£22,500 raised for Venture Scotland

We would like to say a huge thank you to all of our competitors for making the 18th Buccleuch Property Challenge another record breaking year. On Friday 11th September, 2026 we welcomed an astonishing 99 teams to Drumlanrig Castle for a spectacular edition of the best adventure race in the industry! With the course covering an average distance of 40km and an elevation gain of up to 1,100m, participants faced our usual mountain biking, orienteering and running with a bumper crop of surprise activities. This year saw three new-to-the-Challenge activities - the extremely popular river tubing as well as simulated stalking and fly casting which showcased country pursuits available on the Queensberry Estate. Other activities included paddleboarding, puzzle solving, Highland Games, clays, archery and axe-throwing,

We are delighted to add that we have now raised over £22,500 for our charity partner, Venture Scotland - thank you to everyone who donated or shared our fundraiser and who donated or bid for prizes in our post-race raffle and auction. 

Congratulations to everyone who took part and to our winners and runners up: 

MIXED TEAM CATEGORY

1^st Place – ‘RSP/Drees & Sommer’ (Team 75) from RSP Consulting Engineers/Drees & Sommer UK Ltd and the team members; Carol Lock, James Armstrong and Gavin Smith

2^nd Place – ‘Mostly Lost Architects’ (Team 71) from MLA Architects and the team members; Hazel Pearson, Tim Griffin and Stuart Falconer

3^rd Place – ‘I & H Brown’ (Team 67) from I & H Brown and the team members; Duncan Brown, Lynda Campbell and Larry Higton

MENS TEAM CATEGORY

1^st Place –‘Midlothian Energy Wheelers’ (Team 30) from Vattenfall Heat UK and the team members; Michael Donald, Eoghan Maguire and Ian Meyer

2^nd Place – ‘One Step Beyond’ (Team 34) from J M Architects and the team members; Keith Wilkinson, Ciaran Quinn and Doug Tullie

3^rd Place – ‘Castle Cavalry’ (Team 8) from Northumberland Estates and the team members; Mark Roberts, Jon Archer and Rhys Tilley

WOMENS TEAM CATEGORY

1^st Place – ‘Naylors Belles’ (Team 91) from Naylors and the team members; Katy Clark, Jessica Ross and Jenna Crooks

2^nd Place – ‘Team LUC’ (Team 92) from LUC and the team members; Anna Reid, Jenny Baker and Caitlin King

3^rd Place – ‘Venture Scotland’ (Team 93) from Venture Scotland and the team members; Kat Ryan, Kat Jackson and Jo McCrae

BUCCLEUCH TEAM CATEGORY

Trophy winners and Buccleuch Mixed Team – ‘Cirque du Sore Legs’ (Team 98) from Buccleuch Property and the team members; Neil Finnie, Sandy Smith and Lizzie Hamilton

Buccleuch Mens Team – ‘Dukes of Hazzards (The Originals)’ (Team 95) from Buccleuch Property and the team members; James Macleod, David Peck and Angus Lutton

Buccleuch Womens Team – ‘Queen Bees’ (Team 96) from Buccleuch Dalkeith Country Park and the team members; Sophie Barr, Imogen Dawson and Tana Chater

The full results table can be viewed here.

The full event gallery can be viewed here.