0:00:28 > 0:00:31Hello and a very warm welcome to The Adventure Show.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34This month, we're at the Glen Coe Skyline hill race.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38Now, not only is this a 34 mile ultramarathon with 5,000 metres
0:00:38 > 0:00:39of ascent and descent,
0:00:39 > 0:00:41but it's on terrain that's so steep
0:00:41 > 0:00:44some people would describe it as rock climbing.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Fantastic. Exactly what I came for.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50Whilst the competitors in this event
0:00:50 > 0:00:54race over some of the most demanding terrain you'll find anywhere,
0:00:54 > 0:00:57they still have time to look around and appreciate the landscape.
0:00:57 > 0:00:58Woo!
0:00:58 > 0:01:02It's that appreciation of our wild places we'll be exploring later
0:01:02 > 0:01:05in the programme, with Cameron McLeish and his guest,
0:01:05 > 0:01:08writer and environmentalist Alastair McIntosh.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11A lot of people, they feel something in the outdoors
0:01:11 > 0:01:14that today we don't really have the vocabulary for.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18So they feel it but they can't really talk about it.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21But first to the Salomon Glen Coe Skyline.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23And as we look around this majestic landscape,
0:01:23 > 0:01:26we really get a sense of the scale of the challenge involved.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30The Glen Coe Skyline race was first run last year.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32We followed it through the eyes of Dave Sykes, a hardened fell runner,
0:01:32 > 0:01:36and it's already transforming the adventure racing scene in Scotland.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Today, we're covering the race in its entirety.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Love it, every metre. Woo!
0:01:43 > 0:01:46It's perfect, beautiful. Amazing.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48This year, the race is even tougher.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51It's 10km longer
0:01:51 > 0:01:55with an extra 500 metres of ascent thrown in for good measure.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59Throughout the day, the competitors will take in the full majesty of Glen Coe.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02Traversing Buachaille Etive Mor,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05Bidean Nam Bian and the notorious Aonach Eagach ridge.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09There's no handholding in this event. No fixed ropes.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Long sections where retreat off the mountain is impossible.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17And the terrain is so unforgiving the race organisers say
0:02:17 > 0:02:21that a trip or a slip could result in serious injury.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24So this is for experienced extreme athletes.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29When people apply to join the race, they have to submit a CV
0:02:29 > 0:02:32and every application is individually vetted,
0:02:32 > 0:02:35and if they say they've done X, we check it.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38This year, we've turned away 33% of the applicants
0:02:38 > 0:02:41because we felt they didn't have the right background
0:02:41 > 0:02:43to be safe on the course.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45So it's a proper elite race.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47This is the Formula 1 of mountain running here.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52There's many kilometres of technical rock climbing and scrambling
0:02:52 > 0:02:54on the high exposed mountains.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58It's one of the toughest mountain races in the world.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00From the race start at Kinlochleven,
0:03:00 > 0:03:05the route heads south along the West Highland Way to the foot of Buachaille Etive Mor.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09Ahead is a Grade III scramble up Curved Ridge to Stob Dearg
0:03:09 > 0:03:12and the start of the skyrunning for real.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16There's a series of descents and ascents to Bidean Nam Bian,
0:03:16 > 0:03:22then it's steeply down and up again for more scrambling along the notorious Aonach Eagach ridge.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26Before the final stretch back to Kinlochleven.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30It's pretty rare to do Curved Ridge and Aonach Eagach in one day.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32- Good day?- Aye, beauty.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36It's fitting that one of Scotland's most iconic landscapes should be the
0:03:36 > 0:03:40climax of the 2016 Skyrunning Extreme Series.
0:03:40 > 0:03:45Previous events were held in Norway and Italy, but for many,
0:03:45 > 0:03:47Scotland is the jewel in the crown.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51I'd say it's definitely more technical, the scrambling, without a doubt.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53There's a lot of runnable stuff here.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57Yeah, the scrambling is way more technical than Tromso or Kima.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00Even Kima without the ropes isn't as technical as this.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04- So you looking forward to it? - Oh, yeah, I can't wait. Heaven.
0:04:04 > 0:04:09Just a few minutes before the start of the race and the scenery here is absolutely fantastic.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12That's just a little bit of what they're going to experience
0:04:12 > 0:04:14on this absolutely epic day.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16I love Aonach Eagach and all the scrambling.
0:04:16 > 0:04:21I'm just hoping the rain stays away so I maybe get to see some views from it this time.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23You've got your SI dibber.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26When you get to each of the checkpoints, just put your dibber in,
0:04:26 > 0:04:28that's your time at that location.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31If you happen to fall over, you can break the strap.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33So if you fall over and put your hand down,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35just check you're still attached.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39Stay safe, have a brilliant time today. Thank you very much.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Five, four, three, two,
0:04:42 > 0:04:44- one, go! - BELL RINGS
0:04:44 > 0:04:49And they're off, starting one of the most difficult races
0:04:49 > 0:04:53in the trail series in the whole of the UK, if not Europe.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55This is a very tough race,
0:04:55 > 0:04:585,000 metres of ascent to be completed.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Difficult climbing, difficult scrambling.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03Hopefully the weather will stay clear.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06The Glen Coe Skyline race is off.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12The Glencoe skyline is one of the most competitive mountain races in the UK ever,
0:05:12 > 0:05:14without a shadow of a doubt.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17You've probably got about 20 people,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19all capable of getting on the podium.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21It's a completely stacked field.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27This race, it's really extreme. From what I've seen, it's tough.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31It's going to be an awesome race.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34The scenery, the landscape is amazing.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39I've checked the last ridge and it's sometimes really scary.
0:05:39 > 0:05:44Like, because it was wet when we tried it, so you have to slow down,
0:05:44 > 0:05:46for sure, and take care.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49It's a technical terrain, so I like the technical terrain.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55What I think is an incredible time, in just 50 minutes,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58the first racers have come up over the Devil's Staircase and descended
0:05:58 > 0:06:01into the valley and they're now heading up Buachaille Etive Mor.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Really, really impressive.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07And the first two runners look pretty chilled,
0:06:07 > 0:06:09chatting to each other as they go up the hill.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13And leading the field at this early stage are two Scottish-based athletes,
0:06:13 > 0:06:17local man Finlay Wild and Tom Owens from Glasgow.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19I do like to run in these hills.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21I don't get up here as much as I'd like but, yeah,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24I have been round the route before.
0:06:24 > 0:06:25I love the ridges and the scrambling.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28It's a tough, tough race.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32And the first four racers look very, very comfortable.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35They head up across the hill onto Curved Ridge,
0:06:35 > 0:06:37which is a moderate rock climb...
0:06:38 > 0:06:42..and then continue back down into the Lost Valley.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45- Morning.- Woo!
0:06:45 > 0:06:49What we're witnessing is world-class mountain running.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51Very, very impressive.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53There's not many people that can do this
0:06:53 > 0:06:57and we have the world-class field here in Glen Coe this morning.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01So far, the running's not been too technical
0:07:01 > 0:07:04but as soon as they start the bottom of Buachaille Etive Mor,
0:07:04 > 0:07:07they're into scrambling, where they really have to start being very careful.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12The true Glencoe Skyline starts as they head up onto Curved Ridge.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18Hey, how you doing? See you at the top.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23It will take competitors between six-and-a-half and 13 hours to complete this race.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27They'll need a range of skills to tackle the terrain that lies ahead.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31I think you have to really break it down and just concentrate on the next bit.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34If you think about the entire race in its entirety,
0:07:34 > 0:07:36it can really, really break you down.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38Not only is it longer than a marathon,
0:07:38 > 0:07:40you have to climb nearly 5,000 metres of ascent as well,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43so if you think about that as a whole,
0:07:43 > 0:07:47you're going to just break down, so you have to really take it a chunk at a time.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50There are long sections of quite technical ground,
0:07:50 > 0:07:52where it's difficult to move fast.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54And then there are as short sections, like Curved Ridge,
0:07:54 > 0:07:57where you're actually scrambling, climbing,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00and certainly it'll help to be quick on those but I don't think
0:08:00 > 0:08:02that the race will be won or lost there.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Just seven minutes behind the first man,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08Jasmin Paris from Edinburgh is currently leading the field for the women.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12She's being pushed hard by New Zealand runner Ruth Croft,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15who is only 20 seconds slower at this point.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20But the tricky exposed terrain still lies ahead.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Come on, Jasmin.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24It's probably one of the most technical races, certainly,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27that you'll run in the UK, for sure.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30It's long and it's pretty rough terrain,
0:08:30 > 0:08:33so it's not your average road marathon.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35It's definitely special.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38I wouldn't really say I'm a technical runner.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42I went up Curved Ridge the other day and it was a bit scary, yeah.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46But also, a friend took me up Ben Nevis Tower Ridge
0:08:46 > 0:08:50and he said walking up the Tower Ridge then Curved Ridge is going to be OK.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54But I wouldn't say this is my strength.
