'Wild swimming' brothers begin 90-mile River Eden challenge

Robbie, Calum and Jack Hudson call themselves The Wild Swimming Brothers

Three brothers have begun a 90-mile (145km), nine-day swimming challenge along Cumbria's River Eden.

Jack, Calum and Robbie Hudson hope to become the first siblings to swim the entire river course from the source at Mallerstang to the Solway Firth.

Calum Hudson, 25, who now lives in London, said he was "raring to go".

"After eight months of planning, preparation, training, cold showers and ice baths we couldn't be more excited," he said.

"Many people may have seen the River Eden flow past, they may have driven over it to work or taken their kids to school and not seen it as a place to exercise, relax and enjoy nature.

"If we can inspire one person to put the Speedos on and jump in then we've done our job."

Calum Hudson said they wanted to inspire people to reconnect with the Cumbrian landscape

Jack, 23, who lives in Newcastle, said completing the swim with his brothers would be "incredible".

"We grew up with the river in our garden and, getting in from an early age, we always wanted to do something big with it when we were older," he said.

"I'm really looking forward to testing my limits, pushing myself along the way and finding beautiful natural swimming spots."

The brothers, whose progress can be tracked online, expect to finish Sunday 23 August at Port Carlisle.

The river they lived by during their childhood has variable water levels and passes over rapids, whirlpools, weirs and waterfalls.

The brothers will have to scramble through some of the lower water levels

Robbie, 27, who currently lives in Berlin, said it would be "pretty tough".

"We've all been training very hard for it," he said.

"We've got things like little whirlpools, little weirs, to navigate as we go, but once we're in the water it feels good to be swimming."