The Adventure Show

The Adventure Show travels to Balmoral on Royal Deeside for the British Orienteering Championships. Here, the whole orienteering community - from weekend enthusiasts to the creme-de-la-creme - battle it out in a supreme test of physical fitness and mental dexterity. Also on this month's Adventure Show, we discover how one man with a life-changing illness is determined that it won't stop him doing what he loves most - mountain biking.

Fort William is once again resounding to the sound of cheering crowds and screeching tyres as the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup returns to Scotland. And there is no shortage of action, from the fast, gladiatorial 4X to the brutal downhill. Launching off from the top of the Nevis range, the best riders in the world plummet 555 metres down one of the longest and toughest courses on the circuit.

The Adventure Show is in the heart of the Cairngorms for a race that is an inspiration for runners across the UK - the Lairig Ghru. With nearly 3,000 feet of ascent, this marathon-length course is a spectacular run through wild country, rough tracks and forests. Plus the inside story on a major sporting triumph as The Adventure Show follows three intrepid swimmers in their attempt to be the first to cross the North Minch. And, the spectacular Ride to the Sun - 100 miles of cycling, through the night, from Carlisle to Cramond.

The Adventure Show travels to the Isle of Arran for a bike race with a difference - the Grinduro. With four intense timed sections over road, gravel and dirt, the spectacular 83-kilometre course has attracted people from across the world. This is an event designed for all-round bike enthusiasts determined to have a unique experience. Also in the programme, a walking group from Glasgow show that regardless off, Scotland's mountains, glens and forests make for a perfect day out. Plus the brand new challenge of loch bagging, and proof that the demanding sport of orienteering is accessible to people of all abilities.

The Adventure Show travels to the Outer Hebrides for a two-day race that takes competitors on a spectacular journey across the wild landscape of this remote island chain. With 200 kilometres of running, biking and kayaking, The Heb is a challenge for both adventure enthusiasts and hardened endurance athletes fighting for the top spots. We also join two students from Breadalbane Academy in Highland Perthshire as they cast aside their school books to experience working in the great outdoors. And we catch up with an exceptional young ice climber as she prepares for the winter competition season.

Scotland's best-known outdoors man, Cameron McNeish, journeys up the western seaboard from the Mull of Kintyre to Mallaig. Travelling on foot, by bike, by pack-raft and with his beloved campervan, his journey takes him over 200 miles through some of our most impressive wild places. Along the way, he meets an artist, a storyteller and a ghillie. And most surprisingly of all he discovers how our ancestors created their music. Cameron starts on the very edge of Scotland, the Mull of Kintyre, before heading up the long and winding road made famous by Paul McCartney. He boards a restored fishing vessel for a trip on that feat of engineering, the Crinan Canal, and explores the ancient monuments around Kilmartin. He finishes this first programme quite literally on the waters of Loch Awe.

In the second part of his journey up Scotland's Atlantic Way, Cameron McNeish celebrates what he says is our 'world-class environment'. From peaceful Glen Orchy he heads over the wild, yet beautiful wastelands of the Rannoch Moor. After exploring the hills above Kinlochleven, he continues up the secluded west side of Loch Linnhe before following the sun to his ultimate destination at Mallaig. Travelling on foot, by bike and packraft, Cameron joins a military historian, an author and an expert on Gaelic culture. And during his 200-mile journey, he meets people whose lives are dominated by our great outdoors.

The Dramathon is one of the newest events in the racing calendar but is already hugely popular – attracting over 1,000 people. Competitors follow the iconic Speyside Way from Ballindalloch to Dufftown along forest tracks, riverside paths and through the hills. And it is called the Dramathon for a reason, because the route takes the competitors past nine of Scotland’s finest whisky distilleries. Also in this month’s Adventure Show we have two inspirational stories. We join former tattoo artist Steve Barnes, who has discovered that getting into our wild places helps him cope with a terminal illness. Gerry Moffatt has summited Everest twice, run an extreme adventure company and mapped the river systems of Bhutan but he has also had to battle against an addiction to alcohol.

We follow Colin over the course of a year as he sets out on an ambitious new project. He has set himself the hardest of challenges – to produce a body of work that will draw attention to the highly precarious nature of life on four islands – Harris, Lewis, Eigg and Canna. Yet Colin’s work is about more than just photography - it comes from a deep understanding of each place and the islanders.