Norman Todd lives in the West Highland village of Ullapool where he does all of his swimming all year round.

Last winter he was filmed by his friend Steven Gourlay breaking into a frozen loch then swimming in the bitterly cold water with -10 degree air temperature. The film was quickly edited then put onto social media where it went viral and was viewed by 10s of millions overnight. (See Norman Todd Wild Swimmer from Steven Gourlay on Vimeo.)

Norman had a brief experience of fame and he was on TV in nearly every continent and was interviewed for newspaper and magazine articles all around the world.

Culture Trip approached him last year approached him last year to be featured in a short film for a ‘Wild Spirits by The Sea’ to promote Talisker Whisky from the Isle of Skye. It’s out today! You can watch it here. 

Norman is a former fisherman who works on an offshore oil platform and along with the stunning West Highland scenery, provided incredible backgrounds for this short, fast paced film. ‘I had a disappointing summer after a failed long distance swim after which I had decided to pack it all in. Filming in my favourite swimming spots again and the comments from the film crew about the locations and what I do made me stand back and look at my life again. After feeling pretty down and disillusioned I rediscovered my mojo for swimming and I am now planning a major swim next summer.’

The film was shot on the CPC platfrom in the Irish Sea where Norman is the medic and safety adviser, on the fishing boat ‘Challenger’ skippered by his long time friend, Murdo Urquhart, and in the stunning swimming locations of Loch Assynt and Achmelvich Beach. ‘I have learnt not to listen to negativity and I am now focusing on what I enjoy and love. When I swim I feel complete and not distracted by the stresses and distractions of everyday life.’