Carrbridge Kidnapper to relive summer adventure
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An 800 mile re-enactment by an intrepid Carrbridge adventurer of a journey charted in one of Scotland's best loved books is to feature at a charity film night.
During the summer Alan Rankin, along with his friend Willie Gibson, from Edinburgh, recreated Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic book Kidnapped 130 years after its first publication.
The duo sailed 540 miles around Scotland and in two legs walked 270 miles across Scotland from Mull to Edinburgh taking in 33,000 feet of ascent along the way.
The charity evening at the Carrbridge Hotel at 7.30pm on November 17 will feature an illustrated talk with images and footage taken as Alan and Willie relived the route described in Stevenson’s classic book.
The four-and-a-half day sail was non-stop from The Forth to Mull going north around Orkney, passing North Ronaldsay and Papa Westray and onwards to Cape Wrath then down the Minch outside Skye.
The route then took them south of Tiree, landing on Erraid at the south west corner of Mull.
The day after landing the pair set off cross Mull, Morven, Glen Coe and Rannoch Moor.
By the time they reached Loch Rannoch both were struggling with foot injuries and were forced to stop and take a month off before returning to complete the route.
The second walk section took them from Loch Rannoch over the moors to Balquhidder and on to Strathyre, Dunblane, Stirling, Limekilns and on to Edinburgh.
The challenge will raise funds and awareness for three charities; Parkinson’s UK, Ocean Youth Trust Scotland and Stevenson Adventures.
The event is free to attend with a raffle and donations on the night welcome.
Progress of the pair's epic challenge was tracked mile by mile on satellite tracker and is available to see at www.kidnapped130.com
The site also has links to online donations pages to the charities.
Alan and Willie are well used to adventure races and tough, long distance challenges.
In 2006 Alan became the first person to sail and cycle around Scotland and in 2013 he sailed singlehanded around the UK and Ireland stopping to run a 10k at ten ports along the way.
Willie has competed in more than 20 mountain marathons, tackled ultra-distance cross Scotland routes and completed the punishing 50 mile Ramsey Round.
Both are veterans and multiple winners of one of Scotland’s harshest adventure races the Scottish Island Three Peaks race.
