Local to Ross-on-Wye, wild swimmer Tessa McLean, and five friends, completed a gruelling relay swim along the 22 mile length of Loch Ness recently.

This follows her exploits two years ago when she completed a Channel Relay Swim for Aspire Spinal Injuries raising nearly £10,000. This year she has managed to raise over £7,500, so far, for the same charity.

Tessa, who lives just outside Ross-on-Wye, swims all year round in the River Wye and other lakes around the county. She also really enjoys swimming at night, so she was surprised when she was spooked by just how black the water in the Loch was.

She told the Gazette: “The levels of peat in the water and the 750 foot depth both ensure that whenever you put your head in the water all you can see is blackness, which is really unnerving.”

At this time of year the loch is at its warmest, which is 14 degrees, which is about half the temperature of the average indoor swimming pool.

Tessa’s team of six swam according to ‘Channel Rules’. This strict set of rules includes no wetsuits and each person swimming for exactly an hour. The team completed the swim in 12 hours and five minutes which, pending official confirmation, is a new record for a team swimming Loch Ness.

There was an official observer on the boat to ensure all the rules were met and to ratify the swim with the BLDSA.

Tessa said that when the team set out the wind was dropping, but by the time she was due to get in for her first swim the wind had picked up to Force 5, with some gusts reaching Force 7. This forced her to swim through one metre high waves and pushed the safety boat ahead of her. She said that her second swim, as the sun was setting, was thankfully far less eventful as the wind had dropped.

Tessa said she that raises money for Aspire after a nasty car crash a few years ago when someone drove into her at high speed. She was left with some long term damage to her back, neck and shoulder.

If you would like to support Tessa’s fundraising you can donate at: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tessa-mclean10

Tessa added:?“There is a Hereford Wild Swimming Group on Facebook which people can join if they are interested, then they can buddy up with local, more experienced swimmers.

“To get out into a lake on a winters evening and swim by moonlight is pretty magical.”See the full story in this week’s edition of the Ross Gazette, or subscribe to our online edition here