The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
New Year coverage
Dooks in the Forth and Tay blow cobwebs away
Hundreds of hardy souls stripped off and took to the waters of the Forth and the Tay yesterday to welcome in 2018.
Annual “Loony Dooks” took place along the Fife coast, with hundreds using the opportunity to raise funds for charity.
And thousands of spectators turned out to watch the annual New Year’s Day Dook at Broughty Ferry.
Around 200 people took the plunge into Broughty Ferry harbour, where the water was a chilly 2.75C (37F).
Many of those taking part wore fancy dress, with costumes on show including reindeer, jellyfish and a handful of Supermen.
Organiser Joyce McIntosh of Ye Amphibious Ancients Bathing Association was last to go in the water alongside board member Jackie Laing, who was celebrating her 70th birthday.
Joyce said: “More than 100 people had registered before and the registration tent was busy through the day so we expect about 200 people to take part.”
Depute Lord Provost Bill Campbell said: “It’s fantastic to see so many people out.”
One of the biggest events in Fife was at Kinghorn, where volunteers from the local lifeboat supervised proceedings.
Around 100 ‘loonies’ lost their clothes and inhibitions, with many using the event to raise funds for the RNLI.
Karen Archibald, 57, from Kirkcaldy was one of those who decided to start the new year with a splash.
She said: “It was freezing cold but good fun.”
Along the coast at Limekilns, the traditional Breakfast Dip attracted dozens to the shoreline.
While dookers in west and central Fife were feeling the chill yesterday, fundraisers in the East Neuk were staying warm having done their bit for charity on Hogmanay.
The East Neuk Dook took place at Anstruther Harbour, with those taking to the water raising funds for East Neuk First Responders.
A group of Kirkcaldy fitness fanatics got 2018 off on the right foot by blowing away the remnants of Hogmanay with a New Year’s Day run.
More than 100 members of Kirkcaldy Parkrun took to the paths of Beveridge Park to signal the start of 12 more months of healthy living.
In Perthshire, the Comrie Flambeux ushered in 2018 with the help of an out-of-this-world guest.
Astronaut Tim Peake was among those who gathered at midnight for the event. Major Peake, who spent his last Hogmanay on the International Space Station, was visiting family in the area.
His wife Rebecca grew up in Comrie and the couple have said it is one of their favourite places on Earth.
The Flambeaux kicked off, as always, with a fancy dress contest.
Donald Trump was among the standout entrants, and there was also a masked protest against recent RBS closures.
New Year’s Day saw the welcome return of the Pitlochry street party.
The event, which attracts thousands of visitors to the town, was cancelled last year after a blaze at the Fisher’s Hotel.
Elsewhere, revellers blew away the cobwebs with a bracing fun run through the streets of Blairgowrie.
And some hardy souls took the plunge at Kenmore, where the Taymouth Marina offered guests the Loch Slide Challenge. People lined up to zip down the 20ft slide into the freezing Loch Tay.
Dooks took place in Arbroath, Carnoustie and Stonehaven.
Arbroath’s “refreshing dip” was in aid of Cancer Research UK. About 100 people went into the water, with RNLI volunteers on hand to offer assistance.
Two Arbroath ladies, Jennifer Knutt and Carol Carpenter, who took the plunge said that walking about “for about an hour” bare-legged before diving in helped them acclimatise to the water, but added they felt the wind bracing as they left.
Carnoustie’s dook was in honour of Scottish rugby hero and “good friend” of Carnoustie Rugby Club, Doddie Weir.
He announced in June last year that he is suffering from Motor Neurone Disease. Funds raised on the day will go to the My Name’s Doddie Foundation to aid research into the disorder.
The Stonehaven Nippy Dip went ahead this year thanks again to the town’s community council.
The group was previously forced to intervene at the last minute after the previous organisers, CLIC Sargent, pulled out of the event.