The world’stoughestmountain race

Want to cycle 1,000 miles across rugged Scottish terrain, climbing more than twice the height of Everest? Oh, and it’s totally unsupported. Then try the Trans Alba race: you don’t have to be mad to do it, but it probably helps!

Moments enjoyed, lessons learned, the strange thoughts that only happen on a walk: welcome to the bits and pieces that don’t make big stories, but do make a difference.

Pat Kinsella takes on the Hourglass, a race against time where runners must be both tortoise and hare

It’s 7pm. There is just 5km left between me and the cod drying rack that marks the finish of this race. I’ve got a cramp in my left thigh. I’m soaked through and just about to set foot into the forest

After crossing Scotland on foot following their own bespoke routes, graduates of the TGO Challenge Class of 2025 tell first-hand tales of heatwaves, high camps and bog-trotting through the landscape on this truly unique long-distance journey

A strange but not unpleasant mixture of Atlantic air and the scent of washing up powder fills my nostrils. Up ahead, I can see many of the houses dotted around seemingly at random have hung out their