A Tadcaster woman has become the first to swim the treacherous waters of the Little Minch.

The Little Minch is the 15-mile stretch of water between the Scottish islands of Skye and Harris. Although shorter, it is considered harder to swim than the English Channel due to its strong currents.

Eilidh Macdonald, 22, grew up in Tadcaster and York although now lives in Newcastle. She has family in the Western Isles and it was her uncle, Murray Macleod, who runs boat company Seatrek in Uig, on Lewis, who suggested she attempt the swim.

Wearing a wet suit, Eilidh dived into the icy waters off Waternish, on Skye, at 11am on Thursday and finished just after 8.30pm, arriving at a rocky headland on Harris.

The part-time swimming instructor, said: “There was only one point I felt like giving up and that was not far from the end. I kept looking for the headland and I saw I was level with it. But I kept telling myself ‘just touch the wall’, I would have regretted it if I had given up. I had cramp from after six miles and there were thousands of jellyfish around,but I was pretty determined to make it.”

She decided to attempt the crossing out of a sense of adventure.

She said: “When I graduated in the summer of 2009, I wanted a year with no essays or exams, but I still wanted a challenge of some kind. Although I was brought up in York, a lot of my family live on the Isle of Lewis and during my summer holidays after graduating, my uncle Murray suggested that I challenge myself to swim The Little Minch.”

As well as going into the record books, Eilidh has also raised cash for charity.

Her chosen good causes were Martin House Children’s Hospice, in North Yorkshire, Bethesda Hospice, in Stornoway, and the Cat Welfare and Rescue Trust.