock the Olympic champions off first place.

0:32:520:32:56

So, here's Rhys Davies and Mark Lister

0:32:580:33:00

who are in second place after the first run.

0:33:000:33:02

Big hit on three there.

0:33:020:33:04

That will cost them two seconds and they can ill afford it

0:33:040:33:07

cos they're 2.5 seconds off the pace,

0:33:070:33:09

or they were after the first run.

0:33:090:33:11

114.13 was their time.

0:33:110:33:14

But they're certainly putting the work in, there is no doubt about that.

0:33:170:33:20

Rhys and Matt from the Bala Canoe Club under-23 paddlers.

0:33:200:33:25

Wearing number 50, that means they've left their bib at home -

0:33:260:33:31

they should be wearing number one on their jerseys.

0:33:310:33:34

Carrying on towards the bottom section of the course,

0:33:360:33:40

to gate number 15, upstream gate.

0:33:400:33:42

Oh, they were way high in the air there.

0:33:420:33:44

Working pretty well as a team.

0:33:470:33:49

2.5 seconds is easy to make up, or is it?

0:33:490:33:52

Carrying on down towards the bottom section of the course

0:33:550:33:57

and they're still working extremely hard.

0:33:570:34:01

Paddles going in together like a well oiled machine.

0:34:010:34:04

Is it good enough, though, to take the lead?

0:34:040:34:07

And as they cross the line, not quite.

0:34:080:34:10

113.87, plus two penalty seconds.

0:34:100:34:14

So, it's their first run of 114.13 that counts for Matt and Rhys

0:34:140:34:19

and that's good enough for second place.

0:34:190:34:22

But, proving why they're Olympic champions,

0:34:220:34:24

Tim and Etienne are first in 111.04.

0:34:240:34:28

So, justice has been done and the Olympic gold medallists

0:34:300:34:32

have retained their position as C2 canoers winning here in Aberfeldy.

0:34:320:34:37

Still to come, we have got the Blue Riband men's kayak event.

0:34:390:34:42

Now though, we're swapping water for air

0:34:420:34:46

as we head 20 or so miles west to take to the skies around Loch Tay.

0:34:460:34:50

You're just using the natural uplift of thermals

0:34:580:35:02

and the wind on the hillside and it's just a fantastic feeling.

0:35:020:35:05

Essentially you're just flying like a bird.

0:35:050:35:08

You're part of the wind, you know, there's no engine noise,

0:35:080:35:11

there's no distraction, it's just you and the wing and the air.

0:35:110:35:16

It's just like the purest form of enjoyment.

0:35:160:35:19

It's so natural and so broken down

0:35:190:35:23

to the bare essentials, almost.

0:35:230:35:26

It's just you

0:35:260:35:29

and a wing and you're on your own in the sky.

0:35:290:35:32

This is hang gliding.

0:35:330:35:35

Flying free as a bird, where after launching it's a question

0:35:350:35:38

of finding thermals or rising air to keep you in the sky.

0:35:380:35:42

In the mountains we might be looking for rock faces

0:35:420:35:45

that are basking in glorious sunshine, heating up,

0:35:450:35:48

getting almost red hot, bubbling the air around it,

0:35:480:35:50

and then when you fly into that air

0:35:500:35:53

it can be quite an exhilarating lift up

0:35:530:35:56

cos you might be flying along maybe in some sinking air

0:35:560:35:58

and the glider's coming down and then you get near that rockface

0:35:580:36:02

that's basking in glorious sunshine, the nose of the glider will pitch up,

0:36:020:36:05

your instruments start screaming at you going, "Beep! Beep! Beep!

0:36:050:36:08

"We're going up, we're going up!" And you start circling,

0:36:080:36:11

doing a 360 and before you know it you're hanging onto the glider

0:36:110:36:14

and you're shooting up towards the clouds

0:36:140:36:16

and it's got to be one of the most exhilarating sensations you can ever imagine.

