‘Human swan’ flies the Hebrides from ‘tip to toe’ on a paraglider
A BIOLOGIST known as ‘the human swan’ is planning to fly the length of the Hebrides on a motorised paraglider.
Sacha Dench, who is also the head of media for the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust (WWT), is planning to fly ‘from tip to toe of the Hebrides’ in May.
Ms Dench said: ‘I love Scotland and have spent a lot of time there working on WWT projects and doing aerial photography.
‘I have been to Harris and Skye, and have always wanted to explore more of the islands, so when I was thinking about my next flight I thought it would be amazing to fly from tip to toe of the Hebrides.
‘It will be a brilliant way to enjoy those really challenging environments – the rugged peaks and the sea.’
Last year Sacha completed a 4,500-mile flight covering 11 countries on a journey following the migration of the endangered Berwick swan from the Arctic to the UK, and meeting communities along the way to discover why the birds are in such serious decline. Each flight is an astonishing achievement for Sacha as she developed a severe fear of turbulence after an incident when bad weather struck during a journey in a small aircraft.
However, her determination to overcome her fear won out and she learned to paraglide and then paramotor.
As she plans her Hebrides trip she will speak about last year’s journey at the Wild Film Festival Scotland in Dumfries on March 26.