A former Royal Navy engineer has just completed his latest fundraising challenge by kayaking the length of Loch Ness in aid of Alzheimer’s Scotland.
Robbie Munro, of Contin in Ross-shire, completed the 23-mile voyage between Fort Augustus and Lochend in about five hours on Friday.
Yesterday, the 30-year-old said he had been aiming for four hours, but the choppy conditions created some difficulties.
Mr Munro, who served as a marine engineer in the Royal Navy for eight years, was inspired by his late grandfather, Roderick Munro, a war veteran and former Justice of the Peace, who developed Alzheimer’s in later life.
Yesterday, he said that he had taken some donations from family and friends and was currently liaising with the charity to set up a donations page online.
In 2013, Robbie also raised more than £2,000 for Help the Heroes when he cycled from John o’ Groats to Land’s End in eight days.
He completed the challenge ahead of his brother Mark returning home from serving in Afghanistan.
In 2014 Mr Munro raised about £500 for Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation when he ran a triple-marathon the length of Hadrian’s Wall in two days.
Following his kayaking adventure, Mr Munro said: “It was all very good fun. I did not realise how vast the glen is until I was in the middle of the loch on a kayak.
“The thought of Nessie did come to me as I crossed the deep abyss where many speculate he or she may be hiding.
“When I reached Urquhart Castle, about two-thirds of the way through, I had a lot of pleasure craft to deal with and they produce little barrel waves.
“One of these coming at you with the swell and wind makes conditions pretty treacherous.”
As well as being a keen adventurer, Mr Munro is also a qualified SFA youth coach and has previously coached Ross County youth players.
He is also standing as a Conservative candidate for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch at this year’s Scottish Parliamentary elections.
He recently completed a cycle around Plockton, Kyle of Lochalsh and Skye in a bid to find out about some of the issues affecting people in that part of the constituency.
