The eight-year-old has been competing on her own since she was six and won the girls' under 10 category, which was an impressive feat in itself considering some of her opponents in this very competitive field were almost two years her senior.

Emma, a P4 pupil at Mosshead Primary School, Bearsden, competed with her club Clydeside Orienteers over the 2k course in Culbin Forest, near Inverness.

Emma, who stays in Baillie Drive, triumphed by just 20 seconds in a close competition that saw the top five finishers packed into less than three minutes.

She said: "The terrain was fairly flat so the running was quite easy, but the navigation got harder towards the end of the course".

There were other successes for the club, most notably an excellent bronze medal in the British Relay Orienteering Championships, also held in Culbin on the day after the Individual Championships.

The team included Bearsden doctor David Robertson and Robin Orr from Milngavie, who competed in the veteran men aged 40 and over.

For more information about joining Clydeside Orienteers contact club captain Stephen Wilson on 0141 548 3820 or go to www.clydesideorienteers.-org.uk