A determined teenager will attempt to cycle nearly 500 miles across the north-east to raise money for charity and promote the “beautiful” region and its historic castles.
Rory Downie, whose family has been deeply rooted in Aberdeenshire for generations, developed a strong passion for cycling as part of his recovery from a knee surgery.
For the last three years, the 16-year-old has suffered several knee dislocations due to a hereditary condition.
Every injury has been followed by months of intense rehabilitation and gym exercise to help him regain his strength and get back on his feet.
Now, four months after successfully undergoing a crucial surgery, Rory will test his resilience in an attempt to break the world record for the most castles visited in a week by bicycle.
‘Brilliant’ time to set new record
The record was originally set by former Wales and British Lion rugby player Shane Williams, who reached 50 castles in March last year.
It was later beaten in February by a Welsh endurance cyclist Matthew Page who reached 67.
Rory is now hoping to achieve a new best by visiting more than 90 castles across Aberdeenshire and Moray, while also raising cash for Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA).
He said: “As a rugby player myself, I came across the story about Shane William setting a world record by visiting 50 castles – and I knew that’s the thing for me.
“I thought now would be a brilliant time to do it and what better place than the north-east of Scotland where my family originates from.
“Obviously getting the world record is one of the goals, but I also want to promote the sport and the region.
“It’s something that I’m really passionate about, and it would be great if that personal challenge grows into something a lot bigger and inspires others to do it as well.
“Maybe this will become something that people try do for their holidays – come to the north-east and try beat the record castle by castle.”
Attracting more visitors to region
Rory, who currently lives in Hampshire, began his journey from Braemar on Monday and expects to complete the challenge at Brodie Castle in Moray on Saturday.
His journey will take him to some of the most “stunning” places in the region as he cycles across Royal Deeside and Donside, and along the north-east coastal routes.
He plans to visit around 20 castles each day – including Crathes Castle, Castle Fraser, Fyvie Castle, Slains Castle and Gordon Castle.
People can also follow his progress on his Instagram page, where he will be sharing his ups and downs as he puts all of his strength towards achieving his goal.
Rory’s dad, James, who will be cycling 16ft behind him as per Guinness World Record regulations, said this is a “fantastic” way to attract more visitors to the north-east.
He said: “The north-east is probably not the most visited place in Scotland by tourists – they might visit one or two castles, but a lot of them will just go to Edinburgh or the west coast.
“People’s perception of the north-east is pretty limited and maybe with this challenge we’ll be able to showcase the wonderful scenery we have and change that.
“I grew up in the north-east and I know how beautiful it is. It would be brilliant for it to become another attraction in Scotland.”
People can send donations to support SCAA on Rory’s GoFundMe page.
All of the funds will go towards the charity’s efforts to provide rapid response to incidents in some of the most rural and inaccessible locations and save lives.
Conversation