Swimmers to journey from Harris to St Kilda

A group of intrepid swimmers from the Outer Hebrides will next month bid to swim 60 miles to St Kilda from the Isle of Harris in the first ever charity challenge of its kind.

St. Kilda. Picture: National Trust for Scotland

No one has ever attempted the daunting challenge across such fearsome seas before.

The event, which is scheduled for June 28 to July 4, is estimated to take around 50 hours, with a team of nine swimming in relay, accompanied by three kayakers and a support boat.

The St Kilda Swim is raising funds to support three charities: Yorkhill Children’s Charity in Glasgow, The Leanne Fund based in the Highlands and Islands and The Fishermen’s Mission.

Picture: submitted

St Kilda is 41 miles west of Benbecula and is a double world heritage site.

Many of The St Kilda Swim team were part of a group that swam from Ullapool in Wester Ross to Stornoway in the Isle of Lewis in 2012 - a distance of 50 miles which they completed in 34 hours.

Almost £23,500 was raised for the RNLI.

For more information about The St Kilda Swim, visit www.stkildaswim.co.uk