A piper is getting ready to scale new heights for charity.
Jane McCartney, from Kirkcudbright, is heading to Africa in February to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for Marie Curie.
And she feels her latest challenge will be even harder than when she made it to base camp on Mount Everest last year.
Jane, who plays the pipes in Kirkcudbright and District Pipe Band, said: “This is the world’s highest free-standing mountain. I’ve never been to Africa before, it’s slightly higher and I’m assured the scenery is really good as well. You start off with jungle, heather fields, volcanic rock, and then there’s glaciers at the top.
“The only worrying thing is it’s a lot shorter, there’s no acclimatisation days.
“Climbing to base camp was the best experience of my life. There were four Sherpas and eight yaks. We had 50 per cent altitude for about four days. I was really fortunate, only a couple of us didn’t have to take any medication for it. They said it was like running a marathon with your mouth and two straws up your nose. The scenery was amazing and the Sherpa people were lovely.”
Taking on some of the world’s toughest and tallest mountains may sound like something for an experienced climber but Jane, who will turn 50 a month after her trip, doesn’t fit that description.
She explained: “I was never really a walker. My daughter went to university in Edinburgh last year. I was at home myself wondering what I was going to do.
“I told her I was going to base camp and she was very supportive of me. In relation to this she’s really proud I’m doing it and for a good cause.
“When I went last year my parents weren’t keen, they were worried. They’re very supportive of this one. They’re more on board now that I’ve done one and they’re pleased that I’m doing it for such a good cause.
“Staying in Kirkcudbright you’re near local hills so I’m up two or three times a week or going up north. The only thing is sustaining it to February.
“I’ve funded the trip myself and I’m just trying to get as much money as I can for Marie Curie.
Anyone who would like to sponsor Jane can do so online at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jane-mccartney .
