Skye Trail Ultra

Hi folks, a brand new Scottish ultra in the Isle of Skye to be held on 30th May 2015.

69 Miles with over 4000 mts of ascent.

A stunning route taking in the whole of the 'Trotternish Ridge' [google it !] and passing through some of the finest mountains and coastal routes in the UK

Check out our website .. entries are open now .. limited entry for this 1st year .. www.skyetrailultra.co.uk.

 

Comments

  • does look good but i have my races booked for this year..

     i didnt realise sky was so large before looking at this 

  • I'm in image nice and local for a change!
  • Has somebody written a race report?

    I read some hiking stuff, but thats not the same.

     

  • http://carnethy.com/2015/06/skye-trail-ultra-marathon/

    could only find brief review above but enough to give a good idea if it's up your street! I love the idea of it but sounds like route finding could be tricky & as pre race recce not very likely for me, I probably wouldn't risk it!

  • Thanks!

    I`ll keep it on my list, see how long image

  • I did the majority of this race this year. It's a fabulous race, very low-key, in a beautiful area. The first leg (almost a marathon) across the Trotternish Ridge and down into Portree, should NOT be underestimated. The path is vague, it looks hardly used despite there being a separate Trotternish Ridge race held there every year.  We were lucky and had relatively clear weather, but if the mist was down, you would need your navigation skills, have no doubt. Underfoot is tough, unless you are used to mountain marathon type terrain or hill/fell running.  I have done all of that, but not so much in the run up to this race and it was clear from how little I managed to run!!  If you can get yourself through this section, Portree to Sligachan is pretty good, a bit of road, loch side path etc and fairly runable, but not as much as I thought it would be.  Sligachan through to Elgol is a mix, the trails beneath the Black Cuillin were wet and boulder-strewn, but the way was clear. The four miles or so along the coast into Elgol were hard - undulating, narrow and slippery.  From Elgol it is kinder - road and footpath.  I bailed at around the 60 mile mark because I had niggles that would have become full-blown injury and I didn't fancy weeks out recovering.  Quite a few got confused on the stretch in the woods cutting back towards Broadford, I think there will be a bit more signage for the next one.

    There was no restriction to drop bag size - most put a change of shoes in the Portree bag as you could get away with a less severe trail shoe after Portree.

    So if you like your Ultra's a bit unique, with a bit more challenge than 'just' one foot in front of the other then this is fantastic, if your first question is 'do I really need to be able to navigate?' then possibly not, or perhaps a good reason to learn how to do so image

    If you have any questions do shout, happy to reply. I usually write up reports of all my races (DNF or not) but this one slipped by the wayside. But I'm a big fan of this event, and the organiser is super-enthusiastic and encouraging too.

  • Thanks a lot. Too bad, that you could not finish!

    It wont be next year, thats sure, but some how I`m fixed on Skye (been there in September after the C2C) and I'm planning for 2017 now.

    Navigating with a compass has to be refreshed, I also have a Garmin GPS. Did orienteering a while ago, but not in such remote areas. In the dark under misty conditions would be something I have to find more confidence.

Sign In or Register to comment.