The Highland Ultra

Highland Ultra - Knoydart Peninsula

The Highland Ultra is a 125 km coastal mountain ultra on the Knoydart Peninsula in the West Highlands of Scotland. The route crosses rocky mountains, broad glens, rivers and high lochs and sits between the sea lochs Nevis and Hourn. Wildlife commonly encountered includes golden and sea eagles, red deer, otters, dolphins and occasional minky whale.

The event covers 125 km over three stages in three days, with an overall event duration of four days. Base camp and the finish are at Longbeach, Inverie, and the race starts in the village of Inverie. Accommodation is in tents and transport to and from the race is provided by boat. There are 90 places available. Typical daytime temperatures are listed as 5°C to 25°C and evening temperatures 0°C to 10°C; daylight hours are given as 14.

Runners are self-sufficient and must carry all items on the mandatory kit list, including clothes, food, medical supplies and sleeping kit. Checkpoints are placed at roughly 10 km intervals and provide a small shelter, a qualified medic and drinking water; camps provide drinking water and hot water for meal preparation. Included with entry are GPS tracking, manned checkpoints and camps, race accommodation in tents, transfers, luggage carriage, digital photos, race T-shirt and finisher medal, and a finish-line meal. The organiser asks entrants to have completed a marathon-length event within 12 months. Entry fee is £795 per athlete, payable as two instalments of £397.50 or in full; staged payments are non-refundable. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.