For our more intrepid or peace-seeking members who feel the lure of night swimming, OSS has published a calendar of full moons with sunset times. Claire Samwell got together with other OSS members for one of the first socials-by-night at Calshot beach in Hampshire on 4 September. Here she tells us why she thinks nothing beats a swim at night:
“I have swum in the sea at night time for many years during the summer, though have yet to venture in come winter. Night swimming in summer is, quite simply, glorious.
“It has an element of scariness that makes it stand apart from swimming in the day. When I say scary, I mean scary in a good way. There’s the thrill of risk taking and the excitement of imagining what is around you that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
“The sea feels warmer than it does during the day. Getting in gives me a sense of being completely enveloped and transported somewhere magical. I begin to feel truly free as the worries of my life are washed away from me and I become enchanted by the wide, wondrousness sea.
“A full moon makes the experience even more delightful. It creates a golden path that highlights the movement of the sea in mesmerising patterns.”
Note that there are huge safety considerations involved in night swimming so our advice is not to do it. And, of course, don’t drink and swim.
On the weekend of 8th and 9th August, a group of OSS swimmers met up in the Lake District to swim Buttermere and Crummock. We received two accounts of the weekend. First, our own Sarah Tunnicliffe, swim organiser and participant, records her experience of the two swims and her own personal mission. Second, Jeanette James whose husband, Mark, is an OSS newcomer, tells how by happy coincidence their 3 day stay in the Lakes coincided with Sarah’s swimming challenge and how a social swim can be just as much fun on shore as in the water:
SARAH TUNNICLIFFE: “Earlier in the year I decided that I would undertake a series of seven swims to try and raise money for Cancer Research UK (www.justgiving.com/sarahtunnicliffe-greatnorthswim09). Within this schedule, I wanted to undertake a personal challenge swim over a longer distance in the Lake District.
Well the months soon zipped by and on the morning of Saturday 8th August I found myself standing on the edge of Crummock Water with a lovely group of 11 other OSS swimmers to swim the return distance of the Lake (5.4 miles). The conditions were perfect – sunny with just a gentle breeze. We swam as small groups, enjoying watching the sunlight chase across the fells along our journey. At the halfway mark after 2.75 miles the group took a break and devoured the supplies of sandwiches, flapjacks and hot drinks. Then I set out again for the final 2.65 miles with three of the swimmers. It was great to have their support, particularly when I felt a little tired on the final leg – not forgetting, of course, the great support crew onshore waiting for our return.
Following a refuel in the local pub on Saturday evening, 13 OSS swimmers reassembled at 9am on Sunday for a 3 mile swim in Buttermere. The lake looked beautiful as we walked down to its edge, almost glass-like, due to the lack of wind. It felt brilliant to be getting into the water again in such a beautiful setting. As passed Crag Wood we could smell bacon being cooked by some campers and a few of the swimmers were very tempted to nip ashore for a quick bite! Luckily more hot drinks and flapjacks were waiting for us at the southern end of the lake. Following a little rest we set off back to the north shore of the Lake and the end of the challenge.
It was such a great sense of achievement to complete the swims, and wonderful to share it with such a great bunch of swimmers. In the pub on the Saturday evening we even began to talk of plans for a 10km challenge swim next year in the Lakes!”
JEANETTE JAMES: “With the impressive Mellbreak and Whiteless Pike silently presiding over matters, we – my two daughters, Ruby and Wallis, and myself – waved off the Crummock Twelve from the lake’s southern shore.
They’d only been gathered as a group for a few minutes – some only just meeting for the first time – but after introductions and a team photo, they were united in their anticipation of the swim ahead of them. Yes, there were a few pre-plunge nerves, but I could sense they were a supportive bunch all out to enjoy the morning to the full.
The girls and I acted as one of the support groups, transporting some of the swimmers’ picnics and gear from the start of the swim to the halfway point at the boat house on Crummock Water. I comforted myself with the fact that though my orienteering could do with improving, it’s quite difficult to lose a lake! While the swimmers had been doing all the hard work, by the time we’d driven down one side of the lake and reached the boat house we were only a few minutes ahead of them.
So what did Mark think of his first OSS swim? “For me it was the exhilaration of getting into the cold water and being out in the open in a completely different way,” he said. It’s also an alternative way of meeting and getting to know people other than in the pub – although it’s nice to do that too after a swim. The views were stunning – it’s a way of seeing the Lake District from a new perspective.”
As for Ruby, Wallis and I, while we didn’t get into the water, we still felt very involved in the swim and it was great to hear the different experiences the swimmers had. The girls thought it was a great adventure and got really excited when the first group of swimmers came into view at the halfway point. Who knows, they may soon join the growing ranks of OSS swimmers. I also picked up some energy-packed picnic ideas – anyone for a cheese and date sandwich?”
We welcome more swimmers tales – if you’ve done a great swim recently, please send details in for the map , and if you’d like to write something for news, send to news@outdoorswimmingsociety.com.
Sarah Tunnicliffe and Jeanette James, August 2009
This article by Kate Rew appeared in the Daily Mail on 15th August 2008.
When 18th Century doctors directed patients to seaside resorts such as Brighton to 'take the cure' they probably had little idea how many ailments - physical and psychological - would be linked to bathing in the future.
But at the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth, research is about to begin on the power of water to soothe our ills.
Through a campaign called the Blue Gym, which launches next month, GP Dr William Bird and Professor Michael Depledge, chairman of Environment and Human Health at the school, will track for two years the health benefits of outdoor swimming in rivers, lakes, the sea and lidos - but not canals or reservoirs, where the water does not move quickly enough to be clean.
