Posts for January, 2024

🌈 Calling all adventurers! 🚀

The Gruffalo is making a special appearance at Landmark Forest Adventure Park at intervals on February 10th and 11th, 2024! 🌲 Plan your visit and immerse yourself in the wonder of the deep dark wood 🐍🦊🦉

Come along and meet the beloved character and remember to bring your cameras as there will be lots of photo opportunities 📸✨ As well as a visit to the park and accessing all the usual attractions you can also meet this favourite Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler character.

Book tickets to the park at: www.landmarkpark.co.uk

I invite you to join me on a WOMEN’S WELLNESS RETREAT in the wilds of the Cairngorm National Park, voted one of the 20 top places to visit by National Geographic Traveller. You’ll sleep in a cosy mountain lodge nestled in beautiful Glenfeshie.

It’s a weekend designed to support, nourish and empower women who are trying to navigate their way through the Perimenopause/Menopause, who are curious and want to know more and know they will benefit from being around other like-minded people.
Bring a friend, family member or come solo…. pause – breathe – REBALANCE.
For more details go to my website yogacairngorms. com or my Instagram bio or email lindaolds86@gmail.com

Thrive is first and foremost about riding bikes! This is one of the UK’s top cycling areas and we want to celebrate this! This is a family orientated events and we strive to make sure we have something for everyone at our event. Keep an eye on our socials and website for event updates.

Glenshee likes to keep us on our toes. Historically, there has either been not enough snow or too much snow. However, there is no denying when Glenshee is good, she is very good.

If conditions allow, we do plan to hold the British Skimo Championships on Saturday 16th March 2024 at Glenshee.

For those in the know, there seems to be little point in advertising a course because it always changes. Who knows where we will go but there will be multiple ascents and descents. There is very likely to be more than one lap with a harsh cut off time – dictated by the fastest racer of the day. The final course will only be known on the day but the maps below will give some idea for ideal conditions. The fastest racer is declared the winner.

We will plan to race on Saturday 16th March but if the conditions are unfavourable we will race on the Sunday. We will not reschedule this race if we have to cancel.

Image credit Ed Smith.

The LDWA organises many challenge events and local group social walks, as well as listing many more organised by other organisations.

This year they are taking on the Speyside 100 – a challenge event which is 100 miles long, none stop and must be completed within a defined time limit

(Social walks are normally led walks of around 20 miles – click here to go to the LDWA website to find out more).

From the foothills of the Cairngorms to Moray’s award-winning coastline you can enjoy long summer days discovering Moray’s natural, historical and cultural landscape.

Join us this Midsummer and explore the foothills of the Cairngorms and Moray!

There is lots more information on our website – go take a look at our awesome walks and events which include.

Credit James Stevens

Beginning inland at the award winning Grant Park in Forres, you run along the High Street before turning and crossing the A96, towards the famous eco-village of Findhorn. Kinloss Barracks will be on your right (look out for planes!) and the local bay’s nature reserve will be on your left. From here the coastal trail properly begins and the views are incredible!

From the trail at the top of the dunes, you enter Roseisle Forest all the way to Burghead, where a lovely new tarred path will greet you after Burghead Distillery to Hopeman.

The section from Hopeman to Covesea has some superb clifftop trails with even more spectacular views. At Covesea, provided the tide is out, you run along the beach with the lighthouse on your right and you feel like you are on a tropical island all the way to Lossiemouth, which is aid station 1!

You will go over the brand new Lossiemouth Bridge and tackle the “5km from hell” to Kingston, where you follow Garmouth & Kingston Golf Course, crossing the beautiful railway bridge before turning right, heading south towards Fochabers, which is aid station 2.

Continuing south, you pass Boat O’ Brig, and start to climb Ben Aigen and follow a lovely descent into Craigellachie. You are now in whisky country!

Following the Speyside Way to Aberlour and towards Grantown-on-Spey, you pass several distilleries – soak in the sights and smells in this area! Aid station 3 is in the heart of it!

At Grantown, which is aid station 4, you join the Dava Way and have “just” a marathon to go! It is downhill from here, taking in the beautiful Cairngorms around you and the Moray Firth views in front of you.

On re-entering Forres, you will wind through more picturesque trails before finishing back at Grant Park. You have just completed the world’s most beautiful 100 milers… congratulations (not that we’re bias)!

The 1st Speyside Way race first took place on 3rd April 1994 (Easter Sunday as a matter of fact!) as a 50km as opposed to a 35miler (sorry on behalf of the race for adding that extra part for you!). Throughout its 22 year history, legends in not only distance running, but running as a whole, have competed in this event. This event is stacked in history – from the late Don Ritchie himself (former 100km world record holder, who later took on the job as race director) and world 100km champion Simon Pride, to Commonwealth Games runner Fraser Clyne and even 1500m specialist Brian Scally.

The 50km route is a great transition from road running to trail running, and great for a fast time. It is runnable, net downhill (let’s not mention the climb at Ben Aigen to keep you honest!) and has a beautiful finish on a coastal path and a wee sting in the tail before the finish line.

In 2021, we added a 100km option, where runners do an extra epic mountainous section (again, you are going downhill) from Aviemore to Tamdhu Distillery, where they join the 50km route all the way through whisky country to finish at the coast in Buckie.

Free event. Donations gratefully recived. Doors open 6.30pm. Film commences 7.00pm. BYOB and snacks. Tea and coffee provided.

Enquiries to Helen Barton
07701078207
helen_barton@hotmail.co.uk

The Dramathon is actually four races : The Full Dram (nearly 42km), The Half Dram (nearly 21km), The Wee Dram (just over 10km) and the relay (We Dram).

All are trail races, mostly on well-maintained paths along the beautiful Speyside Way. The route takes in several distilleries along the route, offering sights and smells to ignite your senses. Depending on the distance you run you will pick up the corresponding miniatures of single malt at the end of the race.

The finish line for all the races is at Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown. The full marathon starts at Glenfarclas, the half-marathon starts at Tamdhu, the 10K in Aberlour and the various legs of the relay divide up the marathon route into roughly 4 x 10km.

The course is overall pretty flat, as it mostly follows the old railway line of the Speyside Way, but there are a few hills (one ascent in each of the four sections of the full marathon course). The final stretch from Craigellachie to Dufftown is a gradual uphill slope. Some short sections on minor roads (about 5k of the full marathon course in total).

The Spey Valley will be in full spectacular Autumnal bloom on race weekend – come and experience one of the most beautiful and interesting corners of Scotland.

The Dramathon is beautifully structured and well-paced with a great finish. Just like a Speyside malt in fact …

More details are available on the event website – http:www.thedramathon.com

To see the route simply click on this Link below

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/1392766687

Please note that we reserve the right to change the route at any time. Please watch the event’s facebook page for latest updates :

https://www.facebook.com/The-Dramathon-105544339878704/

You can also follow us on Instagram

or join The Dramathon Training Club on Strava : https://strava.com/clubs/302395