0:08:54 > 0:08:55But it's just...
0:08:55 > 0:08:58I know it's a challenge and it's an awesome course.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02- Work it.- You couldn't hope for better conditions here in Glencoe this morning.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04It's absolutely perfect.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06Not too hot and very still.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09There is bad weather forecast for later on in the day,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12so they want to get through at least the early part
0:09:12 > 0:09:15of the tougher rock scrambling before that comes in.
0:09:15 > 0:09:16Let's hope it stays off
0:09:16 > 0:09:19as the runners head up onto the mountain.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21- Morning.- Morning.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25- Hiya. Morning.- Morning.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30Sarah Ridgway has just gone through in third position for the women.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32She looks pretty fresh. Happy to be out this morning.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36I like racing in all disciplines.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40I love road running, I love fell races, trail races.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42I think they've all got their place but my true love
0:09:42 > 0:09:45is basically this sort of mountain terrain.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48- Well done.- That's the stuff I really get inspired by.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53You get a lot out of it. But it is a lot of suffering.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56If you're racing it, if you're really properly racing it,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59you're going to have to be prepared to hurt.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03So Norwegian runner Malene Haukoy has just gone through.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06She's a little bit behind the first three girls,
0:10:06 > 0:10:07but this is a very long race.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11They have at least 4,500 metres of ascent and descent to cope with.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16Strong contender for the women's title.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19I have to say I don't know what to expect,
0:10:19 > 0:10:23but of course it would be so much fun if I did a good race,
0:10:23 > 0:10:27and, like, podium is a goal for me.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32But I have never been here before and I am so excited.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34- I really am.- Looking good, Malene.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36This really is an international field,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39with runners from all over the world taking part.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43The Skyline series has become very, very well established,
0:10:43 > 0:10:46and the Glencoe event is the toughest of the three
0:10:46 > 0:10:49in the World Series at the moment. An incredible challenge.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55- Hey.- All right.- Fantastic day. - Hi, guys.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59- Are you feeling OK so far? - Yes, pretty good.- Good.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02The speed in the first part was amazing.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04- It's too fast for me!- Too fast!
0:11:05 > 0:11:09- Slow and steady. - You enjoy it.- Cheers.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13So there we have a British runner and a Russian runner
0:11:13 > 0:11:15making their way up on to the ridge.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18No doubt they will accompany each other along all of the
0:11:18 > 0:11:21technical sections, helping themselves through.
0:11:21 > 0:11:26Very important in a mountain race to buddy up on some of the difficult sections.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30It looks like they're going do that with international cooperation.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32Entente cordiale.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36- No midges this year! - Enjoy it.- That's awesome.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41- Woo!- You're obviously looking forward to the scrambling.
0:11:41 > 0:11:42Woo!
0:11:42 > 0:11:45- That's the best bit.- You tired?- Yes.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Have you got room for one more?
0:11:51 > 0:11:53And a beer!
0:11:55 > 0:11:58As the racers scramble their way round this mammoth course,
0:11:58 > 0:12:01we've got the luxury of a bird's eye view.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05Although that's not the case for most of our camera crew.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08They are making their way to the top the hard way.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11But this is part of the enjoyment of the day,
0:12:11 > 0:12:13both for our team and the competitors.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15We're running in really beautiful mountains.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18You only really have to look around you at the view and you're just
0:12:18 > 0:12:21grateful for where you actually are at that time,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24even if you're feeling completely exhausted.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26So I have that advantage over maybe a road runner,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28I'm always in beautiful places.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Looking good.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32- Sun's out as well. - Glad you think so.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36When you're sky racing you get this connection with the nature,
0:12:36 > 0:12:38you are in the mountains and immersed in them.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40You're just travelling across the mountains,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43just you and your little bit of gear, going across light and fast,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46and you really get that connection to the land.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50So the fastest of the runners are already making their way
0:12:50 > 0:12:53along the first of these iconic ridges.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56They must be very pleased to get that out of the way, and the conditions are good.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59We'll be back soon to see how they're getting along.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13Many of today's elite athletes are taking part in this race
0:13:13 > 0:13:16because of their love of our hills and glens,
0:13:16 > 0:13:19and that's something I couldn't agree with more.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23But it's hard to analyse why our wild places are so important.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28So I've come to Harris to join someone who believes losing our
0:13:28 > 0:13:31connection with these landscapes has far-reaching consequences.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35A lot of people, they feel something in the outdoors that today we don't
0:13:35 > 0:13:38really have the vocabulary for, so they feel it,
0:13:38 > 0:13:40but they can't really talk about it.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43That then becomes a problem because politically,
0:13:43 > 0:13:47when we want to make the case for why these mountains and moors are
0:13:47 > 0:13:50important, we are not able to fully articulate it.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55We are able to talk in terms of Sites of Special Scientific Interest
0:13:55 > 0:13:58and so on, but we're not able to talk very easily
0:13:58 > 0:14:01about what it does for the human soul,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04and how that feeds life back into the flow of community.
0:14:07 > 0:14:12Alastair McIntosh is not only one of Scotland's finest environmental writers,
0:14:12 > 0:14:17he's also someone who is passionate about land reform and non-violence.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19Issues, he says, that are intrinsically linked
0:14:19 > 0:14:23to our relationship with our culture and history.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27What these places are telling us is the depth of interconnection
0:14:27 > 0:14:30we have with one another and with our environment.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34This is the landscape that is peopled with stories.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Alastair's brought me to this particular loch
0:14:38 > 0:14:42because it is where the author of Peter Pan, JM Barrie,
0:14:42 > 0:14:46came just before the outbreak of the First World War.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49Barrie was inspired by this landscape,
0:14:49 > 0:14:53which he felt reflected the essence of humanity.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57At the height of his fame, he rented Amhuinnsuidhe Castle,
0:14:57 > 0:15:00and he brought all his friends up for a fishing holiday.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04And it was while out on this loch that, as he later wrote,
0:15:04 > 0:15:06"We caught Mary Rose".
0:15:06 > 0:15:09So yon wee island is known as Mary Rose's island.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16Barrie wrote his play, his longest ever running play, in 1919.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19It was released in 1920.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23On the surface of it, it's about a little girl who came to this island.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27Her English parents brought her on a fishing holiday to Loch Voshimid.
