STEPHEN Milne's job takes him all around the world only to see none of it.

He is quite happy with that arrangement. The 21-year-old from Perth via Inverness is emerging as a prominent figure in British swimming and has the hectic schedule to match.

Next month he will head to Kazan in Russia to compete in the Fina world championships, while a long-term goal remains next year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. On both occasions he expects to see little more than his hotel room, the pool and the inside of a number of shuttle buses taking him back and forward between one and the other.

Not that he is grumbling. He is there, after all, to compete and not take in the sights, and it is these high-profile events that make all the long hours in the water worthwhile.

"A lot of the time when we're travelling to meets we just see the hotel and the swimming pool, we don't get to see too much of the cities they take place in," Milne said. "But when I'm in the pool I really love it. I love the high- level competition and appearing in front of big crowds. I very much appreciate their enthusiasm as it spurs me on to put in a good performance. Those occasions are what make all the sacrifices and hours of training worth it."

His next challenge, however, is closer to home. Milne will form part of a stellar cast at this year's Scottish National Swimming Championships that take place in Glasgow for four days from Thursday, a return to the Tollcross pool that delivered so many Scottish medals at last year's Commonwealth Games. Milne was part of the team - alongside Duncan Scott, Robbie Renwick and Dan Wallace - that claimed silver in the 4x200m freestyle relay and he is looking forward to returning to the same venue again.

There will be little scope, though, for him to sit back and take in the atmosphere given he intends to compete in every individual freestyle event - from 50m all the way up to his favoured 1500m - and possibly some relays too.

"It's a brilliant facility they have at Tollcross and it's great to see they are still using it for such a high- level meet like the Scottish nationals," he said. "So I'm looking forward to racing there again. From the Commonwealth Games last year there are some good memories. Winning that silver medal is still a career highlight for me. I was really happy with that performance, especially to do it with such great guys. It was amazing being part of a team achievement like that. There was a great crowd at the Games and they really spurred us on. I'm sure it will be a good atmosphere again this week."

Bashful on just what he might achieve in Tollcross, Milne prefers not to set himself specific targets. "We're going to be in the middle of hard training going into the championships but I'll go there and give it my best shot. It's good to see so many high-profile athletes coming to this meet as that means a higher level of competition which should help us produce better performances."

This has been a good year already for Milne. His two targets for 2015 were to become British champion at 1500m freestyle and qualify for the world championships. He completed the first on a triumphant night in the London Aquatics Centre in April, knocking 20 seconds off his time from the previous year. It was a result that effectively booked his place in the 30-strong team heading for Kazan where he will again race in his favoured 1500m freestyle event.

"Things are going in the right direction," he said with a large dollop of understatement. "Becoming British champion for the first time was a highlight in my career, while making the team for the world championships was something else I wanted to do this year. So I'm very happy to have done both."

Selection for Rio is in April and the prospect of realising a childhood dream is never far from Milne's mind.

"I would love to make the team for Rio, so I will prepare the best I can for the trials when they come around. It's always been my dream to go to the Olympics."

Unsurprisingly, his dedication to swimming leaves little room for much else. He is midway through a BSc in Environmental Science at Perth College but has chosen to park it for the time being.

"I've just finished the second part of my second year," he said. "I went part-time last year and am now going to suspend my third year and go back to it in 2016/17. I enjoy it but swimming comes first for now."