28-07-2025
Team GB Olympic swimmer to take on Loch Lomond as part of ‘3 Lake Challenge' in 'monumental feat'
Olympian Hector Pardoe will swim the length of Loch Lomond, Lake Windermere and Lake Bala in just 24-hours to raise funds and awareness against pollution in the UK's natural waters.
A Team GB swimmer is set to embark upon an incredible '3 Lake Challenge' – where he'll swim the entire length of three bodies of water, including Loch Lomond, to raise awareness for a charity aiming to protect the UK's natural waters.
Olympian Hector Pardoe, 24, will take on the 24-hour mission to swim the full length of Loch Lomond, Windermere and Lake Bala, all to highlight the work of Surfers Against Sewage and the need to protect the UK's natural waters.
Cameron House, on the banks of the iconic loch, will welcome Hector and his support team when the challenge begins on Friday, August 1.
The epic swim, which kicks off at midnight on Friday, will see him set off from Ardlui as Hector covers over 50km of open water in just one day, raising vital awareness for charity.
Ahead of the lung-bursting challenge, Hector said: 'Loch Lomond is vast, remote and dark. It will be the most challenging part of the swim. But it's also the most beautiful, a reminder of exactly why we need to protect these wild places.'
Hector is a two-time Olympian in Marathon Open Water Swimming, having won Britain's first World Medal in 13 years and finishing sixth in Paris last summer.
He's aiming to raise £15,000 from the 24-hour effort and has set up an online donations page.
On the page, Hector said: 'No one has ever completed this challenge successfully. This monumental feat will see me cover 34.5 miles of swimming, putting my limits to the ultimate test.
'This is almost twice the length of the English Channel. I'll be in the water for a minimum of 13 hours, battling conditions from the 14–15 degree waters of Loch Lomond in the pitch black where visibility will be zero, to the harsh, challenging winds of Lake Bala. Inspired by the traditional Three Peaks Mountain challenge, I wanted to create something just as iconic – but in the water.'
On his chosen charity, he added: 'Across the UK, our rivers and lakes are being polluted by sewage and agricultural runoff, making them unsafe – not just for athletes like me, but for anyone who wants to enjoy them.
'It's more than an environmental issue; it's about health, access, opportunity, and national pride. In 2024, UK water companies paid out £1.2 billion to shareholders – while discharging raw sewage into our rivers and seas 592,478 times. The system is fundamentally broken.
'That's why I'm supporting a campaign to drive real change in how our water system is regulated and managed. We now face the biggest opportunity for reform in over three decades. A major government-led review into the water sector is underway – the most significant since privatisation. Crucially, sewage pollution has risen to the top of the national agenda, and there are now 81 active criminal investigations into water companies in England – the largest crackdown of its kind in history.
'I've grown up in open water. It's given me opportunities I could never have imagined – from swimming in my local mere as a kid to representing Great Britain on the World stage. But the waters that shaped me are now under threat.'
Will Oakley, Managing Director of Cameron House Resort, said: 'We're thrilled to host Hector and his family at Cameron House, and to play a part in his remarkable journey. Loch Lomond is one of the most iconic stretches of water in the UK, and we're proud to see it take centre stage for such an important cause.'
Loch Lomond will represent the largest stint of the challenge – measuring in at a 21-mile swim. The Lake Windermere leg measures 10.5-miles and he will complete the effort with a three-mile swim the length of Lake Bella.
To donate to Hector's effort, click here.
