DURNESS really is the back of beyond. It lies at the most north-westerly point of mainland UK. Step straight off the cliffs, walk in a straight line north, and you probably hit Iceland. But the remoteness of the area is its beauty.

Here is a place where folk understand the true sense of community, working and pulling for each other. Crime is non-existent and locals leave their doors unlocked at night.

The countryside surrounding Durness is breathtaking; stunning cliffs tops and empty beaches facing the Atlantic Ocean, then drive into the Highlands you are greeted with valleys carved by glaciers millions of years before shaped high and proud. Rocky hillsides on which sheep graze, dappled with green, orange and browns. Nestled deep in the base of the valleys are still and peaceful lochs, inviting, but cold and deep.

How could you not be inspired to run for a week of exercise as part of the Cape Wrath Challenge?

We drove north to Durness on the Sunday via Perth. The final 70 miles from Inverness are along single-track roads which makes driving problematic and interesting at times. The jaw-dropping scenery anaethetises the brain from the full-on concentration needed to traverse the narrow roads where when you see a crash barrier on a tight bend, it does mean - slow!

On the Sunday evening, Liz and I checked into our bed and breakfast before venturing to the village hall to meet all the other runners. This was the fifth running of the Cape Wrath Challenge, and many were regulars delighted to be catching up with old friends. They were a pleasant, chatty lot, looking forward to the week with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. We were feeling unsure ourselves of what lay ahead.

Come Monday morning, the weather was bright and light - sunrises at 4.45am in this part of Scotland during the summer and sets close to 10pm.

The first race in the challenge was the Loch Eribol half marathon. We were driven 13 miles out of Durness along this lonely, single-track road which circled the magnificent lake which was bordered on both sides by sloping hills, decorated with specks of orange gorse among the lush grassland.

There were 57 of us lined up on this road, and with the blast of a hooter we were off. The front runners were fast, and half a dozen of them hared away at breakneck speed down the hill. I felt very heavy in those early stages and the first couple of miles were hard. Whether it was Saturday's race in Edinburgh, or I was feeling generally lethargic is difficult to know.

I settled into a rhythm as we turned the lake and followed the road - an A road in name, but just a few vehicles passed us, honking horns or waving encouragement at us. I found myself on my own for the entire way, which allowed me to take in the scenery - a rural green backdrop on my left, and the deepwater lake to my right.

The hills were testing and searching, and towards the end of the run there was one monstrous climb where the hill kicked in twice by a chicane. You craned your neck and could see the runners ahead of you. It hurt the hamstrings, and scorched the lungs. There was even a nasty little kick to the finish with an uphill stretch. I was being caught by the first lady in the race, Zoe Woodward from Eton Manor AC in East London, and was determined to finish ahead of her as we reached the finish line at Durness Village Hall - a blue inflatable finish marker.

I was pleased with my time of 1hr 38min 52sec which was good going for the rugged countryside, and 19th overall. One down - five to go!