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British Orienteering Championships at Balmoral to feature on BBC Adventure Show

Transmission: BBC 2 Scotland 19th August 7 pm and on FreeSat and Sky Digital

And afterwards on BBC iPlayer

The next broadcast of the Adventure Show series covers the British Orienteering Championships which were held in Scotland this year, at Ballater on Royal Deeside, with the Long Distance event at the Balmoral Estate on Royal Deeside.  The castle makes an impressive setting for the race arena.

“It’s a test of physical ability and mental agility,” says co-presenter Dougie Vipond, who covered the event alongside outdoor enthusiasts Cameron McNeish and Deziree Wilson. “This event tests the best of the best in Britain,” says Cameron.” These guys go flat out cross country, they run and navigate at the same time.”  But just 10 seconds of not concentrating can blow the whole race.

The terrain was quite rough, with lots of rocky ground and some big crags, as well as deep heather in places. There was plenty of route choice and a network of paths and tracks. For those with time to look, there were good views from the higher parts. It was mostly very dry underfoot. The weather was sunny, and breezy in the arena, but sheltered in the forest – many found it very hot.

It’s not just the elite athletes who competed – thousands of people of all abilities took part, some finding the deep heather really hard to run through.

The Adventure Show series is produced for the BBC by independent production company Adventure Show Productions based in the Cairngorms of Scotland with producer Richard Else.  Richard says “Since we began making this series in 2005, the programme has gone from late night watching to prime-time television – the interest in extreme sports for all ages and abilities has grown its appeal in volumes.”

This month’s programme also features a catch up with former award-winning food designer, Paul Bromhead from Edinburgh, as he gets tips from top fell runner Donny Campbell towards his big race, and with Andy Mckenna from the Scottish borders –a mountain bike enthusiast who continues the sport he loves despite a diagnosis of MS.  Andy says: “Instead of focussing on what I can’t do, I sometimes do things a bit differently from how I used to. But many times I catch a glimmer of my old self.”

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