'The aim is to prove the benefits of outdoor swimming and other watery activities, so that the NHS can use the outdoors to get people healthier,' says Dr Bird.
'GPs already refer patients to the outdoors through health walks and the Green Gym programme and we want Blue Gym to follow that.'
Swimming is one of the best all-round cardiovascular exercises, as it uses (and tones) all the main muscle groups simultaneously. A 130lb person will burn approximately 240 calories every 30 minutes of moderate swimming.
'Most people are slightly overweight and out of condition, which means their joints wobble and that can lead to wear-and-tear arthritis,' says Dr Bird. 'Swimming helps you lose weight and build stabilising muscles without putting a load on joints.'
The Blue Gym will measure calorie use and mental health benefits through a project with my organisation, the Outdoor Swimming Society.
Nature has been shown to increase wellbeing, speed healing and reduce stress and depression. While swimming indoors is relaxing, outdoors it takes swimmers into an almost meditative, rejuvenated state, which has a knock-on effect on major diseases.
'Chronic stress can be measured in the blood by testing for hormones and proteins we know occur naturally as a result. These chemicals are linked to heart disease, diabetes, stroke, depression and pretty much every Western chronic disease, including cancer,' says Dr Bird.
'What we want to find out is if taking people outdoors reduces stress enough to reduce the damaging inflammation.'
Cold water also has health benefits. Far from dampening male ardour, cold water boosts fertility. It also leads to a powerful release of endorphins - the outdoor swimmers' high.
Colin Hill organises the Great Swim (www.greatswim.org), which takes place across the UK this summer. He said: 'Cold water adaptation is the physiological response where, in the space of a few weeks of swimming, you expand the time you can spend in cold water and go from finding it chilly to almost addictively pleasant.'
According to studies carried out by Nasa, the physiological changes include reduced blood pressure and cholesterol, reduced fat disposition and inhibited blood clotting.
Because there is safety (and fun) in numbers, most outdoor swimmers tend to join events such as the Great Swim and societies such as the Outdoor Swimming Society. There are more than 200 outdoor swimming clubs across the UK.
One member, Bella Hughes, 47, took up outdoor swimming last summer. 'I am 5ft 2in, and last summer I weighed 16st and was pre-diabetic,' she says. 'I've tried all my life to lose weight. Swimming has been my answer: I've lost four-and-a-half stone so far.'
Bella has been swimming in lidos and rivers all summer. 'Being able to see trees, the combination of air and nature, makes me happy in a simple way,' she says. 'In a pool, you know what you are going to get. Outside, it is always an adventure.'
Mr Hill has more than 10,000 people joining his Great Swims and says the goal of taking part is likely to make health benefits even stronger.
When you ask what Bella is aiming for, it's clear how much swimming has become a part of her life. 'I'd really like to do the Lake Geneva race in a relay,' she says. 'It is 22 miles, so I need to lose more weight.'
Kate Rew
- Wild Swim, by Kate Rew, is published by Guardian Books, £14.99.
Swim with Olympians: join the Great London Swim on 15 August at Royal Victoria Dock. The first in a series of four Great Swims, the swim will be attended by Keri Anne Payne, Cassie Patten and David Davies, who won medals in the open water 10k in the Bejing Olympics. The swim will also be attended by Bulgarian Peter Stoychev, the fastest person to swim across the channel in an impressive 6 hours and 57 minutes, and self styled adventurer Julian Crabtree who is swimming every wave in every event, totally 48 miles.
Great Swims have also been planned for Scotland at Strathclyde Park on 29 August, Windermere on 12-13 August, and Alton Water in Suffolk on 26 September. If you are planning to attend these, let us know or start a discussion thread over on facebook.
The OSS is hoping to run a stall plus hot tub at all the events as a focal point for all our swimmers so please email us if you can help. We have two volunteers already for the Great London Swim but need someone who can take charge of moving the hot tub (you’ll need a van or roof rack) and a few other bods to help out. The Great North Swim is manned, but if you can run a stall at Great East and Great Scotland, please email admin@outdoorswimmingsociety.com. We will hook you up with another three volunteers.
Word is our favourite OSS coach Dan Bullock will be doing a series of free training sessions for all four events (to be confirmed). Watch out for news on the OSS homepage/OSS facebook and we’ll let you know when we know.
The OSS has many jobs for talented energetic people with a love of water, so please join our team! Many thanks for those who applied for the admin and writer role; we look forward to incorporating as many of you as possible into the fold. This month we are looking for:
- A Website Development Manager to oversee an overhaul of the current site, which is bursting at the seams as a result of popularity. The role will involve taking views of existing team users, writing a comprehensive document about work to be done, seeking and managing tenders and (hopefully) the migration of the site. The OSS system is involved with a map, database, shop and newsletters, and we want a system built for growth. As a not-for-profit primarily volunteer organization, the work, which requires considerable professional experience and skills, can only be paid on a nominal (or pro bono) basis, but we accept this is one of the few paid roles we currently need.
- A video producer. Do you have the skills to script, organize and make a series of short films? We have an idea that could give someone the chance to make a CV-worthy set of films, but need keen film-maker to arrange. Volunteer role.
- Spreading-the-word secretary (membership and marketing). There are 12 million swimmers in this country, and 5,000 OSS members, which seems, to us, a shame. If you would like to take charge of spreading the OSS word so many more people can enjoy open water, please send in a covering letter, a CV, and three ideas you have for driving membership. Pilot projects (if you have one thing you want to do in this area) are also welcome. This is a volunteer role.
