Daily London
The two friends, from Bridge of Allan, decided to take on the 30-mile Great Trossachs Path by swimming through the four lochs on the route and trail running between them.
Two super-fit pals pulled on the goggles to complete a popular rural Stirling route for a very rare ‘amphibious’ crossing.
Anna Crampin, 49, and Mary Hennessy, 42, from Bridge of Allan, vowed to take on the 30-mile Great Trossachs Path which runs between Callander in the east and Inversnaid in the west, joining the hundreds who take on the walk or run every year.
But the duo, who are regulars at Stirling Triathlon Club, decided to hit the water along the way, covering over 15 miles of open-water swimming alongside roughly 15 miles of trail running in between the four lochs spanning the route.
The journey began with the friends taking on brutal 18mph-21mph winds and torrential rain to swim through the remote Loch Arklet, with other highlights including an 11km ultra-marathon level swim on Loch Katrine, cheered on the whole way by the passing historic Steamship Sir Walter Scott.
The pair also swam in Loch Achray and Loch Venachar along the way, before finishing off the punishing three-day effort with a trail run into Callander.
After reaching the finish line, Anna told the Observer: “We had both walked the route before, myself with my family while Mary did the whole thing in a day.
“The thought then hit us about possibly completing it by swimming, we often swim in the lochs of the National Park and it’s just an exciting adventure in such a beautiful place.
“We headed up after the school run on the Friday and then we were hit with the first unexpected thing because we had planned to do the route the other way around, but the wind was blowing in an awkward direction and we were soon doing the opening stages in 80mph winds and driving rain.”
Alongside her time with the triathlon club, Anna also trains with Stirling Swimming Club and works as a swimming guide for SwimTrek.
The extra-special way of experiencing the route – at water level – was backed by supporters along the route – and Anna also recalled the special feeling of being cheered on by the tour guide of the steamship which goes up and down Loch Katrine.
Anna added: “We asked for a lot of advice before going from Scottish Water, the National Park and the eco-lodges along the way and people were just so supportive the whole way.
“The guy who does the commentary on the boat was great, he wished us luck when he saw us swimming and found out what we were doing, then they honked the horn and the people on the boat were really giving us a boost.
“It was a really special few days because we weren’t 100 per cent we’d actually be able to do it.
“The challenge was a big one, but it is good to do things in life which are a bit hard and we ended up really emotional and so pleased when we reached the finish line – especially because we were able to do it as friends.
