Bagpiper aims to be first to play in every country

It's one of the sounds most associated with Scottish culture - and it could soon ring out across the world.

Ross Jennings is aiming to pipe in every country - here he is in the shadow of South Africa's Table Mountain. Picture: Twitter/@firstpiper

Ross OC Jennings is aiming to become the first bagpiper in the world to have successfully piped in every nation on the planet.

So far, he has piped his way through nations as diverse as Thailand, Tunisia, Monaco, Latvia, South Africa and Mongolia while raising awareness of the benefits of education and inspiring students to realise their potential.

An aspiring TV presenter, summer 2016 will see the adventuruous teenager tackle Panama and Costa Rica while using social media to document his travels.

Ross, who has a degree in Economics and Chinese, was the official piper for the UK Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo and even acted as Alex Salmond’s Personal Piper during his visit to the city at the same event.

The young man decided to take up piping when he was 13 years old, followign an in-school demonstration from bagpiper Bernie Aitken. Ross said: “She would always say that bagpipes would get me through the door and that I’d never have to buy my own drink. Unfortunately the latter hasn’t been so true but I have managed to get through a couple of doors!

You can keep up with Ross’s travels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.