Loch Ness New Year’s Day splash for brave members of Cold Dip Club
More than a dozen people braved cold conditions for a New Year’s Day dip at Loch Ness.
Yesterday’s wet weather prompted the Cold Dip Club to change its plans with the original Rosemarkie gathering switched to Aldourie because organiser Donald Patton was concerned about the Black Isle route.
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“The event went really well,” said Inverness-based Donald. “It was a very cold start to the year but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves!
“We had to change location yesterday, there was a road closure to Rosemarkie and we didn't want to have any hassle this morning if we did need to change. Aldourie is a regular spot for the club though.”
The 30-year-old runs an online health and lifestyle coaching business, thinking about training, eating and daily habits designed to get you feeling at your best. He said that probably links to why he started getting involved in cold water exposure.
“The Cold Dip Club is a community based to bring like-minded people together and experience the benefits of cold water exposure for both physical and mental health. The group has been running since June and we do a monthly group dip at different locations across the Highlands - I think we’re the first formal group in the Highlands to do so.
“Today’s dip was definitely our coldest conditions to date with the air temperature around zero degrees. We had about 20 people today. We met at 10am and it ran for around an hour. The water was as high as I've ever seen it so we had to jump straight from the jetty, which made for a cold welcome!
“I started cold water exposure around five years ago and loved it, so wanted to bring people together to experience it. We've built a really great community and will continue to do so moving into 2025.”