Mountain, Loch, Lock and Sea - all done

Isle of Wight teenager Natasha Lambert was a huge hit with Mountaineering Scotland members and friends last month when she overcame the difficulties of cerebral palsy to reach the summit of Cairngorm.

But that climb was just part of the challenge Natasha (19) had set herself – Sea and Summit, Scotland.She completed it when she arrived at Clyde Marina at 4.30 on Thursday, 4th August, after a lively sail from Largs, on the Firth of Clyde.

In the course of the challenge, Natasha climbed Cairngorm, sailed through lochs and sounds in the Highlands and negotiated two famous Scottish canals, the Caledonian and the Crinan.

Natasha has athetoid cerebral palsy, and uses a wheel chair and has little control over her movements and speech.For the sailing part of the challenge she took to her adapted 21-foot yacht Miss Isle Too, which she sails using only her breath.

To tackle the mountain Natasha used a Hart Walker, which allows her to stand upright and propel herself forward. The ascent and descent of Cairngorm, the sixth highest mountain in Britain, took over five and a half hours, with the aid of a support team including her parents, sister and Mountaineering Scotland’s Heather Morning.Footage of the climb gained tens of thousands of views and many admiring comments on social media.

Back on the water Natasha spent many hours sitting in the special canting seat in her yacht. Natasha’s condition means she needs to be in the seat every moment she is on board. This is especially challenging on the canals when she can spend hours waiting to go through locks. At no time did Natasha opt to get out of the boat, other than on the Crinan Canal when she took to her walker to learn how to operate the manual locks with the rest of her team.

Natasha undertakes her challenges both to raise funds and to raise awareness. She has already received a British Empire Medal for her previous fund raising efforts. This time she is raising funds for her charity, the Miss Isle School of Sip Puff Sailing. The School gives young people like Natasha the chance to get out on the water and sail, using their breath to control the boat.

The raising of awareness is equally important to Natasha as she grows older. Her level of determination is becoming well known. It’s this that she hopes will inspire others with similar conditions. Rather than taking a traditional holiday, Natasha and her family embark on the challenges to highlight just what can be achieved despite the pressures and needs arising from Natasha’s condition.