0:36:160:36:20

One friend described it to me, "It's like being Superman."

0:36:200:36:23

This year the initial round in the British Open series has come to Scotland.

0:36:250:36:29

It's the first time for 10 years the competition has come north of the border

0:36:290:36:33

and it's attracted hang gliders from across the UK.

0:36:330:36:37

I've flown all around Europe, in Hungary and Spain and France

0:36:370:36:41

and various other places. On a good day you just can't beat Scotland.

0:36:410:36:45

You can be at 10,000 feet above Ben Nevis,

0:36:450:36:48

able to see the sea in the West Coast and the East Coast,

0:36:480:36:51

flying with eagles, you know,

0:36:510:36:53

it's just an unbelievable place to fly in terms of scenery

0:36:530:36:57

and conditions - on the right day!

0:36:570:36:59

One person who's at the top of the sport is David Matthews.

0:36:590:37:04

He's won this event twice before and has high hopes for today.

0:37:040:37:08

Winning's everything.

0:37:080:37:10

No, it's become more important over the last few years

0:37:100:37:14

because I think once you have won a couple of competitions,

0:37:140:37:17

I think the pressure is then on you to carry on staying at the top there if you can.

0:37:170:37:21

But it's not everything,

0:37:210:37:23

the most important thing is to just have fun, really.

0:37:230:37:26

I mean, on a good day like this, if we get some nice thermals

0:37:260:37:30

and a reasonably high cloud base,

0:37:300:37:32

to float around the Scottish Highlands is the best thing, you know.

0:37:320:37:36

The competition almost comes second to that, but not quite.

0:37:360:37:40

I'm just getting ready and organised with the radio.

0:37:400:37:43

The secret is to be organised and be ready but not necessarily be

0:37:430:37:47

the first person to take off

0:37:470:37:49

so I'm not going to risk that at the moment.

0:37:490:37:51

Strategy is everything.

0:37:510:37:54

Before the task starts

0:37:540:37:56

there's a period of time to allow all the pilots to launch

0:37:560:37:59

and then, like sailing, it's a question of circling round,

0:37:590:38:02

maintaining height and waiting for the start of the race.

0:38:020:38:06

Brothers Jem and Myles Kynaston from North Wales

0:38:070:38:10

began flying when they were teenagers.

0:38:100:38:13

Once you get up to a certain height you're reading the clouds, so you

0:38:130:38:16

decide where the best flight path is, by looking at where the clouds are

0:38:160:38:22

and the top of those cumulus clouds mark the top of the thermals,

0:38:220:38:26

so the ideal scenario is to climb in a thermal to cloud base

0:38:260:38:30

and then see where the next most promising-looking cloud is

0:38:300:38:34

and glide to that one.

0:38:340:38:36

You start with taking off,

0:38:380:38:40

so you think about the wind direction, the wind strength.

0:38:400:38:43

You want to look in the direction they are sending you

0:38:430:38:46

so it could be over the back of the hill or it could be out in front

0:38:460:38:49

or it could be anywhere and with this you want to be thinking,

0:38:490:38:52

"How am I going to get high to go over there?

0:38:520:38:55

"Who am I going to follow?"

0:38:550:38:56

because that is what I am going to do, probably!

0:38:560:38:59

"Which bits of the sky are working well and which places to avoid?"

0:38:590:39:03

And then with me, a lot of the time is,

0:39:030:39:05

"Where's the bottom landing field?"

0:39:050:39:08

Because you always need to know all your options.

0:39:080:39:11

Hopefully you won't need it, but there you go.

0:39:110:39:13

Even though the course obviously can track a straight line,

0:39:200:39:23

pilots will be choosing their own lines to follow

0:39:230:39:26

for the optimum conditions.

