Adaptive Swim
Our aspiration is to make the Kessock Ferry Swim one of the best in the UK for adaptive swimmers. The unique venue with a smooth concrete slipway adjacent to good parking means we can offer a truly accessible event. New for 2025, we have collated all this info in one place. This is an ongoing process as we try to adapt the info to suit a wide variety of requirements. Please get in touch with us directly with feedback or other questions.
Thanks to our previous adaptive swim participants and the team at Highland Disability Sport who have helped us to develop this guidance.
- Car park less than 50 metres from the swim start
- Accessible changing facility & toilet adjacent to car park
- Option to start & finish in deep water
- Adaptive Swimmer meeting point for assistance on the day
Physical Disabilities
In our first three years we have welcomed swimmers with a wide range of physical disabilities. Key facilities include the car park adjacent to the pier, the accessible toilet and new accessible changing facility, plus the deep water start and finish. Please read through the info about the length of swim, time cutoffs etc. If there is any specific support or adaptation which would make the event more accessible for you, there is a space on the entry form where you can add this detail.
Sensory Disabilities
We have extensive experience with hearing loss and deaf swimmers. We can provide live BSL interpretation during the safety briefing (must be requested in advance). We have found that communicating in the water with our safety crew often presents the biggest challenge. We have developed a system using a swim cap & tow float with 'DEAF' written on both side, coupled with safety crew using using hand signals and a small whiteboard to communicate. This system may not work for everyone - please tell us if you feel you need something different.
As at 2025 we have less experience with sight loss, visually impaired swimmers and complex multiple sensory disabilities. However we are keen to learn, and can certainly accommodate any guide swimmer system or similar.
Learning Disabilities
We welcome swimmers with a range of learning disabilities. Every situation is unique, so please tell us what you need to make the swim safe & enjoyable. There is a space place on the entry form where you can share this information.
The Kessock Ferry Swim is not a race. It's a community event and a personal challenge. Above all it's about providing moments like this one - pure elation at the end of a brilliant swim.
We're a small local charity with a reputation for top-quality safety & event management. We welcome swimmers from all over the UK - will you be next to challenge yourself to cross this iconic stretch of water?
You can see the car parking spaces at the Kessock Road turning circle just metres away from the slipway. This makes the event highly accessible. New for 2025 there will be a specially constructed accessible changing facility built here at the turning circle, alongside an accessible chemical toilet. There will be an Adaptive Swimmer meeting point with specially trained marshals who will provide any additional assistance that you may need. The event centre is just out of this shot to the left, about 200m away from the turning circle along a flat road closed to traffic. That's where the main registration, social & food space happens before and after the event.
New for 2025 will be the option to start and finish in the water. Shortly before the main start, you can request to be allowed in to the water early - we understand that for some adaptive swimmers the last few yards before you get into the water can be the most awkward. Similarly at the finish, as you approach the pier on the return leg there will be a SportIdent finish station which can be reached before getting back on to dry land.