More than a thousand walkers and runners tackled a charity challenge in the Highlands at the weekend.

The West Highland Way, route of the challenge

The competitors made the trek from Glen Nevis to Ardleish, on the banks of Loch Lomond, following the route of the West Highland Way. Fastest man Robert Valentine covered the 54 miles in 9 hours 44 mins.

The event, the RBS Caledonian Challenge, was the brainchild of Angus MacDonald and Alex Blyth founded it in 1997. Participants raise cash for the Scottish Community Foundation which then distributes it to numerous charities across Scotland.

Since the challenge started, almost 11,000 people have raised over £7 million for community projects.

First women to complete the course, which starts at Nevis Bridge, Fort William and has checkpoints at Kinlochleven, Glencoe, Inveroran and Auchtertyre, were Anita Rennie and Trudi Stoakley, who finished the event with a time of 15 hours 10 mins.

Teams from all over Europe and beyond took part. John Mercer, Scottish Community Foundation's events director, said: “We have had a much higher completion record than in previous years.
 
“I would also like to pay tribute to the 700 members of the support crews. They are the unsung heroes of the event, showing tremendous dedication and service and care of their teams.”

The course must be completed in under 24 hours.