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Loch Rannoch looks calm and still as I eagerly trot down to the water.
“Don’t worry,” I say airily to Lloyd, leisure manager at the Loch Rannoch Hotel, who has been persuaded at the last minute into coming for a wild swim with me, “I reckon we’ll only be half an hour or so”.
Lloyd looks at me doubtfully and nods.
Ten minutes later, standing on the pebbly shore after wriggling my way into a wetsuit, I can see why. I squeal as I dip one toe in the water, rueing my earlier eagerness. It is cold. I’ll be lucky to last five minutes.
Dipping into bracing waters does, however, have multiple benefits for mind, body and soul. It’s a pastime that’s been steadily growing in popularity and presents a refreshing (and arguably healthier) alternative to sun-scorching holidays in the Med.
My base for the weekend is Loch Rannoch Hotel, a remote resort in the Central Scottish Highlands with a dedicated programme of adventure activities. Originally a Victorian hunting lodge, the property has been thoughtfully modernised with a nod to the golden era of travel, when pleasure steamers would chug across the loch.
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Lloyd tells me the water is currently 10-degrees Celsius – about average for this time of year. It was around four to five degrees until the end of spring, he says.
Summoning up my courage, and reasoning I need to see this endeavour through, I plunge into the loch – which is open to the public but best accessed via the hotel’s marina with a guide. Less than a metre from the shore, the ground beneath me falls away, a sheer drop and suddenly I am swimming. My hands are the coldest part of me and they have turned bright red.
“Keep them moving,” Lloyd advises – and he is right, within minutes I have become accustomed to the temperature and can take in my surroundings.
To the left of me is Schiehalleon – known as the “fairy hill” or “fairy mountain” due to the myths and legends which surround it. At more than 1,000 metres high it is one of the best known mountains – or munros – in Scotland. And to my right is a range of peaks collectively known as the three sisters of Glencoe. It is a beautiful setting for a swim.
Swim accomplished, Lloyd and I head back inside the hotel where, over a warm drink, he tells me Loch Rannoch was created out of one of the last remaining glaciers in the UK. This has contributed to its depth – its deepest point is around 0.4 miles.
The next day, after sleeping soundly in the quietness of the Highlands, I am ready to head back out to the loch – only this time I plan to be on it, not in it.
Amid gloomy conditions and threatening rain, I am joining a fishing trip led by a local guide – or ghillie – named Gordon. Any ambitions I have of serenely floating along on the water are quickly dispelled when it takes both Gordon and a fellow traveller to help me into a boat, which is rocking wildly. I am, quite literally, a fish out of water.
Luckily, once we are on the water, snaking our way along the edge of the 10-mile-long loch, we find our rhythm and the boat putters along as we cast fishing rods into the water.
We are troll fishing – our lines drawn at a steady pace by the moving boat. Gordon tells us there a several varieties of fish in the loch, including two types of trout – brown and ferox – arctic char, perch and pike.
A permit is needed to fish here, and anything smaller than nine inches is thrown back. There is a block of wood with the measurements on it sitting on the boat for easy reference. Gordon tells us the water is so clean, he regularly uses it to brew coffee when he is out here.
When I ask what is considered a good day for fishing, he says it is when the waves are big – to the point you are thinking of going back.
I feel relieved that this is not the case today, even if it does reduce our chances – and sure enough, we fish for around two hours without luck before someone feels a pull on the line.
Minutes later, Gordon is pulling up a small perch which makes him exclaim in surprise – he did not expect us to catch this fish, in this part of the lake, using this method.
After a quick photo, we release it back into the water, sending it on its way with “and away” as a nod to Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse and the BBC’s hit show Gone Fishing.
With a catch totalling just one, it is time to head back to the shore.
Back on dry land, I am thrilled to head to the hotel’s spa, where I opt for a relaxing massage and facial, which warms my bones and leaves me ready to explore a little more.
I consider taking a bike ride around the loch or to Rannoch station – which I’m reliably informed has a tea room serving excellent cakes. But with the weather brightening up, I instead decide to take a walk from the hotel to the nearby village of Kinloch Rannoch, which lies on the eastern edge of the loch.
It is an easy 15-minute walk and I end up at the pretty Allt-Mor waterfall which lies next to the start point for a hike up Craig Varr – a hill overlooking the village. The hike takes around two hours in total – though during the Highland Games in August, someone has done it in 19 minutes – so I decide against it and head back to my hotel.
Later that evening, as I sit sipping a whisky-based cocktail, discussions turn to kayaking – it is unlikely to be good enough weather to try it in the morning. Not to worry, I think – one to save for next time. Along with another wild swim.
How to do it
Doubles from £179, including full Scottish breakfast;lochrannochhotel.com
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