2012, The Highlights

It's been a wet, cold, blustery year, but in amongst it all we've had some cracking swims - here are a few of the (mainly unblogged) highlights.....

 

Thanks and love to everyone - the team, our new swimming friends, among them RL, SM, PA, GW and our new heroic mascot Charlie (a black lab who frequently swam out to try and save GW), the jellyfish, the sharks, the biting cold and the balmy warmth, the cakes, the jokes, the injuries, the blue fingers and stabbing pains, the complaints, the thrills and spills. Here's to 2012, all it's highlights and lots of swims ahead in 2013!

 

MG

 

Sweden, November

 

Had this been two years ago.... maybe I would have broken the ice and swum....

 

 

 

As it was, RL and I contented ourselves with extreme toboganning. Oh brave winter swimmers of 2010/11, what happened to you!

 

MG

 

at last

... after a ridiculously long break we manage to combine decent weather and MG and SW all in the same place at the same time...

We both managed to miss swimming completely in October and only had one swim each in September so we were a bit daunted by the idea of going swimming in mid-november.

By the time we made it to West Bay it was gone 4pm and getting dark... at least the water was calm and the beach was looking as beautiful as ever. MG sensibly had her boots and I instantly regretted not having mine. How bad could it be? We used to think November was warm. A few seconds in the surf and my feet were numb. Ouch. We were embarrassingly cowardly and ran from every wave but gradually inched a little deeper and deeper. Finally we ducked under and swam for about a minute - then out to gasp a bit and then back in for another minute or two. Following our second dip I ran back to get changed (being cautious as I have lost all my bodyfat after being ill and have really turned into a bit of a wimp) while MG continued for a third hair-washing swim.

As always we felt fantastically invigorated afterwards - especially pleased to be albe to still get in (just!) after such a long break and feel we could get hooked again very quickly...

North Norfolk weekend Sept 15-18th

Much swimming during a long weekend in North Norfolk with family. The whipping north winds made it feel freezing despite the blue sky and this combined with average 1 hour walk from car to swim point meant that all swims kept brief to avoid hypothermia. Felt a bit pathetic in September and the sea was a fine temperature but those winds are mean!

First stop Wells, the main beach was really busy with families enjoying the autumn sun. Started with a swim in the deep cool channel which cuts across the expansive beach - massive sand flats on the other side of the channel are only accessible by swimming across and so its totally deserted yet within earshot of all the sunbathers and families playing games. A bit of a surreal contrast.

After lunch a long long trek across empty sands to the sea at low tide followed by long wading through shallow water until eventually deep enough to dive under. The sea water much warmer than the channel, positively balmy. Treated to beautiful sight of a seal in the water with us, head bobbing up and down a few times about 100m away.

Next stop Thornham. Stunning walk across empty salt march to a vast empty beach - sand as far as the eye can see with a silvery glimmer in the distance betraying the ocean. I had forgotten just how vast this place is at low tide.

Much like at Wells beach there is a wide creek which crosses the beach and makes for good swimming when the sea seems just too far away. This creek is lovely for its emptyness. Not another person in sight. In fact nothing in sight except sand, sky and water.

Final swimming stop was Scolt Head Island. A long held favourite spot. A sand-bar island which can be reached on foot at low tide by wading across creeks and marshes while trying very hard not to fall over in the deep oozy mud...

...All the slipping and sliding is worth it for the stunning sight on arrival at this deserted island paradise. 

As always the swimming was a bit distant and the winds were really strong (no problem for waves which would keep us from swimming in Dorset, instead the problem is freezing on the hour long trek back) so we opted for another creek swim. The tide was still going out at this point so we had to be careful - being swept out to sea a real danger here. A run, a dive, a quick swim then a dash back to clothes before the wind chill kicked in. Brief but lovely!

SW / EW

September 4th, Cogden - sprats!

Swimming at Cogden with MG amongst the fishes. The early evening sea was boiling with mackerel and their prey. A bit odd having so much activity going on around you... what if all those fish attract a bigger predator...? Luckily all remained clear on that front. 

We saw a man from Bristol cast a net into the shallows and pull out a bulging sack of silvery sprats. Congratulating him on his catch and asking where we could get our hands on such a net he very generously gave us handfuls of his sprats to take home for tea. Being bag-less we got changed and wrapped the fish up in our swimming costumes. Floured and fried they were delicious eaten whole - probably a bit too big as some of the crunching was a bit disconcerting but the flavour and freshness was unbeatable.

SW

Seal watching sometime in August

An extremely belated post, sometime at the end of August for family reasons I went on a little boat trip to see the seals that hang out on the spit at Blakeney. It was one of those things you never do unless when you actually live somewhere until guests arrive . You have to book and arrive on time due to the tide. Ours was the last trip of the morning before it turned.
I have had the occasional seal swim around me especially at Titchwell. But here there were SO many and lots of babies as well. Some of them were still preggers and absolutely enormous. A few shuffled into the water and swam around the boat it's amazing watching something which is so awkward on land become instantly graceful.
On the way out through Blakeney harbour I also spotted the perfect house boat..

JJ

Monday 6th August 2012, various times, Hive

12.30pm

The first time MG and I have been to Hive since the terrible rockfall of a last month. The area of beach we usually swim at is closed off while they investigate the stability of the cliffs. It makes the beach feel very different, sad and even more beautiful. Our thoughts are with the young woman who died and her family.

The sea was rough with some decent waves so we jumped in before we could think about the cold or the swell too much (well, nearly, MG did a classic sprint in to the water which was suspended at ankle depth and replaced by a worried frown, the waves looking bigger face to face). The water was milky, pale blue. Clear enough to see knees but not feet. Big waves were great fun after a few weeks of flat calm... Although I forgot how hard it is to swim in rougher seas - and how much water you end up swallowing when trying to talk.

Getting out was a bit traumatic, the waves were not too bad but just as I was about to launch up onto the beach with an incoming roller I saw a compass jellyfish one foot in front of me. Shouting a warning to MG then swerving to avoid meant I mis-timed my landing completely and was caught in the middle of the wave and tumbled up the beach, washing machine fashion. At least I avoided the jellyfish, kept my trunks and goggles on and hopefully escaped pebble ear. Luckily MG made a more dignified landing.

SW

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7.00pm

Return to Hive, R to follow...