Going on an adventure…

Uswim Adventure plan all sorts of challenges. You can do a mile swim, two mile swim, the length of Windermere or Coniston, swim in the sea at Colwyn Bay, swim Lake Bala…heck, you can swim the English Channel if you want to. If it is possible they will give you a training plan and support you all the way, if there is a challenge out there they will help you conquer. Dave and Karen provide the help, the encouragement, the safety team, but most of all the positivity that pushes everyone to achieve.

For some the big challenge is to swim the Channel, for others the mile across Windermere is their own personal challenge. Everyone has their own agenda and every challenge has its own trials and tribulations. Uswim support each swimmer with same care and positivity, when a swimmer completes a mile they cheer them just as they do for those who swim to France.

Of course, not everyone wants to complete a distance swim, they enjoy the social swims and the regular meets down at Dock9, Salford Quays. All ages swim there, some in wetsuits and some in skins, some dip, some train, some do breaststroke, some to crawl….but everyone is welcome.

This weekend it was great fun to join in a swim/walk at Windermere. It was a 10am meet in the car park of Wray Castle. According to one of Dave’s factoids it is actually a folly and not a real castle. It was built by a retired surgeon, funded by his wife’s fortune. It eventually was given to the National Trust. Beatrix Potter fell in love with the place after staying there as a teenager and when she earned money from her books she bought surrounding land and bequeathed it to the National Trust too. Yes, Dave, I listened to your facts!

So, we gathered in the car park, all ready and eager to swim.

Dave, Karen, a Channel swimmer, mile swimmers and first timers….all with big, cheesy grins because we love cold water swimming and adventures and just meeting up for a jolly day out.

We headed down to the water….a Mere and not a Lake!

The water was like glass, strips of blue peeked through the clouds, the only noise was our excited chatter and the accompanying dogs. We undressed….I was the first in.

It was six degrees. It made you gasp. A squeal, a yelp, a cheeky profanity…everyone got in.

Our fingers and toes may have gone numb with cold but our smiles never faltered. This was what we love. The bone chilling coldness of water, the stunning surroundings and being with like minded people. You become a part of everything around you. You don’t just see you feel. The coldness makes your whole body tingle with a buzz that shouts out, I’m alive!!! It recharges the brain, it zaps the muscles and loosens the joints. Skin glows and negativity is punched into the past.

It was bloomin’ cold so we only stayed in the water for fifteen minutes or so. It was then the toughest part of the whole day…getting dressed. Fingers don’t cooperate and some of us get the after drop. My body temperature continues to drop after getting out of the water and I shake uncontrollably. Although it is funny to watch I do take it seriously. I get layers on quickly and have a warm drink.

With our many layers, some hugging hot water bottles and the climb back up the hill to the cars we started to warm up. We dumped our wet swim gear and got ready for a walk.

It is always the toes that take the longest to warm up. Heather became the human foot warmer as she sat on Alexandra’s frozen feet. This is how good a swim community is…lol.

We walked along the path beside the water. It was great to be in a small group and have a chat with others that I usually see briefly down at Dock9.

It was beautiful and calming and I soon regained the feeling in my toes.

Dave told us little facts about Windermere as we walked….you learn new things every day.

We had been the only people around when we were in the water but as we walked we met walkers out enjoying the day. It was a shame they had missed out on the invigorating start though. The walk in itself was splendid but the added bonus of a swim was superb.

After a good hour or more walking we returned to our cars. Officially the adventure was over….but we had an afternoon to fill.

The Three Amigos weren’t ready to go home so we had a disappointing piece of cake in the castle cafe then headed into Ambleside for a wander and then to Bowness. We had done twenty thousand steps and had a dip so there was only one way to finish off the day….

Fish and chips by the water tasted amazing.

Karen had given us all a face mask for when we arrived home. It was a soothing treat.

What a fabulous day. If anyone out there fancies having a go at open water swimming then surely this must give you food for thought. There were some amazing swimmers in that group who have achieved extraordinary things and there were others like me, we all enjoyed the day. So give it a go and maybe next time I’ll see you there.