All OSS volunteers (see the team page for the existing core group) are given the freedom to work independently and take charge of their areas, and will be part of a thriving team, and are repaid many times over in the thanks of new swimmers.
If you are interested in any of the positions please email admin@outdoorswimmingsociety.com with a covering letter and CV.
In Scotland, the right to roam also enshrines the right to swim, wade and paddle. In England and Wales, it is a different story, and one that comic turned campaigner Griff Rhys Jones wants to rewrite. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, he said: "I was astounded that 97% of rivers over three metres wide are privately owned and not allowed to be travelled down... there are 41,000 miles of navigable river in England and Wales and only 1,500... would you be allowed to go down."
Speaking to The Times, he said: "A river is, for all of us, a great spiritual resource. We are healed by rivers: they are wondrous natural corridors through the countryside or the town. That is their value, and if we allow ourselves to be pushed off them, we lose access to a great natural British marvel... What we all need to remember is that the river isn't there for a few, but for the many. Rivers have been a forgotten world for far too long.
He has also said: "I am a supporter of all angling associations and thoroughly respect the rights of fishermen to peacefully fish on riverbanks, but I am also a great supporter of canoeists and want to see as much access to the rivers of England and Wales as is readily available in Scotland and much of the rest of the world."
Griff's series, Rivers, is currently showing on BBC1.
Meanwhile, the RSPB, WWF, the Angling Trust and the Association of Rivers Trusts have joined forces to form the Our Rivers campaign to encourage people to 'adopt' their local rivers, monitor their condition and lobby to ensure their sustainability. Our friends at Caught By The River give us the lowdown on the initiative.
And OSS member Ashley Charlwood writes:
Amazingly lakes, rivers and reservoirs might not be acceptable to swim in or even be beside! Whilst the sea is definitely okay all round the UK, England and Wales are two of the only places in the World where there isn't certainty about whether or not the public can swim in non-tidal water. Fortunately the National Assembly for Wales is holding a Public Inquiry into how the public could and should use lakes, rivers and reservoirs for recreation. They may choose to follow other countries like Scandinavia or Scotland and create a new law allowing it and promoting it.
If you love swimming, or would love to swim, in Wales there is a simple request to hear your views. The National Assembly would like responses from a wide range of people by 19 September. This type of inquiry will only happen once in Wales, so if you want to know whether or not it is okay to swim in Wales make your voice heard and ask others to do the same. An easy list of questions and full details on the consultation are available here.
Last month we featured Portishead Lido and the work that local people had done to ensure that a much-treasured local resource could continue to thrive. This month, news reaches us that two outdoor swimming facilities are currently under threat: Hampshire’s Lymington Sea Water Baths and Guildford Lido in Surrey.
The Sea Water Baths, the oldest outdoor baths in the country, have been in use since the 1780s. The baths have not been opened this year amid health and safety concerns and reports of losses of between £45-50,000 in the last financial year. A special committee was formed in June in a bid to reopen the baths for the summer, but hopes for the baths opening this year have been dashed.
Locals have set up a facebook group to fight the closure which has attracted over 1,100 members. Town council temporary clerk Malcolm Leatherdale said he hoped the pool would be open for business next year. “Of course there is disappointment but I’m afraid that’s the reality of the situation.”
OSS member Janetta Harvey writes: “There is currently a council review underway that might threaten the provision of Guildford Lido. For anyone not familiar with this Lido, it's a fantastic 50m heated pool surrounded by acres of gardens. It's a great place for a serious or leisurely swim. There are paddling pools, water slides for the children, picnic areas and a cafe.To challenge the potential threat to this fabulous asset which has been in continuous use since the 1930s, we've set up Friends of Guildford Lido and are in the process of getting the infrastructure in place so we can act as a forum for supporting, promoting and enjoying the Lido.If you'd like to support us, please join by emailing us at friendsofguildfordlido@yahoo.co.uk or visit the Fans of Guildford Lido facebook page.
Anna Morell, August 2009
It's been a great summer in Oxfordshire so far, with a couple of weeks of amazingly warm water in June and some idyllic swims to continue OSS Oxon's challenge of swimming the length of the Thames ... in short stretches! We've also had swimmers exploring the Windrush with reports of some shallow but very adventurous sections swum, and the group's swimmers have been further afield with entrants into the pier to pier swim, swimming the Solent, and one going for the cross-channel relay! Most of us would have to admit to being a bit less ambitious, though, and plans for the rest of the summer are to continue exploring the Thames and hopefully link up from Lechlade to Goring by the time the winter sets in. An ambitious target, but I think we can do it!
The heady months of summer are a perfect time to swim in the heartlands of England - we've drifted along between green banks and watched everything from swifts to herons, grebes to kingfishers, and even some more unusual birds such as water rails at Farmoor nature reserve. Summer is the perfect time for lazy swimming in warmer water, just enjoying the scenery as you drift past. Do make sure you're aware of the water temperature, though - even in these warm months there's a chance to get chilly after an hour or more in the water and if you're not expecting it it can catch you out. Quite a few of our swimmers have discovered the benefits of lighter summer wetsuits for those long evening swims that drift on past dusk into the evening!
The upside of long slow swims, though, is the chance to chat and be social - summer swims are the perfect time to make friends and meet new swimmers, and discussion often ranges far and wide until you almost forget you're supposed to be making progress down a river! It's a good way to plan future swims - a couple outside the Thames Valley that OSS Oxon have in mind are to return to the Solent and to go for an exploratory weekend over to Pembrokeshire. Watch this space!
