The thought of taking a quick dip in Loch Tay is enough to send a chill down the spine of most.
But a determined Highland Perthshire pair went the extra mile - 15 to be precise - to raise vital funds for Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance.
Beth Scholes and Samantha Weir wanted to give back to a service they describe as “vital” to the region’s rural community and beyond.
Tackling the full length of the loch took eight and a half hours, with cheering Kenmore Primary School pupils at the finish line to kick-start the celebrations.
Donations have continued to flood in with more than £2650 raised - and that kindness helped push the duo through the pain barrier when their arms were heavy.
“The crowd on the beach cheering us on was emotional,” said Beth (45), a member of Perth Triathlon Club.
“Campbell Weir, Sam’s son, and his school watched our progress on the tracker and he and Kenmore Primary School came out to the beach to cheer us in.
“With a few hundred metres to go, Sam waited for me to catch up to finish together – and I spent the next hour trying not to cry.
“We had several discussions about the challenge while swimming for ‘fun’ over the last year.
“It seemed like a good idea and a pretty epic adventure that would draw a few donations for Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA).
“SCAA operates solely on public donations. It is a well used service and vital source to our rural community. The amount we raised was beyond our wildest dreams and inspired us to keep going.”
Months of training went into this epic one-day challenge. But the hours of hard work were all worth it.
“Sam led me astray,” Beth joked. “I’m just a girl from Arizona trying not to freeze.
“Training never goes smoothly with kids, dogs, work, life and the weather. Our two big swims and paddling the length never happened. You can always think you should have done more, but we were happy that we were ready and able to accomplish our goal.
“A special shout-out goes to our coach Neil at Performance Edge for helping us through the months of training.
“Pulling the date forward helped keep nerves at bay.
“Having a few hotter, dry days leading up to the swim led to me looking forward to a ‘warmer’ swim.
“And Sam was looking forward to having eight hours of peace and quiet! We were just excited to get started and get it done.”
The intrepid pair were also quick to thank their dedicated support team on the day who ensured energy levels and spirits remained high.
“Thanks go to our paddle boarder and canoe support Matt McDiarmid, Aaron Holmes, Callum MacEachen and Fred Cochrane,” Beth added.
“They braved a whole day in the cold wind and crazy waves to feed us hot chocolate and twirls and kept us entertained.
“Our thermal wetsuits were provided and donated by HUUB and, without these, I don’t think we would have been able to finish.
“It is so amazing to have that support. We’ve had an immense response, just brilliant.
“We are already planning our next mad caper for next year, but what can top ‘Operation Swim the Tay’? Stay tuned.”
You can still donate by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/2girls1loch
