Race three for the Cape Wrath Challenge was the Round Durness Run. Of all the five races being staged in the remote outpost of Scotland, this event sounded like a doddle. An 8.4-mile saunter around the tracks and trails surrounding the pretty village.

Steve and Gerard who were staying at the B&B we were sharing certainly underplayed the difficulty of the terrain we were going to face when the race was discussed over a traditional Scottish breakfast.

This was one of the hardest races of the week; challenging and unrelenting. After taking it easy the previous day, I was determined to go out hard for this Wednesday work-out. We set out from the village hall, which sits on top of a hill just outside Durness, and headed down a track towards Loch Caladil, and then out onto the A838 which leads out of the village. As we reached the crest of the hill the view was breathtaking. Set out in front of us was Loch Boralie and Keodale Pier, surrounded by mountains. It was an awesome view as we hared downhill.

I was going well, very well, working well with Zoe Woodward from Eton Manor AC, who I had just beaten in the half marathon on Monday. Zoe was to go on and win the individual ladies' prize from the week. But just as we turned off the road by the entrance to the ferry, so the hard work began. This was a slog over some steep hills and tricky terrain around the Durness Golf Club, down towards Balnakeil Beach and up to the headlands of Adonmhor and Sanateachal.

Loch Boralie and the plantation area, including the golf course, is a designated site of scientific interest. The area from the coast inland is an area rich in archaeology. At Aodann Mhor, there was a farming township until the early 17th century. This was swept away by the third Lord Reay, chief of the Clan Mackay, when he remodelled his lands at Balnakeil. Along the wall, separating the headland from the fields we could see the runrigs, long narrow cultivation strips, and on a small, precarious headland, the faint traces of a monastic cell could be seen.

The beauty of the area was somewhat lost by the gruelling second half of the run. The climbs were energy sapping almost reducing you to a walk. I was beginning to feel the start of a blister in my left foot, which exercised the mind.

By this time Zoe had forged ahead and I was left hanging on for as long as I could. We soon arrived back in Durness, through the village square and back to the hall, with a killer climb up the steep hill known as the Caa, to finish with. The gradient is severe it is hard to know what it measures. Certainly driving up the hill in a car, you need to ease down to second gear on a bend two-thirds up the hill.

The finish line at the village hall was a blessing. I placed 17th in a time of 1hr 5min 20sec, a good run, but a bloomin' sore blister.