A Highland nurse braved 3ft high waves while swimming a 12-mile long loch to raise money for a church restoration project.
Morag Hughes, who swam the length of Loch Morar in Lochaber, believes she may be the first person ever to have done so.
And atrocious weather conditions meant the 58-year-old learning disability nurse was swimming for 12.5 hours until gone 9pm to boost the restoration fund for St Mary and St Finnan Church at Glenfinnan.
Ms Hughes, who works in the community but is based in Fort William, swam the English Channel in 2010 and believes she was the first person to swim the 12.5-mile length of Loch Maree when she completed the feat last year.
After her latest challenge, she said: “It was awful but I did it. To be honest, it was the toughest swim I have ever done.
“It took far longer than I imagined because the conditions were so bad.”
She added that she finished just in time as she would not have been able to swim in the dark.
Ms Hughes said: “I was exhausted and I really had to dig in.
“The water temperature was 11 or 12 degrees, so I was quite cold, but the waves made it difficult.
“I usually do the crawl, but I had to do the breaststroke now and then as it was easier to breathe.
“It was the only swim I’ve ever done when my legs wouldn’t do what I wanted them to do when I came out of the water.”
And Ms Hughes she is now looking for her next challenge. She is considering swimming 12-mile long Loch Arkaig, which has also not been done before.
Ms Hughes has been collecting sponsorship for he Loch Morar swim, but does not yet know how much she has raised for the church.
She said: “I am not a church member, but it is such a lovely, iconic building with an interesting history that I thought it would be good to raise money for it.”
Anyone who wishing to make a donation should visit: www.justgiving.co./glenfinnan-church