The Adventure Show

A true test of endurance, the Original Mountain Marathon is not for the faint-hearted! This time the event returns to Scotland for the 49th edition. Participants are entirely self-reliant over the course of the race, and need to carry all supplies including tent and food for two days.

Colin Prior is one of the world's most acclaimed landscape photographers, someone who made his name with a set of panoramic images that defined wild Scotland for a generation. But, using the latest digital technology, he is attempting to capture a definitive record of three iconic mountains in the northwest Highlands. These include what many regard as our finest summit, An Teallach. We've been following his progress, between the winter and spring equinoxes, and discover that the result of six months of work is just a handful of images.

The Adventure Show returns for a new series with a visit to the rugged Kintyre Peninsula to join athletes in one of Scotland's most scenic races - the Kintyre Way Ultra. With no less than 1,300 metres of ascent and over 35 miles of rough terrain, this is a tough challenge for every runner. Also on the programme, we'll be meeting an inspiring athlete who is proving that living with epilepsy doesn't prevent you from achieving sporting success at the highest level.

Fort William is once again resounding to the sound of cheering crowds and crunching gears as the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup returns to Scotland. And there's no shortage of action, from the fast and brutal 4X, to the downhill. One on Scotland's up-and-coming young riders take us on an exhilarating ride down one of the longest and toughest courses on the World Cup circuit. Also in this month's programme, we get the inside story on why a professor of public health medicine and a police officer are planning to run from one side of Scotland to the other.

The team take to the stunning white water of the River Tay, at Grandtully near Aberfeldy, the home of Scottish paddling. This year the racing is bigger and better than ever before because we're here for the inaugural Adventure Show Super Cup, with Olympic gold medallist Tim Baillie, from Aberdeen, giving an expert's view on the action. Also, Deziree Wilson discovers Scotland's most select running club, and we catch up with endurance athlete Katie Ford to see if she can create a new cycling record whilst living with epilepsy. And Cameron McNeish is back with a wild walk in Highland Perthshire.

This month the Adventure Show is in Torridon for the Celtman Extreme Scottish Triathlon. And extreme is the word - starting with a 3,000-metre, open-water swim that's followed by 202 kilometres of biking. The finale is a 42-kilometre run through some of the most demanding mountain terrain in Scotland. Added to that, this year the high winds and driving rain make a race that is arguably the toughest of its kind anywhere in the world even tougher. For most just finishing is a major achievement. We're also looking ahead to winter with an exclusive preview of a new smartphone app that could, quite literally, save your life. And Duncan McCallum has polished up his wheels and checked his gears for an adventure with elite mountain biker Lee Craigie.

The Adventure Show joins 300 competitors from all over the UK for nearly 60 miles of racing in the majestic landscape of Highland Perthshire. There's a chilly swim across Loch Tay, a 15-mile run over 7 Munros, seven miles of kayaking and to finish an epic day there is a 34-mile bike ride. Adventure racing doesn't get much tougher than this. Plus Duncan McCallum takes on a biking challenge in Scotland's last great wilderness, while film-maker Dan Bell celebrates our wild places.

Scotland's best known outdoors man, Cameron McNeish, is celebrating the heart of Scotland. Travelling on foot, by bike, by pack-raft and with his beloved campervan, his journey takes him over 300 miles through some of our most impressive wild places. He starts in the whisky country around Ben Rinnes before heading over the wild Dava Moor and into the Cairngorm mountains and glens that have shaped his life. He finishes this first programme in the remote splendour around Loch Rannoch. Along the way, he meets scientists, historians and outdoor enthusiasts, and finds the only railway station in Scotland that hosts regular ceilidhs.

In the second part of his journey round the Heart of Scotland, Cameron McNeish celebrates what he says is Scotland's 'world class landscape'. From the Falls of Bruar, he heads south east to the magnificent Angus Glens before turning north to Deeside. Finally, to complete a wonderful circle he tramps across the wild Cromdale Hills. Travelling on foot, by bike and taking to the air, he joins a descendent of the travelling folk, a collector of traditional songs and has first hand experience of how illicit whisky stills once worked. And during his 300-mile journey, he meets two people whose lives have been changed by the outdoors.

This month's Adventure Show sees a record 1,000 competitors head north of Inverness in the middle of winter, with 17 hours of darkness, for one of the world's toughest mountain bike races - the Strathpuffer 24. With deep snow, brilliant sunshine and bitterly cold temperatures, this year it has been dubbed the 'Perfect Puffer', with many riders saying it is the best ever. This programme also joins someone as he takes his first steps back to a fit and healthy life. And what do you do with six days off work? For two athletes the answer is simple - run over 200 miles right across Scotland.

In an Adventure Show special, Cameron McNeish explores our deep-seated passion for walking, something that stretches back through the centuries. It's an important part of our social history and is embedded in the Scottish psyche. And, as Cameron discovers, its something that attracts all kinds of people - from outdoor veterans such as trail-hardened Chris Townsend, who are out for months at a time, to Sam Heughan, star of the cult television series Outlander.