North Channel swims

The North Channel is the body of water bounded by Northern Ireland (to the west), Scotland (to the east), Isle of Man (to the south), and the Atlantic Ocean (to the north). The swim across the middle part of the channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland is among the world's most iconic and challenging marathon swims.

North Channel swims typically start near Donaghadee (on Northern Ireland's Ards Peninsula) and finish on Scotland's Rhins of Galloway - a minimum distance of 34.5 km (21.4 miles). The reverse route less common. An alternative route, across the narrower (19.5 km) northern part of the channel, starting or finishing on Scotland's Mull of Kintyre, is known as the Dal Riata Channel.

The swim was first attempted by Mercedes Gleitze in 1928, but not completed by a solo swimmer until Tom Blower in 1947. In the 2010s, there was a surge of interest in swimming the North Channel when it was included in the Oceans Seven. In 2022, Sarah Thomas became the first person to complete a two-way crossing.

North Channel swims are observed and ratified by the Irish Long Distance Swimming Association.

North Channel route
Route Swims First Fastest
Ireland to Scotland 132 Tom Blower - 1947 Jordan Leckey - 09:09:30 (2021)
Scotland to Ireland 10 Alison Streeter - 1989 Alison Streeter - 10:02:12 (1997)
Scotland - Ireland - Scotland 1 Sarah Thomas - 2022 Sarah Thomas - 21:46:38 (2022)

