About me

My name is Niall Iain Macdonald and I live and work in Stornoway. I moved to the Isle of Lewis from Inverness in 1998 for 3 months....and I am still here! I work for BBC Radio nan Gaidheal and am a fluent Gaelic speaker.

I am no stranger to the Minch as my parents are from the islands. The majority of my school holidays were spent on Skye, Barra and South Uist and I can't remember how many times I must have crossed the Minch on various CalMac ferries! I must admit that my previous experience of rowing is very limited but the blisters on my hands are proof that I have had plenty practice with oars over the past few months!

I have often thought about rowing across the Minch, it holds a fascination for me for some reason, but I have always managed to find excuses not to do it - too far, too hard, too much hassle, too risky. Now, I realise that life is too short and that the only thing stopping me from doing it is myself.

The past 12 months have had many ups and downs for me personally and realising my goal of rowing solo across the Minch would be a huge personal achievement. But I also hope to raise as much money as possible for 2 local charities (see 'Charities' page) and I hope that anyone who takes the time to visit this page will be kind enough to make a donation towards the good causes which I have chosen to support (see 'How To Donate' page).

This challenge has been about so much more than just rowing across a stretch of water. I have made many new friends, met quite a few characters, learnt so many new skills, clocked up more mileage than just the 43 miles between Ullapool and Stornoway and lived my life a little bit more than I used to.

Many thanks for to everyone for their support.

Ceud taing!