0:15:27 > 0:15:32Then, while there, the local legends came into the place,
0:15:32 > 0:15:35took her away to the fairy land.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38And then she came back and disappeared again, in and out,
0:15:38 > 0:15:42in a way that spoke deeply to that population
0:15:42 > 0:15:45who had lost so many people in the Great War.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47Because it's about the in-between states
0:15:47 > 0:15:49of this world and the other world,
0:15:49 > 0:15:55and the role that the imagination plays in holding the whole shebang.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57We should probably point out that the fairies we are talking about,
0:15:57 > 0:16:02the fairy folk are not those petite creatures in white frocks and magic
0:16:02 > 0:16:04- wands you find at the bottom of the garden.- No, no.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08No, no, no. We're talking about something much bigger than that.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11These are ways of understanding the unconscious mind,
0:16:11 > 0:16:16these are insights into how our relationship to our environment
0:16:16 > 0:16:20- was structured in the past. - For something so whimsical,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23it had a huge effect on the population at that time,
0:16:23 > 0:16:27a huge effect that was in mourning really for all the dead
0:16:27 > 0:16:29- of the First World War.- Absolutely.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32And you see many literary critics dismiss Barrie as a Kailyard,
0:16:32 > 0:16:36a cabbage patch, a populist rural type of writer.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40But Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense,
0:16:40 > 0:16:42in a late life interview
0:16:42 > 0:16:45said his one professional regret in life
0:16:45 > 0:16:49is that Universal Pictures would not let him make the play
0:16:49 > 0:16:53of Mary Rose because it was too irrational.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56It was too "twilight zone" for a modern audience,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59and Hitchcock felt that that was our loss,
0:16:59 > 0:17:04that we were losing something in terms of our ability to see into that inner life of the human mind,
0:17:04 > 0:17:09which otherwise leaves us depleted
0:17:09 > 0:17:12of our imaginative faculties.
0:17:12 > 0:17:17It's not dissimilar to what many youngsters are reading
0:17:17 > 0:17:20and looking at in films today, the sort of fantasy world.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22Is there a link, do you think?
0:17:22 > 0:17:25Of course, because we all grow up on tram lines.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28And then you come to a stage in life,
0:17:28 > 0:17:33where you've really got to explore what this being here now
0:17:33 > 0:17:37is all about, what you're about,
0:17:37 > 0:17:41and that's the role that the fantasy allow us to play with.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45It allows a deeper psychological exploration,
0:17:45 > 0:17:49not just through the characters like Mary Rose, but who we are.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52This is why for me, Mary Rose is such an important play,
0:17:52 > 0:17:55because although written in 1920 about war trauma
0:17:55 > 0:17:57in the First World War,
0:17:57 > 0:18:01it casts light on the effects of violence in our world today,
0:18:01 > 0:18:05and the way that violence blooters the imagination.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07And when we lose our imagination,
0:18:07 > 0:18:11that sets the seeds by which war reperpetuates itself.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16Wild places like these have always been vitally important to me.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20But Alastair has taken my understanding to a new level.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24I'll be joining him again later in the programme to explore even more
0:18:24 > 0:18:28connections with our past and the relevance to how we live today.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39- Good morning.- Morning. - Are you feeling all right?- No.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43- Happy?- Yes, it's OK.- Good.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Welcome back to Glen Coe Skyline.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49I'm here near the bottom of one of Glen Coe's many side glens,
0:18:49 > 0:18:50the Lairig Eilde.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54We're expecting the top runners through any moment now.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57For these elite athletes, pacing is absolutely crucial.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59It's both a mental and physical battle
0:18:59 > 0:19:02as they jockey for position throughout the event.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07The lead runners at the moment are over Buachaille Etive Beag.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10They're tearing up the course,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13they're going faster than our predicted splits,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16and it's just what happens when you have a truly world-class field
0:19:16 > 0:19:18and they all want to win,
0:19:18 > 0:19:21and anyone can win the series and there's the kudos of winning the race as well.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24So there's a lot to play for today.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28Currently, there's not much between the fastest competitors.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30Tom Owens from Glasgow is out in front,
0:19:30 > 0:19:34but Swiss athlete Marc Lauenstein is only a few steps behind.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Next is local man Finlay Wild,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40who's closely followed by British runner Jonathan Albon.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43Well done! Fantastic,
0:19:43 > 0:19:47that's the first half dozen runners just passed through this point here.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51Well done! Heading downwards towards the low point before they're back up
0:19:51 > 0:19:53the glen again towards Bidean Nam Bian.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Really, really flying.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57Well done, Finlay!
0:19:57 > 0:20:00Finlay Wild, one of the favourites to do very well in this event.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02He's making some really good progress,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05and not too far behind the front runner there at all.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09Finlay's very, very good on difficult, tricky descents,
0:20:09 > 0:20:13particularly in terrain which is very wet and slippery -
0:20:13 > 0:20:15he excels in that area.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18So, as the weather deteriorates perhaps later on,
0:20:18 > 0:20:23we might find him managing to narrow that field substantially.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Because you're pushing, you're working hard in this environment,
0:20:26 > 0:20:30you sort of get these quite intense, snatched views or experiences from,
0:20:30 > 0:20:32you know...
0:20:32 > 0:20:36That are all the...that are even better because you're pushing hard
0:20:36 > 0:20:38and working as much as you can to...
0:20:38 > 0:20:41Well, you're racing, aren't you, through these amazing mountains?
0:20:41 > 0:20:45These guys out in front really are elite athletes,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48they're at the top of their game, they're world-class.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51And there's not much in it between them at the moment.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55I love to race, I love to perform well, I love to push my limits,
0:20:55 > 0:20:58and I love to see how I compare to other athletes.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01So, competing in a competition like this is a perfect way to do it.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04So, to come in the top five would be an absolute dream.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06It's a melding of everything,
0:21:06 > 0:21:10that's why you've really got to be an overall athlete to do this sort of thing.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12You can't just be good at any one thing,
0:21:12 > 0:21:14you've really got to have a whole skill set behind you.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18As these runners reached the summit of Bidean Nam Bian,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21the lead's now changed, and Jonathan Albon is out in front,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24with Tom Owens and Marc Lauenstein hard on his heels.
0:21:24 > 0:21:29- Well done, guys.- Well done.- Good climbing!- Cheers. Thank you, man.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33Race officials are amazed by just how quickly these
0:21:33 > 0:21:36world-class athletes are covering the ground.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38They're keeping us on our toes.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40It's very hard to make the calculations
0:21:40 > 0:21:44to project the race timings around such a long course,
0:21:44 > 0:21:46a course that is affected by the environment.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50The class of runner that is out there currently at the front,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53they are leaps and bounds ahead of what we were expecting.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56They're really, really going for it today, which is fantastic,
0:21:56 > 0:21:58and they'll be setting the course record for us in the future,
0:21:58 > 0:22:02to be able to pin down the likely timings around the course
0:22:02 > 0:22:06and have some sort of baseline to work with in the future.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09As the fastest runners negotiate the high ground,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12others are on their way up Buachaille Etive Mor.
0:22:12 > 0:22:17- What made you do this?- My mate signed up for it and then he tore his ACL, so I kind of had to do it!
0:22:18 > 0:22:20- Not my idea!- Had to!
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Hiya! This is great. Really good.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26In the technical section, normally I'm quite good.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28When it's so exposed,
0:22:28 > 0:22:30I'm still a bit scared.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32But, yeah, we will see.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36I think maybe in the race you have more adrenaline, and you...
0:22:37 > 0:22:40..you think, "OK, if I'm racing here, it should be fine."
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Meanwhile, the fastest woman is approaching the low point between
0:22:45 > 0:22:47Buachaille Etive Mor and Bidean Nam Bian.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51Well done, Jasmin! First woman, how are you doing?
0:22:51 > 0:22:56How's it going? We've just seen the first woman come through this point,
0:22:56 > 0:23:01Jasmin Paris, flying ahead of any other woman at this point in the race.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05Extreme skyrunning, I think even more so than skyrunning itself,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08really plays to the strengths of a fell runner.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11It's very technical, erm, you know, rocky...
0:23:12 > 0:23:16..rough, exposed terrain, so, yeah, definitely plays to my strengths.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18I hate running along road, on trails.
0:23:19 > 0:23:24I enjoy it when it gets interesting and you have to sort of think about where you're putting your feet.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28New Zealand runner Ruth Croft is just two minutes behind Jasmin.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30Well done, fantastic!
0:23:30 > 0:23:34Like many others, she's travelled a long way to be here today.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37About 30% of the athletes aren't British.