0:39:260:39:28

That could be to do with the terrain, it could be to do with the clouds,

0:39:280:39:31

so if you see a rockface in basking sunshine in front of you

0:39:310:39:34

you might think, "That's going to kick up a thermal, I'll fly to that

0:39:340:39:37

"get my climb and glide on,"

0:39:370:39:39

or you might see a cloud out over a loch somewhere

0:39:390:39:42

and think, "That cloud's working, I'll fly for that cloud,

0:39:420:39:45

"see if I can get taken up in a thermal."

0:39:450:39:47

So people will be taking different routes but what will happen is, gaggles will form.

0:39:470:39:51

That's what you call them, you call them a gaggle of gliders

0:39:510:39:54

and they'll get underneath a thermal

0:39:540:39:55

and you'll get one person come in and maybe start going up well

0:39:550:39:58

and everyone will be watching from maybe a kilometre away

0:39:580:40:00

or two kilometres away and like hornets coming in,

0:40:000:40:03

they'll just suddenly all pile into the same thermal

0:40:030:40:06

if it's a strong one, so suddenly from flying on your own, you can have

0:40:060:40:09

gliders coming in from every angle, coming underneath you,

0:40:090:40:12

above you, climbing up together and going off on a glide.

0:40:120:40:16

Everyone flies with their own safety margins.

0:40:160:40:19

I personally fly with quite a high safety margin

0:40:190:40:22

but I would hope that I have as good a chance as anybody

0:40:220:40:25

of getting round to goal and beating them.

0:40:250:40:28

The winner is the pilot who passes all the waypoints

0:40:280:40:31

and makes it to the finish line in the fastest time.

0:40:310:40:34

Today first place goes to Gordon Rigg,

0:40:340:40:37

-who flew the 56.6 kilometre course in just over two hours.

-Yes!

0:40:370:40:43

But this is just the first stage of the British Open series,

0:40:440:40:48

so there's still all to play for in future rounds.

0:40:480:40:50

You need to be able to read the sky all the time

0:40:500:40:53

and if you can't read the sky then you'll either get into trouble or

0:40:530:40:56

you'll just not do very well on a day when you're in a competition.

0:40:560:40:59

But you don't need to be a physicist or meteorologist,

0:40:590:41:03

but it probably would help!

0:41:030:41:05

And our thanks to everyone in the British Open Hang Gliding Series.

0:41:050:41:10

Let's hope they will be back in Scotland again before too long,

0:41:100:41:13

providing those spectacular views of our landscape.

0:41:130:41:17

Down from the skies and we're heading east to join Cameron McNeish on terra firma.

0:41:300:41:35

This time his wild walk celebrates a great hill - Ben Vrackie.

0:41:350:41:40

I'm in the village of Moulin which sits on the hillside

0:41:410:41:44

high above Pitlochry in Highland Perthshire

0:41:440:41:48

and the hotel behind me here has been looking after wayfarers like me

0:41:480:41:52

since the 18th century.

0:41:520:41:54

The hotel is actually quite a new build in Moulin terms because

0:41:540:41:58

people have been living hereabouts for the best part of 4,000 years.

0:41:580:42:02

This is the Baledmund Standing Stone

0:42:090:42:12

and people reckon it's about 3,000 years old.

0:42:120:42:15

I just love to touch ancient stones like this.

0:42:170:42:20

You can almost feel its antiquity.

0:42:200:42:23

And it's believed that further up the field here, there's some

0:42:240:42:27

evidence of ring dwellings which suggest that people

0:42:270:42:30

have been living here since this stone was first erected.

0:42:300:42:33

The village of Moulin was named after an old castle

0:42:430:42:46

that once stood here, the Black Castle of Moulin.

0:42:460:42:49

It was built in 1326 by the Earl of Atholl,

0:42:490:42:53

but unfortunately in 1500 they had to deliberately destroy it

0:42:530:42:57

because within the walls there was an outbreak of the Black Plague.

0:42:570:43:02

Ben Vrackie is a corbett,

0:43:130:43:15

that's one of Scotland's mountains between 2,500 feet and 2,999 feet.

0:43:150:43:22

It actually stands at 2,759 feet, a fairly substantial hill.

