A wild swimming event will take place in Loch Lomond on the first day of spring – replacing the cancelled New Year Dook.
The Spring Swim will take place on Sunday, March 20 and will raise cash for the Loch Lomond Rescue Boat.
It is open to everyone over the age of 18, regardless of abilities, who fancy some chilly fun and are looking for a springtime adventure, an introduction to wild swimming or an opportunity to wild swim safely.
It comes after organisers put Loch Lomond’s New Year Dook fundraiser on hold due to changing coronavirus legislation.
Loch Lomond Shores, in association with Protay and Inchbaggers, was due to host the Dook on January 2, but they took the difficult decision to put the event on ice, due to the changes in government guidelines.
Commenting on the Spring Swim, Audrey Calder, from Loch Lomond Shores, said: “We are delighted to host the Spring Swim as we were devastated to have to cancel the planned New Year Dook.
“Hopefully a wild swimming event will become part of our annual events calendar – whether it is in January or March.
“Bookings for the ‘New Year Dook’ show that there’s a real appetite for wild swimming so the Spring Swim will hopefully bring even more participants to take part for a very worthwhile cause.
“Several months of rigorous planning has gone into this to ensure that it’s both fun and, most importantly, safe for participants – regardless of whether they are keen wild swimmers who want to have a swim or simply some brave novices who just want a quick paddle.
“Having ProTay and Inchbaggers on board, who specialise in race timing and event management and wild swimming on Loch Lomond respectively, is great as they will be bringing their expertise to make sure the Spring Swim is a success for all.
“Loch Lomond is a wonderful place to enjoy wild swimming, but it is important that it is always done safely so we’re proud to host an event that allows people to do just that.”
The Spring Swim will take place at Loch Lomond Shores from 10am on March 20 and more information and registration to take part is available at https://protay.co.uk/springswim.
Those already booked to take part will be automatically entered into the Spring Swim.