0:23:37 > 0:23:42And they're experiencing our Scottish mountains for the first time.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44If you've been able to go over the whole course,
0:23:44 > 0:23:46it definitely gives you an advantage.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49But if you're coming from, like, I'm coming from Taipei to here,
0:23:49 > 0:23:52it's just part of it, I know that I'm not going to be able to see the
0:23:52 > 0:23:56whole course, but you've just got to have confidence in yourself.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00On race day, anything can happen and you just go out there and give your best.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03At this stage, the women's race is too close to call.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05Just five minutes later,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08Britain's Sarah Ridgeway comes through in third place.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Well done, you're doing great, are you enjoying the race?
0:24:11 > 0:24:14- Thank you.- How's it going?- Good.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18And Malene Blikken Haukoy is only two minutes behind her.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Well done! How's the race?
0:24:21 > 0:24:23'I haven't done a lot of these races.'
0:24:23 > 0:24:27I started doing the Skyrace last summer,
0:24:27 > 0:24:32so this is like my third Skyrace in the big World Series.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35So, yeah, it's a bit new for me, I think.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40But that doesn't seem to matter for the Norwegian runner.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42She's currently ranked fifth in the world
0:24:42 > 0:24:46and is putting in a tremendous race here in Glen Coe.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48Approaching the summit of Bidean,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51she's overtaken Sarah Ridgeway and is now in third place.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54Beautiful race!
0:24:54 > 0:24:55Good feeling!
0:24:57 > 0:25:00As the racers pound round the course,
0:25:00 > 0:25:03the competition's really heating up between these top athletes.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06I've made my way along the glen to Loch Achtriochtan,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09which is the spiritual midpoint of the race, really.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12They come down from Bidean Nam Bian,
0:25:12 > 0:25:15cross the glen and make their way up to the Aonach Eagach ridge.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18For some people, that will give them a sense of relief.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21For others, it's just the start of another long, hard scramble.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28Almost 50 minutes ahead of schedule, Marc Lauenstein,
0:25:28 > 0:25:30Tom Owens and Jonathan Albon
0:25:30 > 0:25:33are descending from Bidean at an incredible rate.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36This is really, really an impressive performance.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40And watching them come down this very fast descent, super-impressive.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44And then following in a close fourth is local favourite Finlay Wild.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48He'll know the hill very well, and if he's to make up any ground at all,
0:25:48 > 0:25:50it'll be in the technical section of Aonach Eagach ridge.
0:25:50 > 0:25:55But at the moment, these three are absolutely pounding down the hill.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01Marc Lauenstein is in the lead so far.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03Very, very tight for the top three places.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07Just a matter of seconds.
0:26:07 > 0:26:12After many hours of racing, and about 2,300 metres
0:26:12 > 0:26:15of ascent and descent,
0:26:15 > 0:26:17this is the halfway point, and it's beginning to heat up -
0:26:17 > 0:26:19a proper competition now in Glen Coe.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25So, just stopping for a quick bite, a little bit of rehydration,
0:26:25 > 0:26:29some food, before they head up the hill.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31You don't want to lose too much here.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34And the three are tight close together on this ascent.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36Incredible racing here.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41All three about to start the technical Aonach Eagach ridge,
0:26:41 > 0:26:45which is a considerable mountaineering challenge in winter
0:26:45 > 0:26:48and a very, very exposed, difficult summer scramble.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53As the helicopter hovers over to capture their every step,
0:26:53 > 0:26:57Glasgow runner Tom Owens is just seconds behind the leader,
0:26:57 > 0:27:00with Jonathan Albon is currently in third place.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04And they're keeping up a tremendous pace on the steep uphill climb.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09What's even more remarkable is that most of the runners here
0:27:09 > 0:27:11are not full-time athletes.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15Marc Lauenstein from Switzerland is a dentist.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18He's also a former international orienteer,
0:27:18 > 0:27:21so he's well used to the pressure of competition.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23This is now my hobby, let's say!
0:27:23 > 0:27:28But of course, my heart still likes to perform well,
0:27:28 > 0:27:31and I try to do well at those races,
0:27:31 > 0:27:34and I want to see what's out there
0:27:34 > 0:27:37and I think I have a natural talent for mountain running.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42So, I try myself out on those races.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45And this is definitely a race you have to do once,
0:27:45 > 0:27:47because it's absolutely unique.
0:27:47 > 0:27:54And I think everyone who finishes this course is very brave.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57As they head into the mist and onto the ridge,
0:27:57 > 0:28:03British runner Jonathan Albon's overtaken both Tom Owens and Marc Lauenstein.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07There's one thing everyone taking part in this race today shares -
0:28:07 > 0:28:10and that's a passion for being out in these hills
0:28:10 > 0:28:12and a love of the competition itself.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15It takes you to some awesome places in the world.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19I mean, if it wasn't for this race, I wouldn't be here in Glen Coe seeing these mountains,
0:28:19 > 0:28:21running on these mountains, enjoying these views,
0:28:21 > 0:28:23and getting that feeling of doing something
0:28:23 > 0:28:25ultimately extreme, which this is.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29I mean, it's just that one step further than doing a normal road marathon or a trail race.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32You're up on these big mountains, there's a slight added danger,
0:28:32 > 0:28:35but it's still sort of within the safety parameters
0:28:35 > 0:28:37of the race organisers, so you feel safe,
0:28:37 > 0:28:39and you get to experience so much more.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47I love scrambling, it's something I've done since I was a kid.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50I guess there's a bit of a buzz in doing that.
0:28:51 > 0:28:55And it's... Yeah, it's great to do some of these classic walks quickly,
0:28:55 > 0:28:57and that's essentially what we're doing.
0:28:57 > 0:29:03It's a classic round, moving it round as fast as we can.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05So, coming down off the hill, Finlay Wild,
0:29:05 > 0:29:09who is about 6-8 minutes behind the leading three.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11However, Finlay is very good on the technical ground -
0:29:11 > 0:29:13if he's going to make up anything on this race,
0:29:13 > 0:29:17it'll be along this ridge that he's just about to climb up to.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21And with all these races, it's a very difficult balance,
0:29:21 > 0:29:24to decide to take on the fuel or keep on going.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26But they know what's ahead of themselves,
0:29:26 > 0:29:27they've trained long and hard for this,
0:29:27 > 0:29:30they'll know exactly what they need to do to keep going,
0:29:30 > 0:29:32what to take in, what not to. CHEERING AND CLAPPING
0:29:34 > 0:29:37Lots of encouragement for Finlay, as he's climbing up onto the ridge.
0:29:38 > 0:29:39Go on, Finlay!
0:29:42 > 0:29:45And not only are the top racers racing each other at the moment,
0:29:45 > 0:29:47we have some potential bad weather coming in.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51They want to get across the ridge before it starts raining,
0:29:51 > 0:29:53so they can move very fast.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56They don't want to be dealing with slippy rocks and grass.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59The margins are so fine, as it is.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02A small change in weather can make quite a difference.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04It can get cold, people can get miserable,
0:30:04 > 0:30:07some people have to stop to put jackets on and off more often.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09And ultimately, with the wet ground,
0:30:09 > 0:30:11it makes it more slippery and more dangerous up there,
0:30:11 > 0:30:13so people might be a bit more cautious here and there,
0:30:13 > 0:30:16so, it can make a massive difference.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19- Well done, Finlay. - On the Aonach Eagach,
0:30:19 > 0:30:21you're in the second half of the race, you're pretty tired,
0:30:21 > 0:30:25you sort of have to remind yourself to take care, because, yeah,
0:30:25 > 0:30:29there's definitely quite a few places where you don't want to slip.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32So you just have to keep things within control, really.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37Just coming down into the midpoint, with Jasmin Paris,
0:30:37 > 0:30:39the first woman through.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44Very, very impressive performance from Jasmin Paris.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46Based in Edinburgh, she'd know the hills very well.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51Jasmin has opened up quite a significant lead, we think, so far.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56So, not stopping too long...
