On Sunday, 21st April dozens of horses and their riders will line up above Loch Ness against a similar number of runners in the region’s second annual Man vs Horse Challenge.

The event is a unique opportunity for athletes and equestrians to compete over a 26km course against a spectacular backdrop of stunning Highland scenery.

Starting from the Whitebridge Hotel the runners will be piped out at 11.00am and the horses will set off in staggered starts. The race follows a linear route which covers sections of the Trail of the Seven Lochs and the South Loch Ness Trail.

Competitors will climb up the challenging ‘Corkscrew’ beside the stunning crag of Dun Deardail before tackling the ‘Fair Haired Lad’s Pass’, which will lead them on a dramatic descent to Loch Ness.

The race will finish at the home of the hosts, Loch Ness Riding, at Drummond Farm in Dores. Horses will be vetted to make sure they are in good shape at the finish and runners as well as riders will be restored with tea and cakes!

This will be followed by the prize giving where the Jacobite Warrior perpetual trophy will be presented to the fastest overall competitor. The winners in each class will receive a keepsake quaich and medals and rosettes will be presented to all runners and riders.

The event will be run under the auspices of the South Loch Ness Access Group which is affiliated to the British Horse Society’s Bridleways Group. Organiser Candy Cameron of Loch Ness Riding explained: “Last year’s event was really successful, and we were delighted at the encouragement we received to organise another this year.

“There’s no reason why a human can’t win the race this year. A horse is definitely faster on the flat but the route has plenty of steep hills and the horses will slow down over these stages.

“The event is a unique opportunity for people to discover the lesser known side of Loch Ness as the route takes in a variety of terrain and scenery including farm tracks, forestry roads, open moorland and hill trails, so it’s exceptionally scenic … and, moreover, it has the iconic Loch Ness as a backdrop.”

The race will be run under rules similar to those of endurance riding, with riders needing to submit their horses to veterinary examinations. Horses must be shod or booted for the duration of the event.

Places for runners and riders are limited to 50 and 30 respectively and will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

The entry fee for both runners and riders is £10 at the time of placing an entry plus a minimum of £20 in sponsorship to be paid on the day of the event.

50% of all profits (including sponsorship) will be donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust as the event’s chosen charity this year, and the other 50% will go to the South Loch Ness Access Group to help continue its work in the area.

Entry forms for runners and riders wishing to take part in the Man Vs Horse event can be found at http://www.visitlochness.com/uploads/files/ManvHorse-entry-2013.pdf   or the Facebook page for Man v Horse where photos of last years event can also be viewed.

Forestry Commission Scotland have recently appointed Pick Everard to design and project manage the delivery of a ‘new’ Great Glen Way between Fort Augustus and Drumnadrochit following the award of £1 million from the Scottish Government for this work to be completed during 2013/2014. The original route joined together forest roads and ‘as dug’ path and has been a huge success with user numbers growing from 3,000 to 30,000 over ten years, but with this money a bespoke path built at higher level will give unrestricted views of Loch Ness and towards the mountains taking walkers and mountain bikers off of the forest road and giving them their own path away from any planned forest operations. These exciting plans along with the South Loch Ness Trail, move us a little closer to our goal of creating an unbroken 360 circular Loch Ness trail and a little closer to becoming a reality!