Tim Bond, August 2009
One of the downsides of a nice hot summer is the proliferation of blue-green algae. Blue-green algae can be found in all water types, but is especially common in inland water in the UK. Notable by its distinctive colour, if you spot any, do not swim in affected areas, and notify the Environment Agency. Symptoms of contact with blue-green algae (most typically from ingestion) may include skin rashes, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, coughing and pneumonia. Less common symptoms include headache, earache, swollen lips, pyrexia and rhinitis. Symptoms may occur three to five hours after ingestion, and last for two to three days.
A facebook discussion thread has been set up on the subject. If you come across any blue-green algae, please post the location to notify other OSS swimmers.
Anna Morell, August 2009
The OSS swim map continues to grow apace, with a dozen new swims added this month. Scotland is burgeoning, and clearer directions and locations to Scottish swims have now been added. Hazards are now being included on the swim map.
If you have local knowledge on any of the locations – for instance tide times to avoid, jellyfish seasons, sharp stones or flooding, then please do let us know.
The map is currently being appraised for an overhaul. If you have any suggestions as to how it could be improved in terms of design, layout, on-site searching and formatting, then again let us know. Email map@outdoorswimmingsociety.com.
Anna Morell, August 2009
After a horrendous crossing on the Scillonian III, I was quite happy to never see the sea again, but a good night’s rest and a change in sea state tempted me out into the briny. The east of Bryher is protected and ideal for swimming, but there can be a lot of boat traffic in the southern part of the channel between Bryher and Tresco. I initially swam from Green Bay to Kitchen Porth, but I had to be on constant guard for small vessels crossing to and from Bryher. As always, local knowledge is key, and after chatting to the guys on Bryher Boat Services, I quickly concluded that it’s best to stay to the north of the bar, from where the ferries operate. At high tide they use the quay, which is further south still. They knew I would be swimming early morning, depending on the tide, so kept an eye out for me in the mornings and teased me about my sanity on the various boat trips a holiday on Scilly inevitably entails.
The swim itself was magical, with no-one to accompany me except my long suffering spotter on the beach and a few great black backed gulls. Leaving before 8am gave me complete solitude in the water (the ferries start in earnest at about 10am) and fishes could be seen darting across the clear green vista below me, but unfortunately I didn’t get joined by an inquisitive grey seal as I had hoped. The kelp got a bit troublesome in areas, but I found a route around the worst of it. Hangman’s Island stands sentinel over you for the swim and acts as a good marker, but two smaller islands (Dunstan’s rock, near the bar and an unnamed rock on the entry/exit to Kitchen Porth) are handy navigation points, not that you need it in this enclosed haven. As you cross from Bryher to Tresco, the depth drops below you, but the bottom is still clearly visible. The water stays at about the same depth until you cross back to Bryher towards Hangman’s Island. The route I developed over the week is bang on 1.5km, but even with a wetsuit this was approaching the limit of comfort for my hands. It wasn’t heart-stoppingly cold, but that seeping cold that gets to you after a while and chills you to the bone. Gloves will be packed next time. This was early May, so I’d imagine it’d only get warmer as the tourist season progresses.
As an alternative, Rushy Bay at the southern end of Bryher is a good place for a dip with regular visits from grey seals. It looks like a good crossing to Samson, but I didn’t try that one; it’s always good to have something to come back for.
Dave Davis, August 2009
It was only when a friend texted me that I heard that the OSS were going to 'do' Burgh Island in Devon. I had wanted to swim this for a few years but hadn't plucked up the courage to try it solo, nor had been able to get organised with a friend.
However a couple of phone calls later and the friend and I arranged to met in Exeter to travel to Burgh Island to met with the OSS at 10am in the car park that over looked Burgh Island. We were met by OSS members (and somewhat surprisingly, a TV crew) and warmly welcomed, (neither of us had had any previous involvement with the OSS). Mike explained which way round the island we were going and all was set. From the car park the sea looked slightly choppy but nothing to concern us. All was soon to change.
As we headed off into the sea it soon became all too obvious that the swell had... er, swelled, and the rocks suddenly looked closer and bigger and the waves that were crashing against them brought thoughts of shipwrecks (I had watched Bear Grylls with my kids the night before and the West Coast of Ireland, the wrecker's graveyard, was glassy in comparison). The TV crew had now transferred to a rigid inflatable boat that was the same colour as a lifeboat and in my mind, they had become our guardian angels (they were from the Guardian) ready to pluck us out. However now was not a time for negative thoughts – it was time to get the head down and get on with it as commitment and calmness were what was needed.
After battling through the worst of the breakers (some were six feet, I am sure) we had an impromptu meeting to decide the way ahead. It was quite difficult to make any rational decisions, but someone stated were going to head between the rocks. Unsure whether this was a way to certain floundering, I followed into Cormorant Corner which did provide some shelter for the Cormorants but the rocks were now either side of me. Not to worry – we were now going to head into Death Valley (I only found out it was called this after the swim) which was beautiful although I
did give unexpected mouth-to-mouth to a very unwell crab (with was floating on its back). At the end of Death Valley one of the camera crew was in the water and I admit playing to the camera a little but tried to make it look natural. Time will tell. Another conference was held about the swell that was entering Death Valley by the exit that we were about to take.