0:30:57 > 0:31:01..just hunting for the trail start in the crowd.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04And Jasmin is coming up the hill to start the very long drag
0:31:04 > 0:31:06up onto the Aonach Eagach.
0:31:08 > 0:31:09Come on, Jasmin.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14Just getting a little bit of fuel in.
0:31:15 > 0:31:19Trying to eat as much as possible. And she's looking very strong.
0:31:20 > 0:31:24Jasmin Paris fits her running around her job as a vet.
0:31:24 > 0:31:29And she's also doing a PhD at the Centre For Regenerative Medicine
0:31:29 > 0:31:31at Edinburgh University.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33She believes she's got a great work-life balance.
0:31:33 > 0:31:37I think I have a big advantage in that I just love the running.
0:31:37 > 0:31:39And I love being out in the mountains.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42So in a way fell running and running in the mountains
0:31:42 > 0:31:44has actually stemmed from the fact that I have a busy work life.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48Because it means I can get up into the hills and down again in an hour.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52I tend to train in the early morning at 5am or so,
0:31:52 > 0:31:55and in that way I get it in before I go to work
0:31:55 > 0:31:56and I know I'll get it in.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58I never run in the light in winter.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01So, yeah, you just have to run with a head torch.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06Being in the mountains just makes me feel happy.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09Somehow all the things you worry about seem really insignificant.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11So much bigger than you.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15Just makes you realise that you're pretty small in the grand scheme
0:32:15 > 0:32:18of things and I find that kind of reassuring.
0:32:19 > 0:32:25So just coming down from Bidean Nam Bian with a gap of about ten minutes
0:32:25 > 0:32:31between her and Jasmin Paris, is Malene Haukoy, one of the favourites from Norway.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34She must have lost a little bit of ground on the descent.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38Jasmin has opened up a significant lead.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42So Malene is coming up the hill, looking pretty strong.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44APPLAUSE
0:32:44 > 0:32:48Oh! She's got a lot of that ahead of her. Lots of slippy rocks.
0:32:50 > 0:32:55So, a long climb for Malene, up onto the Aonach Eagach ridge.
0:32:58 > 0:33:02So, Ruth Croft, just coming down into the midway point.
0:33:03 > 0:33:07Obviously lost a place there to the Norwegian runner ahead of her.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11But they are close. There's only 2-3 minutes separating them
0:33:11 > 0:33:13and that can easily be made up.
0:33:15 > 0:33:17So, Ruth, Kiwi runner...
0:33:18 > 0:33:20..well used to running in bad conditions.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23And Ruth, one of the favourites, in third place,
0:33:23 > 0:33:28as she climbs up towards the Aonach Eagach ridge.
0:33:29 > 0:33:33And it's an absolutely daunting climb ahead of her now.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36Looks as though there might be a very, very close race here
0:33:36 > 0:33:38for second place.
0:33:38 > 0:33:43So far, only about 80-100 metres separating these two women.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46And they take on one of the steepest climbs of the race.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49Just so extreme, and so different.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53And just, like, so drastic compared to what your standard trail race or
0:33:53 > 0:33:55even your road race.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58It's just a totally different ball game.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00Well done. Looking good.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04The terrain in Norway is pretty similar to this, I think.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07We have a lot of mountains, steep uphills and downhills.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09And very technical terrains.
0:34:09 > 0:34:14So I think this should be good for me. A nice course, I think.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17Biscuit Scotland! Good.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20I have to say, I'm a bit afraid or scared
0:34:20 > 0:34:23for the most technical parts in the race.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26It's very much scrambling, but that will be fun, I think.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31As our lead runners are making a way along the Aonach Eagach ridge,
0:34:31 > 0:34:34many are still on the southern skyline.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36It will be a very long day for those.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39We'll come back to see how they are getting on and everyone else later on.
0:34:39 > 0:34:42- HE GROANS - Getting too old for this.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54Welcome back to Harris and my exploration with Alastair McIntosh
0:34:54 > 0:34:57of the importance of this wild, remote landscape.
0:34:58 > 0:35:03Now living in Glasgow, Alastair grew up in the Outer Hebrides,
0:35:03 > 0:35:06and his most recent book, Poacher's Pilgrimage,
0:35:06 > 0:35:09records his experience during a 12-day walk
0:35:09 > 0:35:13from the southern tip of Harris to the Butt of Lewis.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16We've retraced part of that journey and have arrived
0:35:16 > 0:35:20at one of its highlights, the ancient huts at Clar Beag.
0:35:20 > 0:35:24It's somewhere Alastair discovered almost by accident.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27Coming here and just wandering down this glen
0:35:27 > 0:35:30in a kind of dream and lifting up my eyes.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33And it was like walking into Lord Of The Rings.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35You had walked into Middle Earth.
0:35:37 > 0:35:41- There's two of them. - Aye. There's two of them.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43Since I was last here, this one has partly collapsed
0:35:43 > 0:35:46and there is a bit of collapse happening in this one,
0:35:46 > 0:35:49just as the storms getting into them.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52And these are what are known as beehive shielings?
0:35:52 > 0:35:56Beehive shielings because they are like old beehives.
0:35:56 > 0:36:00But the Gaelic for them is bothan in the plural or both, singular.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02From which we get the word bothy.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04Now we can crawl in if we dare.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09- So, yes, it's a low entrance. - Are you up for giving it a try?
0:36:09 > 0:36:11I'll try, yes. I'll take the rucksack off.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14- Better shed our rucksacks. - And wriggle through.
0:36:14 > 0:36:19And be prepared to bow our head beneath the lintel stones and grovel.
0:36:21 > 0:36:27I hope we've done a health and safety assessment on this one, Cameron.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31- I can stand up inside. - Yeah, it's quite spacious, you see.
0:36:32 > 0:36:34My goodness.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38- How is it?- Beautifully built.
0:36:38 > 0:36:43Isn't it amazing? You got the overlapping cobalt stonework.
0:36:43 > 0:36:49So it slopes up in this way that's like being inside an old-fashioned beehive.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52That's why they get called by that name.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55This really is amazing. The work that's gone into this.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59- I find it mind-blowing. - Yeah, it is, it really is.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01How old would this be?
0:37:01 > 0:37:04What we're in has probably been rebuilt many times
0:37:04 > 0:37:08through history but my friend Famous Crawford, Jim Crawford,
0:37:08 > 0:37:10the authority on these things,
0:37:10 > 0:37:13says he would have no hesitation in putting some of them back
0:37:13 > 0:37:15to the Bronze Age, before Christ.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17- Wow.- Yeah. Yeah.
0:37:17 > 0:37:22And these were used up until, certainly into the mid-19th-century.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27When I came here seven years ago this was completely sealed over.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29And the other one was partly open.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31It's now largely collapsed.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34And that's what the extreme weather is doing,
0:37:34 > 0:37:38the wind's getting into them and sadly destroying these ancient structures.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40And now that the capstone has gone from the top of this,
0:37:40 > 0:37:42it probably won't be that long before it caves in.
0:37:42 > 0:37:47It's very open to the 100mph plus gales that you get in this part.
0:37:49 > 0:37:53You know, these beehive shelters are so important,
0:37:53 > 0:37:59such a vital part of our history, heritage, here in the islands.
0:37:59 > 0:38:04And to see them in this sort of state of decay really saddens me.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06It really does. They've been here for so long.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09And I reckon they might not last a couple more winters.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12I think as a nation we should be doing something to protect
0:38:12 > 0:38:16and preserve artefacts like this,
0:38:16 > 0:38:20fabulous illustrations of former times, here in the islands.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25Amen to that one.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29We're losing so many things in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32What do you think is the next throw of the dice for the Highlands?
0:38:32 > 0:38:36We've had the sheep, we've had the Victorian shooting estates.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39- What's next? - Well, this is what's next.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43The land we've been walking over is now owned by the people,
0:38:43 > 0:38:45owned by the North Harris Trust.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47You now have community land-holding.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51And that's why I was so thrilled in the hotel last night in Tarbet
0:38:51 > 0:38:54when I said to the young receptionist, "How's it going?"
