Halloween and Old Hunstanton : High tide: 12:30

JJ

I supose since it is Halloween  I should have gone for a night swim, but seriously it's cold now though the idea is very appealing. No wind today so no surfers and a flat calm. Perfect for serious swimming instead of splashing around. Also no wading today !!! I know all I seem to talk about is the tide but it makes such a difference to how long I spend in the water. If I've had to walk out throught the shallows it gives me less time actual swimming as I get cold that much faster.

 When everyone else on the beach is there to walk the dog I do feel like I am making some sort of protest especially when I start undressing. 

 

What is Contentment?

JJ

I know it seems like a big question and and I'm sure it's entirely specific to every individual but just like the Jehovers Witness who interupted my breakfast this morning I have an answer.

Take one perfectly sunny vaguely warm october day, add a high tide!!!!! (skip over the 200yrds wading out through water until it was over my knees). Continue swimming for 15 lovely minutes, remove self from sea as soon as sensation starts to be lost in hands and feet. Add and extremely FIT surfer to tell you how brave you are and finish off with lovely hot soup in the afternoon sun.

Continuing with the clothing discussions  are there any thoughts on gloves? I don't think I have very sensitive hands but the tingling sensation doesn't go away in the water. Hats and gloves are one thing I'm not sure I can sign off on one of these though.

No I didn't need rescuing but the RNLI are awesome.

JJ

Old Hunstanton  low tide, 16:00 sea temp : 12oC

I very nearly lost my nerve today. I was so tempted to get back in the car when I saw how far the tide was out. It is so deceptive the sea doesn’t look that far away but when you look at the size of the people on the shore they are just tiny black dots. I dropped my stuff on less than dry sand and I was soon making my way out through the shallows. It is colder today though I still have no trouble getting in. A little bit breathless when fully submersed but I keep moving against the current. It is a lot calmer today even with the strong wind so I can actually swim with out getting a face full of water. The kite surfing school is out again, and the sound of voices carries clearly over the water, I hear a lot of woohooing!! As someone manages to stand up and lift off and then the occasional no, no, no, NO ***** thwump!

 I manage about ten minutes and feel a lot more in control than on Sunday. For the first time coming out my skin has that burning sensation which I have till now only associated with river swimming and I am a lovely shade of pink. I suppose the one good thing about swimming at low tide is that getting cold once your out isn’t a problem as there is always a long brisk walk back to the dunes. I stop off for some hot tea at the beach café positively glowing with smugness. I thing I will wait till Saturday when I can swim off the morning high tide as it is always a fraction warmer and easier logistically (less wading).

The Swimmer Suited and Booted.

MG

Much excitement amongst the team on this rainy, windy non-swimmable morning, as after much searching, KH has discovered the swimming hat of her dreams, a very dashing turban. SW is however immediately hankering after this one...

While I'm sorely tempted by the idea of recreating Kiera Knightley (Atonement) in a vintage style hat with chin strap.

All we need now is a website selling fleecy all-in-one babygros and we'll be the height of fashion.

Monday October 24th

Monday October 24<sup>th,

KH</sup> 

Another frosty night....

MG, SW and I, with dogs, meet at Cogden – my suggestion as it’s my favourite stretch of the Chesil beach, wilder and more open and, especially now at half-term, emptier than anywhere else. The sky is brilliantly blue, the sun warm, the wind barely a whisper, and the bouncy waves of the last few days have died down to leave just a  lacy edge of foam on the shore line. In other words conditions are PERFECT, almost identical to those of about three weeks ago when MG and I swam here, except for the fact that the water temperature has dropped after some very cold nights.

I leave my swimsuit in the car and have to race back up the hill and down again by which time I am positively hot. SW and MG are waiting, warming themselves in the sun. We discuss how many calories are burned up by cold water swimming – a lot surely but perhaps not equal to the five slices of toast/fry ups/double hot chocolate you feel is your due. We delay no longer and are straight in. Percy wades into the foam and then retreats and takes up his lifeguard duties.  It’s cold but not colder, or so it seems to me. But I keep my head out of the water, unlike MG and SW. I think we will soon need hats and fantasise about a flowery turban.  When we arrived the beach was entirely empty – though you could see crowds at Burton – but as we swim a few walkers and dogs appear on the shingle, bundled up in coats. They stare at us – respect? Incredulity? I no longer warm up in the water, at least not completely and I have odd areas of numbness and an ache in my shoulders and upper arms – but it’s possible to stay in, for ten minutes or so. And today the sun gently warms my face as I swim towards it.  Having stayed in too long last week – subsequently taking to my bed with two hot water bottles – I’ve learned my lesson and get out before my body temperature drops too far, a little sooner than I really want to get out.  We dress quickly and SW hands out little mugs of sweet, milky camp coffee – the perfect post-swim tipple. 