Time to push on again. On this stretch it seemed that we had broken the back of the mighty Atlantic and, although still very rough, we made reasonable progress towards the breakers which broke over the rocks on the reef that was the gateway back to sandy beaches with kids swimming. As I got to the reef, I held a rock until the wave came and lifted me past the cameraman (again couldn't help myself) and threw me into the warm waters, the sandy bottom and from there it was a easy swim to the shore. I felt a sudden urge to hug all that had swum with me, no doubt like reunited shipwrecked sailors would do. I had done it and huge thanks to the OSS for the journey, it was fun.
Jeremy Wickham, August 2009
If you are undertaking a long distance swim this summer – whether it’s the three-mile cross Solent swim in July or the 21-mile double lap of Windermere in August – part of the preparation is learning how to cope mentally with the cold, the fatigue and the monotony. Anna Wardley is one of our Channel swimming members, and here she shares her tips for staying sane and safe on a long distance swim. Anna’s swims are at the extreme end of the spectrum, but the lessons she’s learnt apply equally to more modest swims too.
An experienced open water swimmer once told me that the challenge of swimming the Channel is just 20% physical and 80% mental. After my own cross Channel attempt and hundreds of hours of training in the sea I’d definitely agree. But for me, the deeper you have to dig for the mental strength, the sweeter the success when you finally get there.
If you swim continuously for anything up to 20 hours you will cross every pain barrier you knew you had, plus a few. The repeated action of around 36,000 strokes in a swim of over 20 miles results in extreme muscle fatigue, and your mind starts to shut down from the pain and the boredom. One Channel swimmer tried to eat a towel passed from her support crew to wipe her eyes and another thought he was being chased by a flock of hairy animals.
I first realised the importance of mental resilience for long distance swimming in 2007. I was away on business in Ireland and needed to do a three-hour training swim in Dublin Bay for my Channel attempt. It was early May and the water was still a frigid 11 degrees and teeming with jellyfish. I hate swimming through jellies and spent most of the three hours terrified, but I knew I might face them in the Channel. I didn’t get over the fear exactly, but I managed it by visualising a successful Channel swim when I’d be perfectly prepared, strong and ready to face anything.
“What do you think about when you’re swimming for so many hours?” is a question I get asked almost every day, so here are my tips for anyone who is planning to swim for more than an hour at a time:
- Have a plan. As well as a training schedule for the physical aspect of your preparation, have a plan for the psychological side too. Try practicing different thought patterns. I often spend 30 minutes focusing on my stroke, then I might do a recall exercise such as making an alphabetical list of all the countries I have visited.
- Get outside assistance. I work with various people on my mental preparation, including my trainer and my therapist. What I do involves pushing myself beyond my limits and it’s important to have expert support. I also practice yoga and meditation which helps me to stay balanced and calm when preparing for major events.
- Get into the zone. I listen to music before I swim to get into the right frame of mind and to remind me of why I am doing it. I listen to songs that I have an emotional connection to. One of my favourites is Labi Siffre’s Something Inside So Strong.
- Visualise your success. I find it very useful to imagine the whole day of the event I am training for from beginning to end with everything going perfectly.
- Stay aware of your limits as well as your goal. From experience, it’s a lot harder to get out than to keep swimming especially after a year of training for an event.
- Change your arms! One technique that always helps on very long swims is to psychologically ‘swap’ my arms for a new pair. I do this very consciously and it is amazing how refreshed and powered up you can feel.
- Find out what works for other people. Talk to endurance swimmers and find out what works for them; go on a SwimTrek long distance training camp or join an online Channel chat group. Their techniques might work for you too.
For more information about Anna’s swim and fundraising project, Turning the Tide, go to: www.annawardley.com.
Last year, it looked like Portishead Open Air Pool was about to bite the dust.
A Review Panel had been set up to investigate the costs of running the seafront lido after claims by North Somerset Council that it was costing £100,000 per year to support the pool, with each swim subsidised by around £14.
After five months of investigations, the Panel, which included the Council's Deputy Leader Elfan Ap Rees, recommended that the pool should close and the money saved should be spent on improving other leisure facilities.
The STOP (Save the Open-Air Pool) campaign rallied strongly against the proposals to fight the Council’s plans. Open meetings and public marches were held and the local media, led by the Bristol Evening Post, put their weight behind the campaign. After weeks of sometimes heated debate, the Council’s strategic planning and economic development (SPED) working group scrutinised the proposals for closure and advised that the pool should be placed in the hands of a community trust.
The battle had been won. The pool could open in 2009, effectively run by those who love it – a group of volunteer trustees – local heroes, as a registered charity.
Supported by The Bristol Evening Post, the campaign had grown in strength and numbers. In May, American host of extreme makeover TV shows, Ty Pennington, arrived to assist with renovations, to be screened as part of the UKTV series Ty's Great British Adventure.
All the publicity has brought the crowds flocking. Weather was exceptional over the first weekend of opening, and in the first week alone, a massive 2,000 visitors came through the doors – around a quarter of the 2008 season’s total.
The role of volunteers in the success of the lido has been massive. It is a thrilling triumph for the local community.
“The local community has been fantastic with volunteer work from designers, builders, electricians, plumbers, the lifeboat crew, local churches, accountants, doctors, local athletes, swimmers and other volunteers of all ages,” says David Gunnell, one of the five Trustees and regular user of the pool. “We’ve got a fantastic crew of lifeguards now appointed, and the reception desk is also run by a group of dedicated volunteers.”
Community is at the heart of this lido. It is run by the local community, for the local community. For everyone.
“A key part of our business plan has been to raise the pool temperature to 27 degrees so that it is acceptable to children and older folk,” says David – something they have achieved. The average water temperature was 22 degrees last year, with periods when it fell below 20 degrees.
