The Adventure Show

In the run up to the Olympics, the Adventure Show is taking to the rapids and the stunning white waters of the River Tay, near Aberfeldy. This is the Grandtully Premier Slalom and when it comes to canoeing our competitors are right at the top. With a real chance of a Scottish paddler in every British boat selected for Beijing, we've been following the young hopefuls. Back on dry land we'll be disappearing into Scotland's wildest places with Cameron McNeish, finding out why a stretch of marshland just off the A9 is so important and discovering what else is on offer for the adventurer and thrill seeker in rural Perthshire.

Three years ago downhill bikers Steve Peat and Tracey Moseley set the crowds alight as they rode to a British victory in the Mountain Bike World Cup at Fort William. Now they have a chance to make history again in the 100th downhill race. And in the run up to the Beijing games, cross country athletes from around the world will be battling it out in the only Olympic discipline in the sport. Also, we take to the hills with Scotland's best known walker, Cameron McNeish, who is heading north to Thurso for the highlights of the O'Neill Highland Open surf championships. Plus, investigating kayaks that fold up into a bag.

The Adventure Show heads into some of Scotland's wild and remote country. We'll be up in the far north west at Cape Wrath for what's often called the toughest marathon in the UK. We'll also be joining a few intrepid backpackers as they trek across Scotland from the west to the east coast for the TGO Challenge. How much do you really need to carry when you head off into the hills? We'll find out. And we'll be joining Cameron McNeish on one of his favourite mountains and discovering some of the best food on offer in the north west.

Heading into some of the most beautiful and remote landscapes in Scotland, we join over 700 competitors for a 50 mile race coast to coast. Held annually since 1983, the Highland Cross starts at Kintail on the west with a 20 mile run over the hills to Glen Affric. Then it's into the saddle for 30 miles by bike to Beauly in the east. We also take to the air for the inaugural X-Scotia paragliding competition, and head into the mountains with hill walking expert, Cameron McNeish while discovering the best footwear for that day in the hills.

The programme joins over 200 competitors for a mile long swim across Loch Tay in Perthshire. That's followed by a 15-mile run over 7 Munroes, a 7-mile kayak up the Loch and a 34-mile bike ride around it. These are the ingredients of the Great Kindrochit Quadrathlon, and it doesn't get much tougher, rougher or more taxing than this. Also we're taking to the rock face with two young climbers from Inverness celebrating the 75th anniversary of Mountain Rescue. We're also polishing-up ice axe and crampons as we look forward to the winter months.

This time, the Adventure Show heads north for the Ullapool challenge - a 130-mile bike ride over 12,000 feet of ascent through some of Scotland's wildest scenery. We join a hundred of toughest and most determined riders. We're also battling the waves as we catch the windsurfing action from the 2008 Tiree Wave Classic and we'll be heading onto vertical ground with Scotland's leading climber, Dave MacLeod, who's now turning his attention to film making.

A special edition of the Adventure Show showcasing the spectacular landscapes and varied lifestyles of the far north of Scotland, in the company of Britain's well-known hillwalker Cameron McNeish. Starting on the iconic mountain of Suilven in Assynt, Cameron maps out a new trail through some of the most dramatic scenery in Western Europe. The route finishes 70 miles away on what has been called the queen of Scottish mountains, Ben Loyal. On the way, Cameron meets the people who live here - from young crofters determined to continue the traditional way of life to a former hairdresser who now farms some of the best oysters in Britain.

This month we head across the water to the Island of Mull for the final event in the Scottish Cyclocross Series. Held in the shadow of Glengorm Castle, it's fast, furious and extremely muddy. We ask if it can be as big in Scotland as it is in mainland Europe. Also in this month's show, Dougie Vipond's venturing into the hills to see if he can stay upright on his skis when he leaves the groomed pistes behind, we find out just how difficult it can be to navigate in a Cairngorm blizzard and, on a perfect winter's day, Cameron McNeish fastens on his snow shoes for an ascent of A'Chailleach in the Monadhliath mountains.

Mud and snow didn't deter almost 500 people from finishing this year's Carnethy 5 hill race in the Pentland Hills south of Edinburgh. Deziree Wilson experienced this classic race for herself. Also, Cameron McNeish makes a winter assent of one of Scotland's most iconic mountains and we go ski mountaineering with the legendary Martin Burrows-Smith.

Paralysed from the chest down, Karen Darke tackles an epic kayaking expedition in one of the most remote and least visited areas of Patagonia. Paddling with her partner, Andy Kirkpatrick, they face dangerous currents and tides in their quest to get to Laguna San Rafael and its famous glacier. With little hope of rescue if things go wrong and with few places to camp en route, this turns out to be the most challenging journey Karen has ever attempted.