A former professional rugby union player is preparing to take on one of Scotland’s most daring endurance challenges, a world first swim along the entire Caledonian Canal.
Iain Sinclair, 48, who played for Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby, will attempt the 60-mile sea-to-sea journey from Fort William to Inverness this September.
The route includes every one of the canal’s 29 locks and will take him from the Atlantic to the North Sea in just ten days.
This challenge is deeply personal for Iain, who is raising funds for Crohn’s & Colitis UK, the British Heart Foundation and Highland mental health charity Mikeysline.
It also comes a decade after life-changing surgery to treat his own inflammatory bowel disease, which led to the removal of his colon.
Two years later he completed an Ironman triathlon to prove to himself that illness would not define him, a milestone that now feels like the prologue to this latest endeavour.
“This is something physically and mentally demanding,” Iain said.
“I wanted to do something that had never been done before and share the positive experience with others.”
Swimming was always his hardest discipline as a triathlete.
“Heavy rugby player legs and the nickname Sinky says it all,” he joked.
But after discovering nobody had ever swum the full length of the canal, he knew it was the challenge he had been looking for.
The journey also honours friends whose memories shape Iain’s purpose.
In 2024, his close friend Colin Maguire died suddenly from a heart attack.
Ten years earlier they had completed the Ironman together, and this swim is dedicated to him in support of the British Heart Foundation.
Iain is also swimming in memory of Jenny Hastings, wife of his former teammate Scott Hastings, whose courage in facing mental health challenges inspired many.
Funds raised will help Mikeysline support people across the Highlands, Islands and Moray.
The feat is only possible thanks to unprecedented permission from Scottish Canals, who have allowed a continuous swim through every gate on the route.
Safety is paramount, with detailed plans involving fitness experts, waterway professionals and Iain’s own support crew.
John Paterson, chief executive of Scottish Canals, praised the teamwork behind the project and encouraged people to come along and cheer Iain on.
For Iain, it is about more than records or miles.
“I hope to make my wife and three children proud above all,” he said.
“We’re going to give this everything we’ve got.”