0:43:220:43:28

The name Ben Vrackie or Ben Y Vrackie

0:43:300:43:32

as it's seen in the Ordnance Survey maps, means "speckled hill"

0:43:320:43:37

and that refers to the geological mishmash

0:43:370:43:41

that makes up this mountain - the schistose quartzite and epidiorite,

0:43:410:43:46

quite an unusual kind of conglomerate.

0:43:460:43:48

It's quite nice how the landscape suddenly becomes quite rugged, quite craggy.

0:43:560:44:01

The route's beginning to reveal itself now.

0:44:040:44:07

You can see the path going up into that top gully where the snow is,

0:44:070:44:11

so we climb up the ridge to the summit.

0:44:110:44:14

There's a temptation to think that the ascent of Ben Vrackie's

0:44:200:44:23

just a nice gentle walk up a moorland path

0:44:230:44:26

but in actual fact this last mile

0:44:260:44:29

takes in two thirds of the entire ascent.

0:44:290:44:33

It might well be hands and knees stuff.

0:44:330:44:36

It's quite interesting just looking at the view down there,

0:44:510:44:54

down the length of Strathtummel,

0:44:540:44:56

but today that is the main road north,

0:44:560:44:59

whereas at one time higher up the hillside was where

0:44:590:45:02

all the activity took place.

0:45:020:45:04

There was a main road came through this pass here

0:45:040:45:06

and down to Killiecrankie on the other side,

0:45:060:45:09

a road that was once used by no less a person than Mary Queen of Scots,

0:45:090:45:13

going to a big deer drive in Glen Tilt.

0:45:130:45:16

It was after Culloden when General Wade was told to come north

0:45:230:45:26

and pacify the rebellious Highlanders.

0:45:260:45:29

He thought the best way to do that was to build a system of roads

0:45:290:45:32

in the Highlands, but instead of following the roads

0:45:320:45:35

that originally would have been higher up in the hillside,

0:45:350:45:38

he decided he would build the roads down in the glens

0:45:380:45:40

and the glen bottom so he built his road from Perth to Inverness

0:45:400:45:44

along these valley bottoms, right along Strathtummel.

0:45:440:45:48

Earlier on I mentioned the unfolding views

0:45:550:45:58

and you can see that to good effect now.

0:45:580:46:01

We're high enough to see Ben Lawers away across there

0:46:010:46:04

and to the right of it the mighty Schiehallion,

0:46:040:46:06

the fairy hill of the Caledonians.

0:46:060:46:09

Indeed, away to the south I can just see the dim outline

0:46:100:46:13

of the Campsie Fells just north of Glasgow.

0:46:130:46:16

For a wee hill, it's a steep little climb at the end.

0:46:250:46:29

The proverbial sting in the tail.

0:46:290:46:31

Oh, wow!

0:46:380:46:41

Look at that! That's fantastic.

0:46:410:46:44

You know, lots of people say this is one of the finest viewpoints of Scotland

0:46:510:46:55

and being up here today I can understand that.

0:46:550:46:58

And you've got the benefit of a direction indicator up here

0:46:580:47:02

to show us what we're looking at and according to this,

0:47:020:47:06

Ben Nevis, our highest mountain, I can see across there, yes,

0:47:060:47:12

I can see Ben Nevis over in that direction. And the hills of Glenshee

0:47:120:47:15

just over in this direction so it's not bad at all.

0:47:150:47:19

You know, on some days, when you get to the summit of the mountain

0:47:240:47:28

you want to spend as little time as possible there because it is so cold

0:47:280:47:31

and windy and it can be quite miserable

0:47:310:47:33

but today is not one of those days.

0:47:330:47:35

This is a day to linger and just enjoy it,

0:47:350:47:37

and enjoy the spaciousness, the wide-open views.

0:47:370:47:41

I'm going to leave you now.

