 |
travel / adventure zone
| The Adventure Zone |
|
|
 |
| Photo courtesy of Drambuie |
The Drambuie Pursuit
Wherein a gutsy Canadian Geographic team heads across the Scottish Highlands
By Tracy C. Read
In April 1746, Bonnie Prince Charlie’s bold attempt to
claim the British throne on behalf of the Stuarts came to a disastrous
end. After a 10-month campaign across the rugged Scottish countryside,
his army was brutally and decisively defeated at the infamous Battle
of Culloden. The prince was spirited away to the Isle of Skye, and
from there to France. According to legend, Charlie bequeathed a
well-guarded recipe for a tasty blend of spiced honey and aged Scotch
to his valiant protectors before he departed the shores of Scotland
forever. Today, we know this elixir as Drambuie.
In honour of the liqueur’s noble origins, the Drambuie Pursuit — an
eight-stage adventure race — retraces the Bonnie Prince’s
demanding escape route. The race sets a breakneck pace that might
have left even the vigorous 25-year-old prince gasping. On Thursday,
April 24, 2008, four-person teams warm up with an evening’s
archery competition at Eilean Donan Castle near the Isle of Skye,
one which Charlie, who was trained in the arts of war, might handily
have won.
 |
|
Photo courtesy of Drambuie |
How he might have handled the other events is not so clear. Friday
dawns with a Zapcat powerboat race on the shores of Kyleakin, a
gruelling mountain-bike race up a rocky Highland trail, with a 200-metre
uphill dash and a rock climb hard on its heels, and then a brisk,
treacherous descent to waiting rafts. After the bracing whitewater
challenge, still ahead are another mountain bike event, a dune buggy
race and a canoe race to Inverness Castle. In the final stage, participants
must pull out all the stops to pound out a daunting 1.6 kilometres
on foot.
This year, Canadian Geographic hopes to earn bragging
rights in one of the world’s newest and most demanding adventure
races. On April 26, a pumped coed team — consisting of staff
and contributors — will carry the magazine’s colours
to Scotland and show the rest of the world what fitness and endurance
in the colonies is all about.
Until April, the spirit lives on at www.drambuieden.ca where
you’ll find a list of limited engagements in cities across
the country that will rekindle the courage of the Bonnie Prince.
|
|
| ADVERTISEMENT |
|
|
|
|
