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Watch as Perthshire piper plays the pipes while paragliding in the Swiss Alps

Tom Lewin, who plays the Vale of Atholl Pipe band, did it for a 'bit of fun'.

Incredible footage has been shared of a Perthshire piper playing the bagpipes while paragliding in the Swiss Alps.

Tom Lewin, who is part of the Vale of Atholl Pipe Band, played brilliantly as he soared 3,000 feet over Lauterbrunnen Valley, near Interlaken.

The 64-year-old, who has been playing the since he was 11, said did it for a “bit of fun”.

‘I was whooping like a kid out of sheer joy’

He told The Courier: “I thought it would be a bit of a fun thing to do!

“I was on holiday in Switzerland – I drove there – and had the pipes in my car.

“My playing was not of the highest quality because of the altitude, which the pipes don’t like, and also it was quite cold.

“The excuses are coming out – my high A at the end isn’t brilliantly in-tune – I asked for it to be put out the video, but it’s there for the world to see.

Tom paragliding with his bagpipes.
Tom said he did it for ‘a bit of fun’. Image: Airtime Paragliding

“All in all, it’s not too bad – the pipes – which are Kintail – are fantastic and stayed in tune.

“After the gliding and putting the pipes away, we went away from the cliff and I was whooping like a kid out of sheer joy.”

Tom said that the paragliding company had never taken someone on a tour before while they played the bagpipes.

He also said it wasn’t the first time he had played the pipes in a strange setting.

Tom with his bagpipes in Dundee.
Tom with his bagpipes in Dundee. Image: Supplied.

The retired policeman, who lives in Edinburgh, added: “The staff, as you can imagine, are thrill-seeking go-getters themselves.

“I think they thought ‘why the hell not?’

“I think it was a first for them, and the fellow in the video seems to enjoy the daftness of it.

“There is also a deep gorge near Grindelwald which has a walkway beside it.

“Netting is strung across the river below, and I went onto that with a pipe as well.

“I was bouncing up and down on this thing and I couldn’t play for laughing.

“Playing the bagpipes in strange places is fun – if you can’t have a laugh, why bother?”

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