Perthshire swimmer Colleen Blair first to complete notorious Hell's Mouth route
An Aberfeldy swimmer has become the first person to successfully swim across the nine-mile Hell's Mouth stretch between mainland Scotland and the Orkney Isles.
Colleen during her swim.
- By Alan Richardson
- Published in the Courier : 25.07.11
- Published online : 25.07.11 @ 12.52pm
The Pentland Firth is known as Hell's Mouth because of its reputation for tidal currents strong enough to sink ships and defeat every other attempt to swim the treacherous waterway where the Atlantic meets the North Sea.
But Colleen Blair (32) proved it was no match for her strong swimming technique as she arrived in Caithness a little more than four hours 40 minutes after setting off from the south tip of Hoy at Torness.
It is the latest in a series of endurance adventures by swimming coach Colleen, who works for Live Active Leisure at Breadalbane Community Campus in Perthshire, and was one of the few remaining outdoor swimming challenges yet to be claimed by other freshwater swimmers.
"It was a tough swim but it felt great to complete a challenge that no one has completed before," she said. "I heavily relied on my support team to keep me on the right track as the tides are so strong and would like to say thanks to all three of them — Robert Smith, my dad Bill Blair and my sister Shannon Davies."
Colleen has previously swum from Ireland to Scotland and from England to Jersey and hopes her daredevil hobby will be an inspiration to the youngsters she teaches.
The former Birkhill resident said, "I completed my first outdoor swimming challenge with my family when I was seven and since then I have swum the English Channel, Loch Ness, from Ireland to Scotland and round New York's Manhattan Island.
"I have been teaching swimming for 17 years as I think it is not only a great way to stay healthy, but a vital life skill.
"So teaching people to swim at Breadalbane Community Campus is very rewarding and I hope to inspire some of the children with my outdoor swimming achievements."
Paul Cromwell, head of operations at Live Active Leisure, said, "We are proud to have a member of our staff take part in such impressive personal sporting challenges.
"We hope that children enjoy Colleen's swimming lessons. We are sure that she will pass on her experience and enthusiasm to the children she teaches."
Colleen has also been training blind swimmer Dean Dunbar, from Blairgowrie, for an English Channel swim due to take place next year.
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