Open water swimming is fast becoming a vogue sport – Team GB won three medals at last year’s Olympics and it is a big target for London 2012 – and the first Great Scottish Swim at Strathclyde Country Park this summer is bound to attract huge interest. 

The one mile open water challenge on August 29 will be a mass participation event and will also include some world-class swimmers and is expected to raise thousands for charity.

Two of Scotland’s best are the Edinburgh pair of Craig Hamilton – he is hoping to compete in this summer’s European Junior Championships and Alistair Brown.

The Lanarkshire venue joins ‘Great’ swims in London (Victoria Dock), the North (Windermere) and the East (Alton Water,

The inaugural event has been secured through a partnership of EventScotland and North Lanarkshire Council.

Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer at EventScotland, said: "Mass participation events play an important role in Scotland's events calendar and this is the first event of its kind for Scotland. 

“The event itself will be broadcast both within the UK and internationally, raising the profile of swimming in Scotland and Scotland as a destination. 

The entry limit for the Great Scottish Swim is 2000 people and the event is open to people ages 16 years and over.