Danielle Lappin, Reporter

THOUSANDS of people joined open water enthusiasts, celebrities and Olympic athletes at Scotland’s biggest open water swim last Saturday.

Around 2,7000 participants took on the challenge of the Great Scottish Swim at Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.

Now in its fourth year at Loch Lomond Shores, the vent saw swimmers of all ages and abilities tackle a range of distances.

Along the existing half mile, one-mile, two-mile and 5k courses were two new events - 150 brave swimmers took on the ultimate open water challenge, the 10k marathon swim on the Friday afternoon, followed by the SwimRun event which saw competitors enjoy the best of both worlds, an 800m swim followed by a 5k run around Balloch Castle Country Park.

One celebrity to join the brave swimmers was TV star Ferne McCann. The former TOWIE and I’m A Celebrity star took to the water at 10am for the one-mile wave enjoying every minute of it.

She said: “I’ve had an incredible day here in Loch Lomond at the Great Scottish Swim. The atmosphere is amazing and I had great support from the other swimmers and spectators.

“The location is breath-taking - I stopped at the half way point to appreciate where I was and enjoy the view, so I was really pleased to have still made it round in about 40 minutes.

“Open water swimming is such a fun activity; I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to give it a go.”

The afternoons elite race saw some of Scotland’s best swimmers, some of whom had just returned from the Olympic Games in Rio, take to the water. Rio finalist and two-time World Cup winner, Jack Burnell took first place in the men’s event and 2008 Olympic silver medallist and Great Swim ambassador Keri-anne Payne, winning the women’s event.

Alex Jackson, Great Swim Series event director said, “It’s been another incredible weekend here in Loch Lomond. Swimming in one of Scotland’s most iconic locations, against such a memorable backdrop is an amazing experience for our swimmers.

“We’d like to say a big well done to everyone who took part today and a big thanks to our fantastic safety team, lifeguards and local volunteers."

The event was the finale of this year’s Great Swim series, which gave over 20,000 participants the opportunity to swim in lakes, lochs and urban docks across the UK.

Gordon Watson, chief executive officer at Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park Authority, said: “We were delighted to see returning swimmers, but also so many first timers at the Great Scottish Swim this year.

“With many friends and family supporting and spectating too, it’s a welcome economic boost and a great opportunity to showcase Loch Lomond; not just a stunning backdrop but also a world class-sporting venue.

This weekend has demonstrated how spectacular the inaugural European Championships in 2018 will be with the National Park as a setting.”