THOUSANDS of people across the country have taken part in Loony Dooks to see in the New Year.
The events saw hardy souls run headlong into the cold water for a bracing dip, with many more watching on from the (relatively) warm shore.
The splashes provide quite the spectacle, with many Dookers turning up in fancy dress for the occasion.
Dating back to the 1980s, The Loony Dook is the brainchild of pubgoers at the Moorings Pub, now The Incholm Inn, in South Queensferry.
They thought it would be a good idea to cure their Hogmanay hangover in icy cold fashion.
The first Dook took place on January 1, 1987 and would become an annual tradition to raise money for charity and blow away the cobwebs on New Year’s Day.
The idea caught on, and now there are plenty of shores across the country holding their own events.
South Queensferry
Scotland’s best known and the original Loony Dook once again took place in the shadow of the Forth Bridges, with over 1,000 braving the chilly waters.
Toma baño!! ? ☃️❄️☂️??#HappyNewYear2019 #Hogmanay #LoonyDook #Escocia pic.twitter.com/DR7OFcEG03
— Nira Fierro Díaz (@NiraFierro) January 1, 2019
Whether the participants were in fancy dress, swimming gear or simply their gladrags from the night before, they were marched down Queensferry High Street by drummers before taking the plunge into the water at lunchtime.
Crowds gathered to cheer them on and provide a warm welcome back to the shore.
Dookers raised plenty of money for a variety of charities and Tony Pirouet won the fancy dress prize of a £250 donation to his chosen charity of East Fife and Scooniehill Riding for the Disabled.
He took the Dook in a home-made costume of a man on the toilet!
Also spotted on the shores were Donald Trump and various superheroes.
Charlie Wood and Ed Bartlam, directors of Underbelly and of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay said: “Over 1,000 participants from 23 countries jumped from the shores of South Queensferry into the chilly waters of the Firth of Forth for the much loved Loony Dook. It was fantastic being a ‘Dooker’ welcoming the New Year.
“It’s terrific how much energy and excitement the Loony Dook generates and the fantastic fancy dress costumes people make and the money generated for charity. We’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy New Year!”
Campbeltown
Hardy souls also braved the cold waters of Campbeltown Loch on January 1.
The annual Dip for Dosh helps raise funds for the upkeep of Dalintober Beach, a man-made sandy shore for locals in the Kintyre town to enjoy.
Broughty Ferry
Organised by Ye Amphibious Ancients Bathing Association, which is celebrating its 135th anniversary this year, this event saw dozens of people take the plunge into the Tay in fancy dress.
Hundreds of spectators lined up around Broughty Ferry Harbour to watch the dook, which included Batman, Sherlock Holmes and even a Tyrannosaurus Rex!
Read more on the event from our sister title The Courier.
Angus & Fife
Carnoustie’s New Year dook doubled as a birthday bash for the hardy revellers who took the plunge to celebrate a tradition started 25 years ago.
In Arbroath, dozens went for a dip near the town harbour in the latest event for Cancer Research.
After a festival of fire the night before, Stonehaven harbour played host to the town’s annual Nippy Dip.
And in Kirkcaldy, the Langtoun Loony Dook helped raise money for the Marfan Trust.
Elsewhere
Dooks took place far and wide across the country, including at Loch Lomond, Wemyss Bay, Dunbar and Portpatrick.
A sunny day for a ‘loony dook’ in the beautiful #Portpatrick Harbour to raise money for the fantastic @DGBloodBikes . The Spider-Man costume wasn’t quite enough for the bracing temperature of the Irish Sea though ? pic.twitter.com/LNLIsEhJgY
— Colin Smyth (@ColinSmythMSP) January 1, 2019
Dunbar: you’re bonkers but you’re awesome. Loony Dook down at the beach to wake up the party goers. I bravely held towels and whispered encouragement. pic.twitter.com/XsG1ub3YeY
— Rob Lewis (@robjimlewis) January 1, 2019
The annual it's freezing in a loch let's go for a swim 'cause we're mental aka Loony Dook 2019 #TeiKarate #LochLomond pic.twitter.com/tq6kSCuYOC
— Andy (@ZephrFish) January 1, 2019
Went along to the aptly named ‘Loony Dook’ in Wemyss Bay in aid of MND charity. Well done to those who were brave enough to go in. A very worthy cause. ? pic.twitter.com/sSv7mSbj4r
— CI Debbie Reilly (@CI_DebbieReilly) January 1, 2019
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