“We want to at least double previous visitor numbers within a few years. We want to ensure the future of the pool for future generations, run it as a vibrant community facility, work well with the local authorities to achieve our objectives, and achieve financial independence.”
People of Portishead – we salute you!
The Trust is still working on site to finish the changing rooms, repair the children's pool (which had been closed) and to secure the site's perimeter wall. If you can help as a skilled volunteer worker, please contact the Trust on 01275 843 454 or email manager@portisheadopenairpool.org.uk.
Opening times and more information can be found at: www.portisheadopenairpool.org.uk
Anna Morell, July 2009
Last month we launched the OSS guide to planning a swim. The guide covers the social, practical and legal aspects of finding new swims which we hope will help broaden the types of swim our members feel safe going on. The guide is free to all members. If you would like a copy, email info@outdoorswimmingsociety.com.
OSS Map Editor Adam Smith took the spirit of the guide and threw himself, literally, into a rambling swim of the River Windrush in the Cotswolds.
Read all about his adventure here.
Want to do something similar? Share your adventures with us by emailing Adam the details of your swims for our swim map.
Anna Morell and Adam Smith, July 2009
Over on facebook, OSS members spearheaded by Clare Woodhead have been working on a Code of Conduct for outdoor swimmers – The Wild Swimmers’ Code – similar in intent to The Countryside Code. The OSS invites all members to abide by the code in order that we may be recognised as the passionate, considerate, safety conscious, sensitive and aware people we know ourselves to be.
The code is open to tweaking over the summer. If you think we have missed any points, or would like to suggest amendments, join the discussion on facebook, or email your comments to: info@outdoorswimmingsociety.com.
The Wild Swimmers’ Code
Consideration for others
- Be considerate of your effect on other water users such as fishermen/women, boaters, nesting birds. Be courteous to them and be courteous of their rights.
- Be as quiet as possible so as not to spoil the enjoyment of others.
- Keep a good distance from anglers and avoid their lines. Leave them ample room to cast. Pass by quickly and quietly, creating as little disturbance as possible and do not loiter in fishing pools.
- Encourage others to participate. Do not force them.
- Be considerate about skinny dipping.
Personal safety
- You are responsible for your own safety. Respect the safety of others and swim responsibly at all times.
- Plan ahead, obtain local knowledge if possible and follow any signs.
- Check the weather beforehand and don’t be afraid to abandon your swim if adverse conditions arise.
- Let someone know where you are going and when you’ll be back.
- Except in an emergency, launch or land only at recognised access places.
- Always swim with someone.
- Be honest about your abilities and understand your limitations.
Look after your environment
- Protect nature and look after the environment you are using, especially around areas of Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
- Do not disturb wildlife.
- Keep clear of gravel shoals and islands during the spring when birds may be nesting.
- Keep clear of nesting birds, areas important for fish breeding and spawning and salient otter sites.
- Do not pick up, uproot, or trample wild plants and trees.
- Do not remove rocks or willfully change or disturb land features.
- Be mindful of bankside vegetation.
- Take care not to disturb waterweed and gravel beds.
- Leave no trace. Take all litter with you.
Local conditions, law and order
- Leave gates and property as you find them.
- Do not trespass on private banks.
- Use recognized paths where possible.
- Keep dogs under close control at all times and on a short lead between 1 March and 31 July as per the Countryside Code.
- Comply with any byelaws.
- Leave the water if requested to do so by an Environment Agency Officer. Such a request will only be made where there is a real risk of disturbance.
Finally…
- Enjoy the privilege of wild swimming!
Anna Morell, July 2009
OSS members flocked to Parliament Hill Lido in London for an OSS fundraiser on 24 June, as we celebrated Midsummer with Pimm’s, the fattest falafel wraps ever, a whole lot of swimming and even more Pimm’s. It was so good to see so many heads bobbing up and down the length of the lido, many clad in signature red OSS swim caps. With Latin-tinged songs and classic pop and rock from two amazing bands, the night was a fantastic success as new friends were made and new swim adventures planned. Many thanks to all those who came!
If you have any feedback or ideas for future events, email info@outdoorswimmingsociety.com.
Anna Morell, July 2009
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Caught by the river is an anthology of thoughts, stories, recollections and experiences on (and in) rivers by a diverse group of writers who have looked into the green, flowing depths, and found themselves, well... caught.
Conceived by Jeff Barrett, Robin Turner and Andrew Walsh – some of the brains behind Heavenly Records – the music label which brought us St Etienne, Manic Street Preachers, Beth Orton and Doves (whose track lends its name to the title) – the book features music industry luminaries such as Jarvis Cocker, Underworld’s Karl Hyde, Orange Juice’s Edwyn Collins and the KLF’s Bill Drummond, all of whom exchange their rock n roll boots for waders.
On paper, it sounds like something written by a backyard Bono – all celebrities trying to jump the green bandwagon. But it isn’t. What makes it work is passion, and a sense that these people are trying to connect with their environment, their families and their friends, through their love of water, and their experience of it. Water binds us, as music does, together. It shares the same adjectives as music – wild, calming, energising, nostalgic, visceral, free.
The majority of this book is set on water rather than in it. Its writers spend a lot of time walking, paddling, floating and fishing around and over their beloved streams.
But beloved they are. You can smell them – clear eddies and stagnant pools. You can feel them – sharp reeds and velvet-napped weed. Sunlight scorches the retina and rain lashes the eyelash, as moments captured – from childhood to the present – grab you and pull you in to rivers vividly remembered.