0:38:54 > 0:38:57and she said, "It's wonderful, so many people of my age..."
0:38:57 > 0:38:59She's in her 30s.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02"So many are coming back because there's now opportunity here."
0:39:02 > 0:39:06When the people control the place they are able to open it up
0:39:06 > 0:39:09to opportunity that allows the people to stay in the land,
0:39:09 > 0:39:12and, in a sense, the stories come alive again
0:39:12 > 0:39:16because the people are there to care for the place and be cared for by it.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19So, you would see the future of, particularly the islands,
0:39:19 > 0:39:22- in community ownership?- Absolutely.
0:39:22 > 0:39:26The lack of community ownership is what has starved the Highlands of its people.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28It has shrunk our spirit.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32And now before it's too late, we need to catch the spirit of places like this,
0:39:32 > 0:39:38remember the old stories and what they are telling us about human relationships.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41We want to heal a loss of connections in our inner life.
0:39:42 > 0:39:46That's what I take from the reconstitution of community,
0:39:46 > 0:39:50that it is possible for us to get our act together as human beings,
0:39:50 > 0:39:52even in today's world.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54And that is what is starting to happen in Scotland today.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58How wonderful it is to hear an optimistic view
0:39:58 > 0:40:01of our future in these uncertain times.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05And if you want to find out more about Alistair's work,
0:40:05 > 0:40:09or any of the other items on The Adventure Show, follow us on Facebook.
0:40:17 > 0:40:19Now, it's back to Glen Coe.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22But, before we pick up with all the action of the race,
0:40:22 > 0:40:26Duncan McCallum has caught up with the man who's designed this gruelling course.
0:40:26 > 0:40:32Gary Tompsett's in no doubt that this is the ideal location for the event.
0:40:32 > 0:40:36It's one that will test competitors' strength, endurance, and their nerve.
0:40:36 > 0:40:42What is the best line you can lay down in Scotland
0:40:42 > 0:40:46that's going to be an extreme, one-day length race?
0:40:48 > 0:40:53Glen Coe, you stand here, you can understand the whole skyline.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57You can draw the route by rotating 360 degrees,
0:40:57 > 0:41:01and it's the simplicity of that that was the instant hit.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05You have a big responsibility to make sure this works and it's safe,
0:41:05 > 0:41:10but also is a challenge enough for the title of the Skyrun.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12How do you manage that balance?
0:41:12 > 0:41:17We have license to make it almost as hard as is feasibly completable.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20It's extreme and it needs to stand out.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22- You enjoying it?- Yes, it's great.
0:41:23 > 0:41:28Unlike many running events, and there are lots and lots of longer runs,
0:41:28 > 0:41:30this is one where you have to use your hands and feet.
0:41:30 > 0:41:37The climbing is low-grade climbing, high-grade scrambling. Curved Ridge.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40And then Aonach Eagach is yet again different.
0:41:40 > 0:41:46It has some down climbing, which is more difficult than up climbing.
0:41:46 > 0:41:52Second element of Glen Coe Skyline that is quite different to the other
0:41:52 > 0:41:57international races, and does set it apart, is that we do not put any...
0:41:58 > 0:42:00..protection on the route.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03So we don't have any fixed ropes, there is no via ferrata.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06You're not going to be clipping into anything.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10We have enabled a route and we can be very precise on that line,
0:42:10 > 0:42:14down to a metre, this is the safest line,
0:42:14 > 0:42:18not just for consequential hazard, if you were to come off,
0:42:18 > 0:42:22but also in terms of managing avoidance from rock fall,
0:42:22 > 0:42:26- should one occur.- Good morning.
0:42:26 > 0:42:30- Good morning.- How you?- How you?
0:42:30 > 0:42:32- Tired.- I'll bet.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35So now, it's time to find out how the competitors
0:42:35 > 0:42:37are coping with this amazing course.
0:42:46 > 0:42:48I've now made my way to the Devil's Staircase
0:42:48 > 0:42:51and what will be the final part of this event.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55However, there's still a lot of running to go before the racers get here.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58- How are you doing? - How are you doing?- Yeah, good.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01Five-and-a-half hours after setting off this morning,
0:43:01 > 0:43:05the first runner, Jonathan Albon, is nearing the final summit of the race.
0:43:05 > 0:43:10- How're you doing?- Good.- How's it going, all right?- Yeah. Excellent.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13This is the kind of landscape he relishes.
0:43:13 > 0:43:17I guess, up there, is just me, especially if I'm running at the front.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20Just me, a little pack, lightweight, moving across the mountains.
0:43:20 > 0:43:22Kind of how it should be. That's the perfect way.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25You don't get too much time to stop and look at the view and whatnot,
0:43:25 > 0:43:27but you are kind of immersed in everything.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29You've got such a high sense of concentration and you're sort of
0:43:29 > 0:43:32completely in the moment, and that's a great feeling to have,
0:43:32 > 0:43:35especially in these beautiful mountains.
0:43:35 > 0:43:39Five minutes behind Jonathan, Tom Owens has now pushed into second place.
0:43:39 > 0:43:42Hi, mate. Come to me and then left.
0:43:43 > 0:43:47Well done. That means Swiss athlete Marc Lauenstein has dropped into third.
0:43:47 > 0:43:53He's not as familiar with this kind of terrain as the two British runners.
0:43:53 > 0:43:58I've done a lot of mountain races in Europe and there's nothing
0:43:58 > 0:44:01just alike. It's a new dimension.
0:44:02 > 0:44:06It's manageable. The ridges, you do have to be very careful...
0:44:08 > 0:44:10..but if you don't mess up,
0:44:10 > 0:44:13I think it's not dangerous.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16It's just you really have to be cautious
0:44:16 > 0:44:21and know what to do and don't try to rush that.
0:44:23 > 0:44:29Further back, racers are now streaming off Bidean Nam Bian to the bottom of Glen Coe.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32It's a steep, slippery run down.
0:44:32 > 0:44:36Hard right now. But it's going to be better.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39It's not how the pros do it. I'm really slow.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42- Another ridge to come.- Oh!
0:44:43 > 0:44:47Once at the bottom, there's a chance to fuel up in preparation for that
0:44:47 > 0:44:50long haul up to the Aonach Eagach ridge.
0:44:50 > 0:44:54It's a bit slippy coming down the top of those rocks all the way down,
0:44:54 > 0:44:58but, yeah, it's great. A nice cool breeze.
0:44:58 > 0:44:59Natalia, how was that?
0:44:59 > 0:45:02- It's OK, but...- Downhill, downhill.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06- Too slippery. - It's very, very slippery.- OK.
0:45:06 > 0:45:08Be careful on the next part, enjoy it.
0:45:08 > 0:45:12OK. Luca, how did you get on in the first part on the first ridge?
0:45:12 > 0:45:16That was really good because we had some sun and nice weather, nice view.
0:45:16 > 0:45:19First time in Scotland, so it was great.
0:45:19 > 0:45:22I don't think I will see that much up here.
0:45:22 > 0:45:24Yeah, but you should be looking at your feet.
0:45:24 > 0:45:28- The next bit is the really fun bit. - Yeah, yeah. Fun, yeah!
0:45:28 > 0:45:32- Control dib there, please. - My first time in Scotland, so...
0:45:32 > 0:45:35And my first time doing a race like this, so...
0:45:35 > 0:45:37Great. And have you been on the Aonach Eagach yet?
0:45:37 > 0:45:41- No.- That is something special. - Yeah. I'm looking forward to it.
0:45:41 > 0:45:46Yeah, I think I got carried along with the atmosphere this morning and it just, oh...
0:45:46 > 0:45:49I had a brilliant first hour and a half,
0:45:49 > 0:45:51got to the top of the first climb and felt really, really good.
0:45:51 > 0:45:53And then the descent, just fell to pieces.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56I've been paying for it for the last four hours.
0:45:58 > 0:46:00Woo! Thank you.
