PLUCKY swimmers followed in the stroke marks of European Championship athletes at Loch Lomond on Saturday as they took the plunge in the open waters for a gruelling 10k challenge.


The Great Scottish Swim saw 150 swimmers turn out from across the country to take on six laps of the one-mile swim course for various charities.


There was a pit-stop for competitors on each lap to allow them to top up on water on dry land if necessary as they progressed in their mammoth effort to complete the course. 

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And the cold water chill didn’t seem to phase participants, with the vast majority emerging from the loch with beaming smiles on their faces.


The annual event aims to make swimming races in open water as accessible and popular as charity runs and marathons have become in recent years.

Dumbarton and Vale of Leven Reporter:


There were other distances on offer for those who were not taking part in the 10k course, including 250m, which was perfect for newer swimmers and families with younger children, a half a mile, one mile, two mile, and 5k as well as an aquathlon event for those looking to take on both land and water.


Family, friends and other supporters not taking the dip that day watched and cheered on the swimmers from Loch Lomond Shores.

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This is the second large scale swimming event to be hosted at the Bonnie Banks in recent weeks following the successful European Championships.


Loch Lomond welcomed thousands for its open water swimming event, with the Park Authority and local figures dubbing it a huge success, putting Loch Lomond on the world stage as a prime location for safe, organised swimming competitions.