View organizer data




Date Name Gender Age Nation Route Km Time
1947 Jul 27 Tom Blower Male 33 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 15:26:00
1970 Sep 1 Kevin Murphy Male 21 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:21:00
1971 Aug 29 Kevin Murphy Male 22 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 14:27:00
1973 Aug 11 Ted Keenan Male 37 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 18:27:00
1988 Aug 22 Alison Streeter Female 23 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 09:53:42
1988 Aug 23 Margaret Hodgart Kidd Female 21-22 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 15:26:03
1989 Aug 25 Alison Streeter Female 24 Scotland to Ireland 34.5 10:04:00
1989 Sep 7 Kevin Murphy Male 40 Scotland to Ireland 34.5 17:17:48
1997 Aug 18 Alison Streeter Female 32 Scotland to Ireland 34.5 10:02:12
1999 Jul 27 Paul Lewis Male 38-39 Scotland to Ireland 34.5 14:28:00
2000 Jul 21 Stephen Price Male 38 Scotland to Ireland 34.5 16:56:00
2004 Jul 31 Colm O'Neill Male 33-34 Scotland to Ireland 34.5 11:25:05
2008 Sep 12 Colleen Blair Female 30 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 15:23:59
2010 Aug 31 Stephen Redmond Male 45 Scotland to Ireland 34.5 17:17:01
2010 Sep 1 Anne-Marie Ward Female 43-44 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 18:59:26
2011 Jul 27 Craig Lenning Male 32 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 14:44:50
2011 Aug 2 Howard James Male 32 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 13:25:00
2013 Jun 16 Fergal Somerville Male 49-50 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:21:00
2013 Jul 8 Anna-Carin Nordin Female 42 Scotland to Ireland 34.5 14:21:00
2013 Jul 15 Michelle Macy Female 36 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 09:34:39
2013 Jul 30 Milko van Gool Male 47 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 10:34:00
2013 Aug 16 Pádraig Mallon Male 36 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:49:00
2013 Aug 29 Darren Miller Male 30 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:16:00
2014 Jul 6 Finbarr Hedderman Male 28-29 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:24:00
2014 Jul 7 Sabrina Wiedmer Female 25 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 10:13:00
2014 Jul 22 Guy Moar Male 47 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:09:00
2014 Aug 6 Adam Walker Male 36 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 10:45:00
2014 Aug 7 Colleen Mallon Female 28-29 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 09:56:00
2014 Sep 2 Kimberley Chambers Female 37 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 13:06:00
2015 Jun 23 Lukasz Kowalczyk Male 33-34 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:49:00
2015 Jul 22 Graeme Lowe Male 50 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:27:00
2015 Jul 24 Vicky Miller Female 29-30 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:06:00
2015 Aug 7 Rohan More Male 29 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:46:00
2015 Aug 7 Adrian Sarchet Male 40 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 14:13:00
2015 Aug 11 Ion Lazarenco Tiron Male 37 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 16:23:45
2015 Sep 9 Thomas Pembroke Male 26 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:10:00
2016 Jul 14 Cameron Bellamy Male 34 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:22:30
2016 Jul 14 Andrew McLaughlin Male Ireland to Scotland 34.5 14:21:03
2016 Jul 31 Rachel Doyle Female 27-28 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 13:14:26
2016 Aug 1 Caroline Block Female 32 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 14:31:53
2016 Aug 14 Keith Garry Male 40-41 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 09:57:28
2016 Aug 14 Steve Walker Male 48 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:19:00
2016 Aug 14 Phia Steyn Female Ireland to Scotland 34.5 13:36:30
2016 Aug 24 Pat Gallant-Charette Female 65 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 14:22:00
2016 Aug 25 Edward Williams Male 29 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 10:58:42
2016 Aug 28 André Wiersig Male 44 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:17:22
2017 Jul 5 Simon Olliver Male 53 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:56:00
2017 Jul 5 Carmel Collins Female Ireland to Scotland 34.5 15:58:21
2017 Jul 6 Herman van der Westhuizen Male 51 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:30:37
2017 Jul 7 Jonathan Ratcliffe Male 43 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 14:41:30
2017 Jul 17 Lynton Mortensen Male 53 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 13:49:17
2017 Aug 3 Antonio Argüelles Male 58 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 13:32:32
2017 Aug 5 Caroline Block Female 33 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 15:32:25
2017 Aug 15 Abhejali Bernardová Female 40 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 10:23:38
2017 Aug 30 Dean Summers Male 57 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 13:07:35
2017 Aug 30 Matthias Kaßner Male 49 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 14:24:40
2017 Sep 1 Chris Judge Male Ireland to Scotland 34.5 13:33:39
2018 Jun 25 Nicholas Murch Male Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:48:57
2018 Jul 6 Caroline Block Female 34 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 16:45:06
2018 Jul 21 Marcia Cleveland Female 54 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 15:03:00
2018 Jul 22 Amy Appelhans Gubser Female 50 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 14:10:00
2018 Aug 4 Prabhat Koli Male 19 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 10:41:00
2018 Aug 4 Kieron Palframan Male 44 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:30:00
2018 Aug 5 Jaroslav Chytil Male Ireland to Scotland 34.5 16:04:00
2018 Aug 20 Jenny Leigh Smith Female 44 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 13:06:00
2018 Aug 20 Mariel Hawley Dávila Female 50 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 13:14:00
2018 Sep 4 Ryan Utsumi Male 39 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 10:34:15
2018 Sep 5 Nora Toledano Cadena Female 49 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 10:26:00
2018 Sep 5 Rachael Hanisch Female 31 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 10:32:48
2018 Sep 5 Marty Filipowski Male 55 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:26:00
2019 Jun 25 Catherine Breed Female 26 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:06:40
2019 Jul 11 Susan Knight Female 48-49 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:42:10
2019 Jul 29 Kamil Resa Alsaran Male 58 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 13:55:37
2019 Aug 8 Joe Zemaitis Male 39 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 10:48:38
2019 Aug 8 Samantha Poulsen Female 28 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:12:18
2019 Aug 8 Arleen Gonzalez Perez Female 37 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:53:59
2019 Aug 13 John Zemaitis Male 36 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:03:19
2019 Aug 13 Martyn Webster Male 52 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:12:30
2019 Aug 13 David Conradie Male Ireland to Scotland 34.5 13:12:03
2019 Aug 13 Julieanne Goode Female 45 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 13:26:09
2019 Aug 13 Caroline Block Female 35 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 14:39:11
2019 Aug 25 Elizabeth Fry Female 60 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:13:11
2019 Aug 25 Anna Strachan Female 45 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:14:42
2019 Aug 25 John Haughton Male 53-54 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 13:12:39
2019 Aug 26 Attila Mányoki Male 45 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:11:20
2019 Aug 26 Pierre Lord Male Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:41:18
2019 Aug 26 Jorge Crivilles Villanueva Male 48 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:54:57
2019 Sep 8 Zach Margolis Male 30 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 14:24:32
2021 Jul 1 Lauren Lesyna Female 25-26 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 16:14:37
2021 Jul 21 Elaine Burrows Dillane Female 49-50 Scotland to Ireland 34.5 14:54:30
2021 Aug 2 Jordan Leckey Male Ireland to Scotland 34.5 09:09:30
2021 Aug 2 Sarah Poll Female Ireland to Scotland 34.5 14:42:42
2021 Aug 2 Lucy Ashdown-Parkes Female Ireland to Scotland 34.5 15:39:10
2021 Aug 3 Mark Brown Male Ireland to Scotland 34.5 09:31:35
2021 Aug 3 Steve Proud Male Ireland to Scotland 34.5 09:39:28
2021 Aug 19 Katherine Chapman Female 30-31 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 10:59:02
2021 Aug 19 Matt Murphy Male Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:35:02
2021 Aug 29 Luca Pozzi Male 36 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 13:37:21
2021 Sep 15 Steve Stievenart Male 44 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 14:44:03
2022 Jul 10 Sian Clement Female 43-44 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:45:00
2022 Jul 10 Barry Murphy Male 59 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 13:53:00
2022 Jul 10 Andrew Keay Male Ireland to Scotland 34.5 14:30:12
2022 Jul 10 Sarah Thomas Female 40 Scotland - Ireland - Scotland 69 21:46:38
2022 Jul 22 Bárbara Hernández Huerta Female 36 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:19:36
2022 Jul 22 Grainne Moss Gunn Female 52 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 13:33:36
2022 Aug 8 Callum Eade Male Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:40:10
2022 Aug 8 Alessandra Rossi Cima Female 47-48 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:21:00
2022 Aug 8 Sarah Liles Female 53-54 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:54:31
2022 Aug 9 Sarah Philpott Female Ireland to Scotland 34.5 16:21:54
2022 Aug 9 Jessi Harewicz Female 39 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 18:15:04
2022 Aug 19 Fiona Cullinane Female 20 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 10:04:21
2022 Aug 21 Dina Levačić Female 26 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 10:26:58
2022 Aug 23 Samuel Abeshouse Male 51-52 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:16:28
2022 Aug 23 Eduardo Collazos Valle Male 51-52 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:29:30
2022 Aug 25 Paul Georgescu Male 43 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:07:03
2022 Aug 25 Graham Lock Male 49-50 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 14:16:00
2022 Sep 8 Vitaliy Stupak Male Scotland to Ireland 34.5 13:53:29
2022 Sep 18 Fiona Cullinane Female 20 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 10:04:21
2022 Sep 19 Andrew Donaldson Male 31 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 09:13:57
2022 Sep 19 Victor Pineiro Male 44 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 13:29:36
2023 Jul 17 Anshuman Jhingran Male Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:28:52
2023 Jul 25 Sarah Roberts Female 39 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 13:41:27
2023 Jul 26 Jon Southey Male Ireland to Scotland 34.5 17:49:30
2023 Jul 27 Dominic Mudge Male 46-47 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:08:24
2023 Aug 9 Cynthia Aguilar Valdéz Female 41 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:19:34
2023 Aug 9 Aysu Türkoğlu Female Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:48:19
2023 Aug 9 Kristyna Dykova Female Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:01:42
2023 Aug 9 M. Tulasi Chaitanya Male 35 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 13:16:41
2023 Aug 14 Karen Ennis Female 51 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 13:01:32
2023 Aug 24 Caitlin O'Reilly Female 19 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 09:57:15
2023 Aug 24 Suwei Chen Male 55-56 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:35:01
2023 Aug 24 Stuart Donnachie Male 42-43 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:54:00
2023 Sep 7 Mark Sowerby Male 52 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:12:18
2023 Sep 8 Douglas Ribeiro Male Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:31:10
2023 Sep 8 Avishag Turek Female 48 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:40:24
2023 Sep 8 Brittany Parker Female 40 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 14:20:46
2023 Sep 8 Jonty Warneken Male Ireland to Scotland 34.5 15:22:41
2023 Sep 9 Jessika Robson Female Ireland to Scotland 34.5 11:46:00
2023 Sep 9 Dave Berry Male 48 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 12:32:01
2023 Sep 9 John Curley Male Ireland to Scotland 34.5 13:08:40
2023 Sep 9 Corinna Nolan Female Ireland to Scotland 34.5 16:30:06
2023 Sep 10 Stephen Junk Male 62 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 13:12:12
2023 Sep 11 Nikki Pope Female 55-56 Ireland to Scotland 34.5 19:54:01

