Alice Goodridge refuses to let the winter weather stop her from having her morning swim – even if she has to hack through thick ice with an axe and sledgehammer to reach the water.
Mrs Goodridge regularly braves the freezing waters near her home in Newtonmore, saying the routine provides her with a “reset” each day.
She described a feeling of “euphoria” upon emerging from the icy depths.
With pools closed across the country, the 33-year-old has swapped her local baths for Loch Insh and the River Calder.
Already an accomplished outdoor swimmer, having conquered the English channel without a wet suit and made appearances in world championship races in Slovenia and Scotland, she is no stranger to chilly waters.
But the temperatures in the Cairngorms are proving a test even to Mrs Goodridge.
She said: “The water is so cold here that I really have to psych myself up beforehand, we have been using the same spots because the ice is just too thick to break.
“Staring at a computer screen can be hard to get away from, and when I need to reset the cold water does just that, I almost feel weird if I haven’t taken a dip each day.
“When the water is that cold you have no time to worry or think about anything other than your body and your breathing.”
For safety reasons, the adventurer is accompanied by her husband Al on each of her swims.
Mrs Goodridge added: “I wouldn’t suggest people trek out to the Cairngorms for their first time swimming outdoors, I have been doing this for years and it is still dangerous – the other day I had cut myself on the ice and, because my skin was so cold, I hadn’t noticed.
“It is important that in any outdoor swim you have someone with you to make sure you’re safe.”
By the end of the year, Mrs Goodwin hopes to have swam the length of Loch Awe.
The challenge will mean she swims 25 miles unaided, aside from a small support boat, along Scotland’s longest freshwater loch.