0:46:00 > 0:46:03That's nice. Hard but nice.
0:46:04 > 0:46:08There's no doubt about the physical and mental challenge of this race.
0:46:08 > 0:46:10That's part of the attraction,
0:46:10 > 0:46:13and not everyone will manage to complete the whole route.
0:46:13 > 0:46:18Within a year we've made a jump from what was already international to the best of international,
0:46:18 > 0:46:21so everyone from the top of their craft
0:46:21 > 0:46:25in many of the outlying countries are here.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27However, there are several other...
0:46:28 > 0:46:31..top ten athletes who have already dropped out today.
0:46:31 > 0:46:36Because maybe like a Ferrari, something has gone ping.
0:46:36 > 0:46:39It takes, you know, two weeks to a month to recover,
0:46:39 > 0:46:43then they would just rather bow out and fight another day.
0:46:43 > 0:46:47It's pretty obvious you had to retire.
0:46:47 > 0:46:51- Did you twist something on the way down?- No, well, yeah.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54- But that happens every time.- Yeah?
0:46:54 > 0:46:58I suffered from tendinitis in my knee all year.
0:46:58 > 0:47:01Three miles in on this one,
0:47:01 > 0:47:05the little doubts start creeping up in your brain.
0:47:05 > 0:47:08And then it starts to tighten up and people pass you.
0:47:08 > 0:47:10Psychologically, really hard.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12- It's a nightmare. - Psychological bruising.
0:47:12 > 0:47:15It's a decent decision, because you don't want to be suffering...
0:47:15 > 0:47:17No. I try and be philosophical -
0:47:17 > 0:47:22like that's probably the best stretch of mountains I've ever run.
0:47:22 > 0:47:25So I'll be bummed out to not finish,
0:47:25 > 0:47:29but I've never done anything cooler than that first part.
0:47:29 > 0:47:34- Are you all right, how you? - I know that it is coming, the worst part of the race.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37So just a little bit of caution.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40Back at the top of the race,
0:47:40 > 0:47:43the leading women are now on the final part of the Aonach Eagach ridge.
0:47:43 > 0:47:46And it still Jasmin Paris out in front.
0:47:46 > 0:47:51- Hiya.- Hiya.- How you doing? - Not too bad.- Good.
0:47:51 > 0:47:55Jasmin is currently ranked equal second in the World Series and,
0:47:55 > 0:47:59if she wins here today, she'll take the overall title.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02But that's not the only reason she competes.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05It's a really friendly sport and that's one of the things that attracts me to it.
0:48:05 > 0:48:07And I think that's probably partly because,
0:48:07 > 0:48:11if you're running in mountains, high mountains, it's the sort of,
0:48:11 > 0:48:14I don't know, I guess the nature of hill walking and mountaineering is
0:48:14 > 0:48:16that you sort of help each other,
0:48:16 > 0:48:18so you can communicate with the people around you,
0:48:18 > 0:48:21because you're in a place where it's potentially dangerous and anything
0:48:21 > 0:48:25that happens, you know that you will pull together and help each other out.
0:48:25 > 0:48:27I think it's that kind of ethos behind it.
0:48:27 > 0:48:32Just generally people who are happy to be outside in the mountains, and nice people.
0:48:33 > 0:48:38Eight minutes behind Jasmin, Malene Blikken Haukoy is also having a fantastic race,
0:48:38 > 0:48:40and enjoying every minute of it.
0:48:41 > 0:48:43This is just so beautiful.
0:48:43 > 0:48:45'I like the mountain so much.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48'It's so nice being over the woods and like have a view.'
0:48:49 > 0:48:53'Today I was running together with some other guys and I was just,'
0:48:53 > 0:48:55"Whoa, this is just so beautiful."
0:48:55 > 0:48:57And I was telling them,
0:48:57 > 0:49:02and, yeah, I get to see some of the nature around.
0:49:02 > 0:49:06- I just love it.- 15 minutes later and still smiling,
0:49:06 > 0:49:09Sarah Ridgeway is the third woman to this final summit.
0:49:09 > 0:49:10- Hiya.- Hi.
0:49:10 > 0:49:15- How are you getting on?- Good. - You guys are all cheery.
0:49:15 > 0:49:19Oh, it looked amazing before with all the cloud coming in.
0:49:19 > 0:49:24- So beautiful.- With just the final sprint down the West Highland Way
0:49:24 > 0:49:27to Kinlochleven, the race is nearly over for the leading runners.
0:49:27 > 0:49:30And Jonathan Albon is still out in front.
0:49:30 > 0:49:33- Well done. How you feeling? - Good.
0:49:33 > 0:49:37That was Jonathan Albon just come through checkpoint 15.
0:49:37 > 0:49:40Pelting his way back to the finish line.
0:49:40 > 0:49:44And already smashed the record by a country mile.
0:49:44 > 0:49:46At least an hour ahead of schedule,
0:49:46 > 0:49:49so absolutely fantastic time is being made here.
0:49:49 > 0:49:52And hot on Jonathan's heels, Tom Owens.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55Probably around four minutes behind, at the moment. Not too far to go.
0:49:55 > 0:49:57They're both looking really strong.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00- Well done. How are you getting on? - All right.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05Well, this really is an international field.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09Marc Lauenstein from Switzerland, 16 minutes behind the front runner,
0:50:09 > 0:50:11and looking good for a podium place.
0:50:11 > 0:50:13Hiya, how're you doing?
0:50:13 > 0:50:16So here is the winner this year.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19Unbelievable race here from Jonathan Albon,
0:50:19 > 0:50:22on the ridge he was just extraordinary.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25Look at him. It looks like he's had a little stroll in the park in the afternoon.
0:50:25 > 0:50:30Over the line, hands in the air, and what a champion.
0:50:30 > 0:50:34Jonathan, an absolutely fantastic win. You blew everybody else away.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37Yeah, I can't believe it. I think I surprised myself, as well.
0:50:37 > 0:50:40On the ridge, you were moving along there,
0:50:40 > 0:50:44which is unbelievably technical terrain, as if it was on the flat.
0:50:44 > 0:50:47Yeah, I think I'd just got a gap and I knew I kind of had to keep it,
0:50:47 > 0:50:51so it was kind of like a mixture of supreme concentration
0:50:51 > 0:50:54and just sort of like trying to move as fluidly as possible
0:50:54 > 0:50:57sort of thing, without putting myself in undue danger.
0:50:58 > 0:51:02On the World Series, you and Tom have been having something of a ding-dong battle,
0:51:02 > 0:51:05but you beat him today. You have won the series as well.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07You must be incredibly proud of that?
0:51:07 > 0:51:11Yeah, I think it's probably the best achievement of my life so far
0:51:11 > 0:51:14in my sporting career, so I can't believe it. It's amazing.
0:51:16 > 0:51:20Well, this is an extraordinary performance as well from Tom Owens.
0:51:20 > 0:51:23The Shettleston Harriers in Glasgow.
0:51:23 > 0:51:25That is super-impressive.
0:51:25 > 0:51:28Only Jonathan Albon just ahead of him by a few minutes,
0:51:28 > 0:51:31but a great performance from Tom Owens there.
0:51:32 > 0:51:36The course is pretty full-on, technical and a real adventure,
0:51:36 > 0:51:41so I think for most of us it's just really pleasing to get round it and finish.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43It's a big sense of achievement.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49This is the former Swiss national orienteer Marc Lauenstein.
0:51:49 > 0:51:54He won the 2016 Matterhorn Ultraks race and the Skyrunner World Series
0:51:54 > 0:51:58and he's third at the Glen Coe Skyline 2016.
0:51:58 > 0:52:01Looks so relaxed and calm coming over the line there.
0:52:01 > 0:52:04Hands in the air, acknowledges a great performance,
0:52:04 > 0:52:07a very fine athlete indeed.
0:52:07 > 0:52:09A third-place finish for you today. How you feeling after that?
0:52:09 > 0:52:13Well, actually, I'm quite proud I survived the course already.