This book is a stylistically modern take on the age-old tradition of articulating how our country’s waters inspire us and draw us in. It is, in part, a memory map of where we can connect with our waters.
And then there are contributions from the other kind of rock n roll souls – Roger Deakin writing of renegade Fen skaters; Cloud Appreciation Society founder Gavin Pretor-Pinney fighting pride with his pregnant partner in an uncooperative canoe; novelist Irvine Welsh recalling, as a love song, the decay of the urban rivers of his youth. None known for their music, but all sharing in the same spirit of free will, independence and energy, here exercised through water.
Rivers flow through land. But like music, they also flow through people.
Caught by the river is out now, rrp £17.99. Read the blog at http://caughtbytheriver.net/
Anna Morell, July 2009
Going somewhere this summer and want to find a swim?
A group of OSS members have spent hours amassing all their practical experience to put together a comprehensive guide on how to plan a swim.
The guide is free to all members. To receive the PDF guide, just email info@outdoorswimmingsociety.com.
The guide covers the social, practical and legal aspects of finding new swims, and we hope will help broaden the types of swim you feel safe going on. In return, please do email our new map editor Adam Smith after your swim with it’s details so we can put it on the map.
Kate Rew, June 2009
The body modesty that prevailed in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries inevitably meant that swimming – which it’s often said is best done as nature intended – didn’t enjoy a huge popularity. But as the 19th century dawned, and the Romantic Movement began, the mood changed. People were losing interest in the scientific and the rational; instead beauty, emotions and sensations were the order of the day. Nature was looked at afresh – not at something to explain, but something to experience. As romanticism took hold, water became a popular subject with the typically avant garde art crowd; and they were swimming in it not just studying it.
As a result swimming quickly grew in fashion and the next logical step was competition; if everybody’s at it, you either do it differently or you do it better. In 1844 there was a watershed event; an international race in The Thames. Native Americans took part, swimming a variant of front crawl that stunned the Brits, who decried the splashing as ‘ungentlemanly’. What their stroke lacked in grace, though, it made up for in speed, and it was a visiting Native American who won.
This race seemed to ratify the status of swimming as a past time that had a proper place in the world – something more than a British dalliance – because, shortly after, formal swimming clubs started to pop up. One of the first is thought to be the University of Cambridge club which started life in 1855. A land lover is recorded as describing how, ‘on sunny afternoons, crowds of naked undergraduates may be seen enjoying the doubtful pleasure of plunging about in the narrow muddy stream going head foremost through a coating of terrible looking scum’. The club trained in the river Cam, from their bathing shed base at Grantchester Meadows, where regional group OSS Oxford still swim today.
New clubs swelled the ranks fast, sometimes scrambled together in response to challenges thrown down by existing ones. By 1867 river racing had become so mainstream that a training manual was published by a Charles Steedman, whose somewhat dubious advice included taking medicine to induce vomiting, and meals such as a dinner of ‘a slice or two from a joint of beef or mutton, underdone, free from fat; stale bread, one or two mealy potatoes and a little greens; no pastry or cheese.’
In the late 1800’s the combination of an increase in leisure time and the affordability of rail travel made it possible for people to get out of the cities and into the country on day trips. Swimming had reached such heights that a law was passed in 1885 which expressly favoured open water swimmers. The Thames Preservation Act was specifically directed towards ‘the preservation of the River above Teddington Lock for the purpose of public recreation.’ Swimming events also featured in the 1900 Olympic games, including an underwater race and an obstacle course in the Seine, during which competitors had to climb over and swim under rows of boats.
Swimming had officially become a sporting endeavour and people started to compete against themselves as well as each other, testing the limits of their endurance. In 1908 Jules Paul Victor Gautier achieved celebrity status of sorts, receiving widespread newspaper coverage for his remarkable feat. Manacled, he swam from Blackfriars to Richmond (nearly 16 miles) in 5 hours and 37 minutes. One newspaper described how, ‘with hands and feet tied, he adopted a peculiar stroke, his clasped hands being drawn swiftly downward, while his bound legs performed a fin-like twitch’. He swam in reverse the course of a river race established the previous year, which remained an annual event until WWII concentrated people’s attention on other matters. We suspect that many other river races also went that way for the same reason.
Their popularity remained low in post war years, due to rivers having suffered at the hands of industry and development. Now, though, with 70% of them in good or excellent condition again after our environmental conscience kicked in, we are happily seeing the beginnings of a river racing revival.
As if to illustrate, the Richmond to Blackfriars swim that was forgotten in 1939 recently inspired a new ‘Great River Swim’, which has been going since 2002. OSS member Steve Newell recalls: “It was triggered by a summertime conversation in a restaurant by Chiswick pier, where some sceptics openly doubted that others could swim across the river. The race was set to go across to a buoy and back, at the top of the tide when the water is slack for a few minutes. After that first swim we realised that swimming widths was not physically that difficult but crossing a busy river could be a bit of a nightmare.” The race has therefore evolved into a 1km swim from Chiswick pier to Chiswick Eyot and back, on a quiet stretch of river out of the shipping lane. It is quickly becoming part of local tradition and the next will be held on 5 September. Email greatriverswim@blueyonder.co.uk for details, and look out for the OSS hot tub if you go along.