Reviews

Reviewer: John Batchelder (August 2023)
Swam in 2023 (Finished)
Overall Experience: ★️★️★️★️★️

Pilot: Quinton Nelson
Fees: 3000 GBP
Communication ★️★️★️★️✩️
Piloting Skill: ★️★️★️★️★️
Cost/Value: ★️★️★️★️★️
Comments: "Quinton seemed to have an outstanding understanding of the tides and how best to guide the swimmer across the channel. My crew observed that he never took his eyes off me during the swim, and he was genuinely interested in doing whatever it took to make the swim successful. He intentionally doesn’t sign up too many swimmers during a slot to ensure greater flexibility in choosing the optimal day for the swim."

Association: North Channel Swimming Association
Fees: 400 GBP
Communication ★️★️★️★️✩️
Advice & Support: ★️★️★️★️✩️
Value: ★️★️★️★️✩️

General Comments: "I swam the North Channel in early August of 2023. The colder temperatures definitely earns the North Channel it’s reputation as one of the most challenging swims of those that are sanctioned. The lion’s mane jellyfish are abundant and I got stung quite frequently at the start during the nighttime portion of my swim. They do only seem to gather near the surface when it is dark outside, so swimming during the day is definitely preferred. The skies were overcast throughout my swim but still plenty bright to keep those jellyfish away. My crew was blessed to witness hundreds of dolphins swimming nearby. I only caught a brief glimpse of them while swimming as I was so focused on my swim, but they came up really close to me. This was by far the greatest moment of my swim, though of course there’s no guarantee of other swimmers having a similar encounter. Overall this is an amazing swim, but those attempting it should be disciplined to handle the cold and bring medications to treat jellyfish toxins."


Reviewer: Sarah Thomas (August 2023)
Swam in 2022 (Finished)
Overall Experience: ★️★️★️★️★️

Pilot: Infinity- Padrig
Fees: N/A
Communication ★️★️★️★️★️
Piloting Skill: ★️★️★️★️★️
Cost/Value: ★️★️★️★️★️
Comments: "The entire Infinity crew was amazing- professional and caring, with great communication and a clear passion for helping swimmers."

Association: ILDSA
Fees: a crap ton
Communication ★️★️★️✩️✩️
Advice & Support: ★️★️★️✩️✩️
Value: ★️★️★️✩️✩️


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