The unforgiving landscape of the Scottish Highlands does not coddle the faint of heart. Pursuit competitors tracing Bonnie Prince Charlie’s historic footsteps need equal shares of fortitude and luck to emerge victorious.

The competition kicks off with an archery competition at Eilean Donan Castle, a paragon of Scottish heritage and beauty overseeing the intersection of three great sea lochs. On day two, competitors advance to the shores of Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye for the Zap Cat Race. Kyleakin, known as the Gateway to Skye, is connected to the Scottish mainland and more specifically, Kyle of Lochalsh, by the Skye Bridge. The Scottish term, “Kyle,” refers to the narrow straits of water that border the villages.

Once competitors complete the Zap Cat Race, they return to Eilean Donan Castle to confront a substantial obstacle, the craggy peaks of Boc Beag. Pursuit-goers must mountain bike up the hill top before first ascending, and then descending the peak on foot. From Bog Beag, the Pursuit traces Bonnie Prince Charlie’s journey to the River Garry for the white water rafting competition. During his retreat following the Battle of Culloden, the Prince stayed in Invergarry Castle, and with the help of a fishing net, caught two salmon from the river to sustain him on his flight from the English.

After getting their feet wet in the river, contestants encounter 3 kilometers of narrow trails and forest roads that weave their way through the North Shore. The trails have been forged from the wilderness by thousands of footsteps over the years, but to complicate matters, Pursuit competitors navigate the forest roads on mountain bikes.

As the contestants near the finish line and Inverness, they face one final challenge before racing through the heart of the city. Just outside of Inverness, the lush green countryside gives way to sandy, hilly terrain that houses a quarry, the site of the Pursuit’s buggy race. The two-seater buggies bounce and jar the weary competitors as they  negotiate the harsh landscape, but bruises are afterthoughts as the participants paddle frantically down the River Ness to the finish line in historic Inverness.