0:47:430:47:44

I'm just going to sit here for a while

0:47:440:47:46

and simply enjoy what feels like the roof of Scotland.

0:47:460:47:50

Welcome back, and now it's time for the men's K1 class.

0:47:590:48:03

Now, one of Britain's top paddlers, Olympic silver medallist

0:48:030:48:06

Campbell Walsh retired last year so he's not competing,

0:48:060:48:10

but there are plenty of other talented individuals

0:48:100:48:13

hoping to make their mark here at Grandtully.

0:48:130:48:15

It's a shame that Campbell Walsh retired last year

0:48:150:48:18

because he's definitely the one I wanted to beat, really.

0:48:180:48:20

But, it's great, he's a good paddler

0:48:200:48:22

and it's a shame to see him go but he had a great time.

0:48:220:48:25

Under-23 paddler Joe Clarke took up canoe slalom when he was 11

0:48:250:48:30

and he's someone with his eyes on the next Olympics.

0:48:300:48:34

I live in Lee Valley at the moment in London on the Olympic course

0:48:340:48:37

so just training there and push on for the 2016 Olympics and beyond.

0:48:370:48:41

Another bright hope for the future is Bradley Forbes-Cryans from Edinburgh.

0:48:410:48:46

He's currently an under-18 paddler

0:48:460:48:48

but someone determined to make his mark in this sport.

0:48:480:48:51

For this year me and my coach Neil Caffrey really want to push to try

0:48:510:48:55

and make the senior team before we make the jump out of juniors

0:48:550:48:58

and we want to try and get into the under-23 team as well because

0:48:580:49:03

that means we're allowed to do two of the senior World Cups this year.

0:49:030:49:06

So being at that level and competing at that level, even though

0:49:060:49:09

you're very young, would be just great for your potential career.

0:49:090:49:12

Yes, the way we look at it is, it's all good experience in the bag.

0:49:120:49:15

Time now for the K1 paddlers to take to the water for their first run.

0:49:150:49:20

And we're picking up the action with another young competitor,

0:49:200:49:23

under-23 paddler Joe Coombs.

0:49:230:49:26

So, Joe Coombs in the top of the course, from Warrington Canoe Club.

0:49:260:49:31

And he's pushing now for a place in the senior squad

0:49:310:49:36

and blasting through that little stopper there.

0:49:360:49:38

Using it again to accelerate out through gate four.

0:49:400:49:44

And, as we've discovered today,

0:49:460:49:50

it's not quite as technical as it has been in previous years.

0:49:500:49:53

There's a lot of sluggish slow water

0:49:530:49:56

so it'll be fitness that will be the winner here.

0:49:560:49:59

That's nicely done.

0:50:010:50:03

Looking pretty quick here.

0:50:030:50:04

They get some practice runs.

0:50:070:50:09

But it is all about today making sure that you warm up well

0:50:130:50:17

and you don't blow too much of your strength in the warm-up

0:50:170:50:20

so when you compete you're absolutely fired up and going very strong.

0:50:200:50:24

So, Joe, coming down into the upstream gate 15.

0:50:270:50:32

Nicely done, just slightly stalled,

0:50:320:50:34

tipped the boat a little too far up there and stalled slightly

0:50:340:50:38

but a very nice tight line into 16 and round into 17.

0:50:380:50:43

Go on, keep pushing on.

0:50:450:50:47

And that looks like a fine run for Joe as he comes through 19

0:50:490:50:53

and a quick sprint into the finish.

0:50:530:50:55

And he's through the gate in 99.01.

0:50:560:51:00

That is a pretty competitive time.

0:51:000:51:02

This is number nine, Mikey Wilson,

0:51:040:51:06

this is his first year as an under-23 paddler.

0:51:060:51:09

He was a member of the Junior 18 British team last season

0:51:090:51:15

so this is him stepping up. He'll have five years at under-23.

0:51:150:51:19

Going nice and fast.

0:51:220:51:24

Again leaning back, just getting through nice and smoothly,

0:51:250:51:28

using the speed of the river to his advantage.

