FITNESS FANATICS from npower Solihull headed for the highlands of Scotland this week in a bid to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.
The group from the borough were part of a 20-strong team raised £11,000 after paddling 60-miles in three days in two-seater Canadian canoes while carrying all their supplies.
The trip required seven “portages”, where the canoes and equipment had to be lifted out of the water and carried over multiple locks.
Following the route of the Great Glenn, on the first day the team started off in Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis and paddled across Loch Lochy, where the weather changed for the worse with heavy wind and rain and two canoes capsized.
The squad then camped out on the first night before taking on Loch Oich, going through Fort Augustus, Loch Ness, Loch Dochfort onto their final destination in Inverness.
Heather Tyrer, npower’s community manager, said: “Without a doubt this was the hardest challenge yet.
“They say in Scotland, ‘If you don’t like the weather, wait ten minutes’, and that was certainly the case for us.
“One moment we were paddling on calm water in glorious sunshine and the next we were being hit by high winds and very choppy waters.
“Despite capsizing and getting all my clothes and sleeping bag wet, it was still a fabulous experience in aid of a brilliant cause.”