MG is looking forward to donning fleecy track suit bottoms post-swim. I wonder about giant fleecy baby-gros. Tomorrow the weather is due to change – rain and wind on the way – so this might be the last of these beautiful October days. Not our last swim we hope.    

Sunday 24th October, 11.30am

SW

As with many of our swims, it all started with a scream and then some pathetic whimpering. For once though, it was not one of us swimmers - we were all still fully dressed and toasty. It was The Mascot who, being a touch melodramatic, had nudged her damaged paw and decided to let the whole beach know about it. She was swiftly escorted back to the car to recover on the back seat.

A glorious sunny autumn day, blue sky, clear air and a calm-ish sea. Four swimmers took the plunge into waters turbid from the previous 48 hours rain. We had already gone eastwards along the beach to try and escape a small slick of encroaching scum - muddy run-off and best-not-to-ask stuff that comes down the rivers after heavy rain. Striking further out the sea cleared enough to enjoy the beautiful cool water. A few stabbing sensations observed all round which means it must be getting cooler. One of the things I love about cold water is feeling pains in bits of your body that you did not even know existed. It is also amazingly energising - whatever stresses or moods we arrive with at the beach, after a few minutes in the water all is forgotten and we are all incredibly glad we made it.

MG disappeared off towards the horizon while SW, SN and KH came back to the shallows. Since some of our members had to take to bed after the previous days swim we decided on a slightly shorter dip today. Drying off, the sun was out and I was barely shaking at all. MG made it back in one piece which we were all very glad about as although its a comfort to swim in a group, at the end of a swim we would all be hopeless in a life-saving situation having already spent all our store of heat.

Forecast remains good for tomorrow, October is turning into a swim-fest.

(Later on, looking down at the sea, and contemplating a second swim, but you have to draw the line somewhere....)

How not to swim in the north sea: Old Hunstanton:Sea far far away: 11:45

JJ

 

I am shamefaced at the fact that it has been 14 days since my last swim a frustrating head cold and work having got in the way. The last time it was on one of those sticky hot days which lulls you into the false sense that summer hasn’t ended and all those copper coloured trees and the morning frost are an illusion. 14 days later it is most definitely autumn, which I love by the way despite it limiting my sea time. But I know that my body needs to be regularly in the sea to keep acclimatized cold showers just aren’t enough. My camera seems determined to only show blissful blue skys even though on the long trudge out to the shore line, we are drenched by a passing squall. The tide even at this distance is still going out and I am somewhat regretting not getting here at some ungodly hour this morning to swim off the high tide. Even though my companion refuses point blank to even contemplate swimming I am far from alone today the kite surfers are out in force and are flying from crest to crest on the extremely choppy sea. I strip off my wet clothes and run in and wade out through the surf which is boiling around me an eye out for the surfers who are zipping along to my left. It is colder I can tell straight away but still not the sharp shock. As soon as I am fully under it stops raining and the sun comes out directly overhead I kick back into the waves facing the shore and It could be the middle of summer except for the growing prickly feeling in my hands and arms, I watch the tiny people walking along the beach, the swell is strong and I don’t let myself get out of my depth as I can feel the pull out to sea. The all over body pins and needles effect starts to get a little much so I pull myself out even the crashing surf not pushing me in but weirdly holding me in place, I am glad that I haven’t left it to long as I can see how quickly the cold is tiring me today. Scarlet and hot I take my towel and we walk back to the dryer sand to change. Putting on damp clothes is hardly ideal and I forgo the warming tea at the beach café to get back to the car, and some furry boots to warm my numb toes.  When to wear a hat is a question I am debating as well, I loathe the rubber ones but if it means it’s more bearable then I guess I will suffer it, though today some kind of flashing beacon would have been useful as I spent most of the time worrying I was about to be knocked out by a surfboard.