0:51:280:51:31

Not doing any checks, that's fine, absolutely fine, nice and sweet.

0:51:310:51:35

Such a big step up from Junior 18 to under-23

0:51:370:51:41

but he seems to be stepping up quite comfortably and confidently.

0:51:410:51:45

Paddles for the Stafford and Stone Club.

0:51:460:51:49

And heads on down towards 16 and the slowest part of the course.

0:51:520:51:55

But if you've still got some puff left you can make a big difference.

0:51:580:52:02

And closing it down and finishing off towards the bottom.

0:52:050:52:08

This looks like a good run from Mikey Wilson.

0:52:100:52:13

Coming up to the line, crosses it in 99.8, just behind Joe Coombs.

0:52:130:52:19

So Huw Swetnam sprinting on this top part of the course.

0:52:200:52:25

Huw has been in the British squad on and off for the last few years.

0:52:250:52:30

That's nicely done.

0:52:300:52:32

And you could see the tip of the boat, or the tail of the boat,

0:52:320:52:34

just touched a little rock there and stopped the spin.

0:52:340:52:37

Huw nicely lined up here. He has got two or three gates to go.

0:52:380:52:43

It's beginning to blow a little bit, the breeze has got up slightly

0:52:430:52:46

which will make it a little bit more difficult

0:52:460:52:48

but Huw in the fastest part of the course here, doing pretty well.

0:52:480:52:53

Trying to keep the bow downstream.

0:52:560:52:59

So, once again, watching these guys on this very slow water,

0:52:590:53:05

it really is going to be tough and powerful work.

0:53:050:53:08

So that's nicely done.

0:53:100:53:12

Just a little dip of the shoulder to get underneath 11.

0:53:120:53:16

And pushing through.

0:53:190:53:21

Yes, very nice, keeping the paddles completely upright

0:53:210:53:24

so you don't clip the double gate.

0:53:240:53:26

Some double and some single gates.

0:53:270:53:29

And...

0:53:310:53:33

Oh, a little bit of a fluff there.

0:53:330:53:37

So... Here...

0:53:390:53:42

Oh, he came out too low on 17

0:53:420:53:45

so Huw is just feeling it now,

0:53:450:53:49

puffing a little bit, blowing his cheeks out

0:53:490:53:51

as he comes through 19 and sprinting into the finish.

0:53:510:53:54

Huw's through in 98.32, that is the fastest time so far

0:53:540:53:58

and there are only a few paddlers left on this first run.

0:53:580:54:02

So this is Bradley Forbes-Cryans.

0:54:040:54:06

Bradley, from the Forth Club in Edinburgh,

0:54:060:54:10

had a pretty successful year last year. A Junior 18 paddler.

0:54:100:54:13

Oh! That's disappointing for Bradley.

0:54:150:54:18

He got a big smack on gate number three there,

0:54:180:54:22

so a two-second penalty right away

0:54:220:54:24

and he'll be furious with that

0:54:240:54:26

because he has been expecting a lot of himself today.

0:54:260:54:29

He is a very, very talented young paddler, this guy.

0:54:290:54:31

He puts a lot of work in.

0:54:310:54:33

Determined.

0:54:330:54:35

I spoke to him last year

0:54:350:54:36

and he wants to represent Team GB in the Olympics in the future.

0:54:360:54:40

That is what he said.

0:54:400:54:41

It doesn't matter. He started with that big hit

0:54:410:54:44

but he's got the power and experience

0:54:440:54:46

and the ability, despite the fact he's only a young man,

0:54:460:54:49

he knows how to do something special here on the River Tay at Grandtully.

0:54:490:54:55

He knows this water very well indeed,

0:54:550:54:57

although he is based at the canals in Edinburgh.

0:54:570:55:00

SHOUTING

0:55:000:55:01

His coach screaming his head off at Bradley to get the job done.

