Jasmine Harrison made the headlines in 2021 when she became the youngest solo female to ever row across the Atlantic Ocean at the age of 21. Now, she has set herself a new challenge: ‘The Full Length of Swimming Britain’ that will see her swim solo from Land’s End in Cornwall to John O’Groats in Scotland to raise money for Surfers Against Sewage and Sea Shepherd UK to support their work in fostering clean waters and beaches and protecting wildlife. Asked about her motivation behind these challenges, she says: “If I can achieve challenges like this, then I can tackle most things in life. I hope that everyone is inspired to take on their own challenges on every scale, whether that’s recovering after illness, or going on world record breaking adventures.”

“I had been thinking about different challenges after rowing the Atlantic. Because I’ve been a swimmer all my life it seemed like a good fit. When I found out that only two people have ever done it who were both men, I chatted to Sean Conway – one of them – and soon decided to do a swimming challenge which ultimately is a mix of lots of things coming together,” adds Jasmine.

“I then started continuously training with my swim club and did pool sessions and extra-long distance sessions over winter. Once the weather improved in April, I started long distance open water swims in local lakes and also quite a bit of road cycling to get prepared.”

Once she started her swimming journey, she swam for about five hours at a time, up to two tides a day. “I swim as long as weather and sea conditions allow me, my kayaker, and the support yacht to. I eat and sleep when I can. The longest I’ve been in the water has been 12 hours at a time. It’s a really good day if I achieve 15 nautical miles and I hope to finish the journey within three months, but it is very weather dependant.”

“The biggest challenges during my journey are definitely mental as I could stop anytime. On the Atlantic Row, on the other hand, I had no choice but to keep going. The support from my crew, my sponsors and everyone interested in the swim helps, and the fact they can follow my progress on the tracker too. It’s really hard to get motivated to get in the dark cold water at 4am but I want to achieve this.”

After arriving in Oban on 31 August, she aims to complete the 900-mile-swimming challenge for the end of September having started on 1 July. Since leaving Wales Jasmine has tackled challenging swims around the Isle of Man including the strong and ever-changing currents of the Sound of the Calf of Man, the difficult conditions from the Isle of Man to the North Channel which involved crossing ferry lanes and finding herself swimming alongside a basking shark. She recalls: “Swimming the Sound of the Calf of Man where the water conditions and currents were constantly changing was especially challenging. Or swimming through the Corryvreckan Gulf at really high speed was a bit scary when I tried to avoid going that way but the currents pulled me into the whirlpools. Another memorable moment was when a basking shark swam alongside me, while I tried to avoid ferries, crossing a busy shipping lane.”

Jellyfish are now very common too, while the stings are painful and distract Jasmine with the after-effects lasting several days. Her swimming attire of a wetsuit has been completed with neoprene socks and gloves as well as a neoprene mask fashioned from a swimming hood. The mask is working – except for the baby jellyfish which enter her mouth and then sting.

After restocking with provisions and fuel in Oban, and some crew change she plans to continue along the north and east coast of the Isle of Mull along the Inner Hebrides, under the Skye bridge and follow the coast north before turning East to John O’Groats.

If everything goes to plan and the weather plays suit, Jasmine is set to finish at the end of September. Her arrival in Oban which marked two thirds of the overall swim, was on schedule. “Scotland is as amazing as I hoped it would be from the water. Seeing the Scottish landscape as I swim has been my highlight so far. It was also amazing seeing the whirlpools underwater when swimming through the Corryvreckan. Swimming along the Isle of Man I could see the seabed 15m down. I also love encountering the wildlife on my swims, including seals, dolphins, basking sharks, minke whales, and porpoises. The swim has, once again, proven that we need to look after our oceans to protect the environment for the wildlife, and help fight against poor fishing practices and pollution in the water. The Ocean Decade is really important for everyone to get behind. Good quality water also enhances our experience of the coast and also means we can swim without getting ill.”

Track her journey here.