0:52:13 > 0:52:16It's a first, first thing, and yeah,
0:52:16 > 0:52:22I'm also very happy that I managed to get through without any big troubles.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25I lost some time in the technical part
0:52:25 > 0:52:28and the two first ones were really strong.
0:52:28 > 0:52:31Yes, I have to bow myself to them.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36So here is the fourth-place finisher,
0:52:36 > 0:52:40it's Finlay Wild from Fort William and a great run over the end.
0:52:40 > 0:52:44Hands down the side, acknowledging the crowd, over the line.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47That was absolutely brilliant from Finlay Wild there.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50- Hey, well done. Yeah, nice. - Congratulations.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53So, Finlay, a fourth-place finish for you today.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56- How you feeling after that? - Yeah, pretty...
0:52:57 > 0:52:59Pretty sore and tired.
0:52:59 > 0:53:02It was really good. An amazing course.
0:53:02 > 0:53:05I had quite a rough period in the middle.
0:53:05 > 0:53:09Of course, going up Aonach Eagach was always going to be hard on tired legs, but...
0:53:09 > 0:53:13I was cramping up quite a lot and, yeah, it was quite difficult.
0:53:13 > 0:53:18Thankfully I could run downhill OK, so I speeded up a bit after that.
0:53:18 > 0:53:23These four men have totally smashed the 2015 times.
0:53:23 > 0:53:26With an extra 10km of running,
0:53:26 > 0:53:29they are 30 minutes faster than last year's winner.
0:53:29 > 0:53:33And now, the leading women are on the final stage of the race.
0:53:33 > 0:53:35Jasmin Paris, now on the home straight,
0:53:35 > 0:53:37back down to the finish line.
0:53:37 > 0:53:40She's got an amazing lead at the moment and she's managed
0:53:40 > 0:53:42to increase that lead throughout the day.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45We saw her earlier, she'd just had a couple of minutes
0:53:45 > 0:53:48on the second woman and now she is way out in front.
0:53:48 > 0:53:54And hot on Jasmin's heels is Norway's Malene Blikken Haukoy with a seven-minute gap.
0:53:54 > 0:53:56She's not going to catch her.
0:53:56 > 0:53:58Well done. Well done, Malene.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01Nearly there. Fantastic.
0:54:01 > 0:54:04So here is the first woman, Jasmin Paris.
0:54:04 > 0:54:09Unbelievable stuff. Eight hours, 15, 35 seconds.
0:54:09 > 0:54:11Now that is extraordinary.
0:54:11 > 0:54:14Jasmin Paris was ranked second equal in the series up to this point and a
0:54:14 > 0:54:19win in Glencoe means she is the champion here in 2016.
0:54:20 > 0:54:24You were second place last year, winner this year, how are you feeling?
0:54:24 > 0:54:26Yeah, no, pretty good, yeah.
0:54:26 > 0:54:29I could see I had several ladies that I could see behind me
0:54:29 > 0:54:32at various points in the race, so it certainly wasn't guaranteed.
0:54:32 > 0:54:35As I was running round, I was definitely questioning
0:54:35 > 0:54:37whether it was going to be first or second or third.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40- You've won the series as well, now. - It's a great feeling.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43- Yeah.- It's a really great feeling. Great to come back and win this race.
0:54:43 > 0:54:45Kind of the local race,
0:54:45 > 0:54:50and coming second last year was still good but I knew there was something more I wanted to achieve,
0:54:50 > 0:54:53so it's nice to have come back and won it.
0:54:54 > 0:54:58So this is Malene Blikken Haukoy from Norway.
0:54:58 > 0:54:59Coming over the line.
0:54:59 > 0:55:04Number 37. Absolutely fantastic performance from her.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07An excellent performance from you. Second place this year.
0:55:07 > 0:55:11- Are you pleased with that? - Yeah, I was really happy with that.
0:55:11 > 0:55:15On the start line this morning I was just thinking I would take it easy
0:55:15 > 0:55:19from the start and enjoy the race and the nature around here,
0:55:19 > 0:55:22so I didn't expect very much, actually.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25So I was really happy with second place.
0:55:25 > 0:55:29For a long time I was fourth, so, yeah, I was really happy.
0:55:32 > 0:55:37And after 34 miles, 5,000 metres of ascent and descent,
0:55:37 > 0:55:41in some extraordinary conditions, Sarah Ridgeway crosses the line.
0:55:41 > 0:55:46Third place in the Salomon Glencoe Skyline race 2016.
0:55:46 > 0:55:51Her legs are almost falling over. She is absolutely exhausted.
0:55:51 > 0:55:56Big smile on the face. But you can see the pain and anguish.
0:55:56 > 0:55:58And the effort etched all over that face, as well.
0:55:58 > 0:56:01- Great performance from you today. - Yeah, yeah.- Are you happy, yes?
0:56:01 > 0:56:04Oh, no, I'm really happy, yeah. It was a massive suffer fest.
0:56:04 > 0:56:08I didn't quite get things right, but I took a few risks, this time.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11Because my legs felt so fresh I went off a bit fast, I think, so, yeah,
0:56:11 > 0:56:16it just came ridge time, yeah, I wanted to give up so badly.
0:56:16 > 0:56:20It is basically a cliche. You just tell yourself never give up.
0:56:20 > 0:56:22Anything can happen. And it did.
0:56:22 > 0:56:25I ended up passing Ruth on the climb and got third.
0:56:25 > 0:56:29So, confirmation of those final results. For the women...
0:56:29 > 0:56:32British runner Sarah Ridgeway came in third with a time
0:56:32 > 0:56:35of eight hours, 44 minutes and 40 seconds.
0:56:35 > 0:56:38Second place went to Malene Blikken Haukoy of Norway
0:56:38 > 0:56:42with her time of 8:23:04...
0:56:42 > 0:56:44But out in the lead to take first place,
0:56:44 > 0:56:46both of this race and the World Series,
0:56:46 > 0:56:50was Jasmin Paris, from Edinburgh. She completed the race in...
0:56:54 > 0:56:58In men's race... Swiss athlete Marc Lauenstein came in third in...
0:57:02 > 0:57:04Runner-up was Tom Owens from Glasgow in...
0:57:07 > 0:57:12And with an amazing time of 6:33:52,
0:57:12 > 0:57:16British runner Jonathan Albon took the top spot both of this race
0:57:16 > 0:57:19and the World Skyrunning Extreme Series.
0:57:21 > 0:57:25Congratulations to everyone who's completed the Glen Coe Skyline,
0:57:25 > 0:57:27an epic achievement.
0:57:27 > 0:57:30And that's it from The Adventure Show until after Christmas,
0:57:30 > 0:57:32when we'll be back with the original mountain marathon,
0:57:32 > 0:57:34which returns to Scotland this year.
0:57:34 > 0:57:37But just to keep you going over the festive period,
0:57:37 > 0:57:41Cameron McNeish will be back with some of those Roads Less Travelled.
0:57:42 > 0:57:46Over the years, I've spent an inordinate amount of time exploring
0:57:46 > 0:57:50the glorious landscapes of the Western Highlands and Islands.
0:57:50 > 0:57:53And this time, I thought I'd come east.
0:57:53 > 0:57:56I'm starting this journey of discovery in Sutherland,
0:57:56 > 0:57:58just north of Dornoch Point.
0:58:00 > 0:58:03I want to combine elemental seascapes and coastlines
0:58:03 > 0:58:05with some of the most remote
0:58:05 > 0:58:08and least visited mountain summits in the country.
0:58:09 > 0:58:11And all of it under these great dome skies.
0:58:11 > 0:58:18Some of the widest and most open skies you'll find anywhere on the planet.
0:58:18 > 0:58:22So hopefully you'll maybe think of joining me as I explore some more
0:58:22 > 0:58:26of Scotland's Roads Less Travelled.
0:58:26 > 0:58:28In the meantime, from all of us here in Glen Coe,
0:58:28 > 0:58:31thank you so much for your company. Bye for now.