For more information see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swimming_history
http://www.wildswimming.co.uk/about.html
http://www.the-river-thames.co.uk/history.htm
http://faculty.deanza.edu/donahuemary/stories/storyReader$700
Madeline Willis, June 2009
Oli Pitt has just found a series in the Hudson river for anyone visiting New York:
“I’d been invited to a wedding in New York and started to plan my six days in the city that never sleeps. Idly looking at the map, my eye was drawn to the body of water around Manhattan Island. ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to swim the Hudson,’ I thought, ‘out of choice rather than due to a bird strike?’ Looking on the internet I came across NYC Swim, who organise everything from a one mile swim to the mighty 28.5 mile Manhattan Island Marathon. I decided on the Park to Park swim, which is on the day of the wedding itself. Urgent emails to the organisers ensured I could get from the end of the course to the hotel in time, so I paid my dollars (60 if you’re interested) and ticked the waivers.”
Wherever you go in the world, chances are the wind will carry one or two other members the same way at some point soon. Share your international swim finds with others by emailing them to info@outdoorswimmingsociety.com and we will put them on site. Our swim events lists are managed by Julian Cooke, a travelling swimmer himself.
Madeline Willis, June 2009
OSS member Nancy Sinclair from Dartmouth based Aune Head Arts has created ‘Immersible [adj. not susceptible to harm if immersed in water]’, a contemporary art project designed to remind us that human bodies are, in fact, remarkably well suited to being under water. From August to November she will lead walks, swims and paddles in the river Harbourne, and participants will be encouraged to produce a creative response to the experience. These will be showcased in an exhibition at the end of the project, alongside analysed water samples. See the Aune Head Arts website for more information.
Madeline Willis, June 2009
Anna Wardley is one of our Channel swimming members and has gone from an occasional pool swimmer to spending hours in frigid conditions. This year she is attempting the BLDSA Double Windermere Race in August and the Channel in September, followed by the Round Manhattan Marathon Swim next June.
Here she shares her tips on what it takes:
- Train in even colder temperatures that the event will take place in. This builds confidence and the water will feel comparatively warm when you come to complete your swim.
- Don’t hesitate over getting it – just do it. It’s never as bad as you fear it will be, even when the outside air temperature is sub-zero.
- Build up the time you are in the water. Start with just a few minutes, gradually work up to doing a long swim of one hour a week, then add an hour per week until you are close to your estimated event time.
- Know your limits – there’s nothing heroic about having to be rescued! The body can acclimatise to cold water amazingly quickly though. If you swim in it 2-3 times a week, within a month you will find your cold water shock response has decreased significantly.
- Although everyone has their own way of coping with the pain and discomfort, positivity and determination is crucial. Remind yourself that it won’t last forever. I visualise succeeding at the swims I have planned, whether it’s imagining swimming under Brooklyn Bridge or feeling the French sand between my toes.
- It’s survival of the fattest! Ensure you eat well if you’re planning to swim in cold water. It’s one sport where some extra body fat will improve your performance. I consume 4,000 calories a day at the peak of my training, cramming in lots of lean meat, pasta, fruit and veg, protein shakes, energy bars and malt loaf.
- I always have a hot flask ready for when I get out, but I avoid drinking hot fluids whilst swimming. My mouth and face are often numb from the cold so it would be easy to burn myself, and the heat would also emphasise how cold the water is. I prefer to drink cold isotonic drinks, which rinse away the salt water and give me an energy boost.
- Have plenty of warm and dry clothes ready to put on when you get out. Fleece lined tops and trousers are the best. A personal favourite for when I get out in the winter is a pair of fur-lined snow boots. A hat is also critical as you lose lots of body heat through your head.
- In addition to swimming in the sea, lakes and river, it’s also useful to take cold baths. This is a good way to acclimatise before swimming outdoors as the controlled conditions are much safer. Whilst training for the Ice Swimming Championships, I regularly filled my bath with ice.
- Lewis Pugh has proven that he can alter his core body temperature by thinking about it and this has helped him cope with swimming in extremely cold temperatures. In a recent study at Portsmouth University, my core temperature hardly altered when swimming in water of 12 degrees for an hour. It’s got to be worth a try.
- It’s important to keep moving in the water in order to keep warm. Ask your support crew to monitor your stroke rate. If it starts to falls significantly, it is a sign that you are starting to succumb to the cold. If you are unable to increase the rate, it is time to get out.
- Personally I never wear a wetsuit as I find them uncomfortable and restrictive; they affect my buoyancy and cause chafing. Wetsuits are not permitted for Channel attempts or any BLDSA events, but if you are going to wear one in an event it’s essential to get used to the feeling during training.
- Mix up your training. As well as swimming, I do a variety of cross training including running, cycling, core exercises and weights to increase upper body strength. I spend around 12-15 hours in the water a week, increasing to 40 hours when my training peaks.
- Don’t go it alone. Inform the local Coastguard if you are planning to swim for any length of time and always have somebody waiting to help you when you get out.
- Know what to expect. It’s normal for your skin to be red/blue when you get out in the winter and you are likely to feel extreme pain in your finger and toenails for 10-20 minutes as there is no fatty layer to protect the many nerve endings from the cold. Do not take a hot bath as this sends blood rushing from your core, where it’s needed, to your extremities. Instead get warm and dry, pop on a hat sip a warm drink.
For more information about Anna’s swim and fundraising project, Turning the Tide, go to: www.annawardley.com. Anna is hoping to raise £50,000 for three very special charities. “One of them is the Samaritans in memory of my dad, who I lost to suicide when I was nine years old. The others are Toe in the Water, re-inspiring injured servicemen through competitive sailing and Sail Africa, improving the life chances of Durban’s disadvantaged children through sailing.”