0:55:010:55:06

Now, that two-second penalty,

0:55:060:55:07

he worked so hard in the middle section of the course

0:55:070:55:09

to try and make that up but will he be paying for it now

0:55:090:55:12

as he comes down to the bottom half and starts putting that last...

0:55:120:55:16

Upstream gate and then puts the power on and heads towards the line.

0:55:160:55:19

And Bradley crosses the line is 99.72 plus two penalty seconds.

0:55:220:55:26

That's still an impressive run from this Edinburgh youngster.

0:55:260:55:30

Last down the course for the first run is Joe Clarke.

0:55:320:55:35

So, on the top of the course, Joe Clarke.

0:55:350:55:39

Under-23 paddler but a real talent.

0:55:390:55:42

He has had an exceptional start to the year.

0:55:420:55:45

He came out of his winter training very well. Strong and focused.

0:55:450:55:49

That's nicely done. It's a little bit tricky here.

0:55:500:55:53

You've got to be very careful.

0:55:530:55:55

So, Joe, dipping under those two gates,

0:55:570:56:01

trying to keep the straightest line down the river

0:56:010:56:05

to maximise the speed of the boat,

0:56:050:56:07

trying to get as low resistance on the underside of the kayak

0:56:070:56:13

as possible. So just a slight stall there coming in.

0:56:130:56:17

just twisting round, very nicely done, under gate.

0:56:170:56:21

Just drifted out slightly as he came in to the upstream gate of number 12.

0:56:250:56:32

But Joe looking good so far.

0:56:320:56:34

Definitely very neat. Nice and tight.

0:56:340:56:37

Slightly off-line there. Trying to keep tight into 15, through 15 well.

0:56:400:56:45

And a nice low, tight line, 16.

0:56:460:56:50

Joe looking really strong.

0:56:500:56:52

Very few paddle strokes between the gates,

0:56:520:56:54

very effective technique.

0:56:540:56:57

This is shaping up to be an amazing run from Joe Clarke,

0:57:000:57:03

coming up to the line, he's across in 93.88,

0:57:030:57:07

smashing the rest of the field by a phenomenal five seconds.

0:57:070:57:11

He is in a class of his own today.

0:57:110:57:13

And that first run proved to be pivotal

0:57:130:57:16

with none of the top five able to improve on their places

0:57:160:57:20

second time down the river.

0:57:200:57:21

So this is how it finished.

0:57:210:57:23

Bradley Forbes-Cryans managed

0:57:230:57:26

99.8 on his second run to come in fifth.

0:57:260:57:29

Mikey Wilson's first run was also in 99.8 but

0:57:290:57:33

he remains in fourth as his other run was quicker than Bradley's.

0:57:330:57:36

Joe Coombs was in third with 99.01,

0:57:360:57:40

with Huw Swetnam coming in second with 99.32.

0:57:400:57:44

Then there's that huge five-second gap and a great performance

0:57:440:57:49

behind it that puts Joe Clarke in first place with a time of 93.88.

0:57:490:57:54

Joe, a very, very fine win for you. Congratulations.

0:57:540:57:58

Thank you very much, it has been a great day today.

0:57:580:58:00

What about this race? Because no water in the river, just about.

0:58:000:58:04

It adds a wee bit of an extra dimension to the race.

0:58:040:58:07

Well, not only have you got to go around the poles,

0:58:070:58:09

you've got to avoid all the rocks as well so, for sure,

0:58:090:58:12

definitely a lot more difficult compared to usual

0:58:120:58:14

but it was a great race nonetheless.

0:58:140:58:16

That's it for this month's Adventure Show.

0:58:170:58:20

Next time we will be in Fort William where the best

0:58:200:58:22

mountain bikers in the world will converge

0:58:220:58:24

for the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.

0:58:240:58:26

Please join us for that if you can. In the meantime, from Grandtully,

0:58:260:58:29

thanks for your company. Bye for now.

0:58:290:58:31

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0:58:430:58:47

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