THE LONE SWIMMER - CASTING COUCH - PAULINE SQUIRE

THE LONE SWIMMER - CASTING COUCH - PAULINE SQUIRE

Like you do when there are a million other things that you could be and probably should be doing...i was sat on my sofa trawling through the open water swim groups on facebook, since its recent change in format its become increasingly difficult to keep abreast of what is going on in the swimming world.My trawling caught a fish so to speak...an advert for an open water swimmer wanted for a film. Eyes speed reading across the page...should i do this nor not...then Dan Grey from the.......swim group via chat said..go for it. So thinking to myself that they would have been inundated with open water swimmers applications put together a cheeky email sent it off and thought no more of it!

Yep this is the one that Jo Brand jumped off in her show!

THE EMAIL

Hi,

I have seen a request on facebook about a wild swimmer required for some filming in Devon and various other places, Dan Grey suggested i speak to you about it so here i am. I am 5 ft 6in, 8 stone 3, brown eyes, brown hair (curtosy of l'oreal!!!), 42 years old, and been wild/ open water swimming for about 5 years. Numerous races behind me and always in the top third of the woman (and occasionally the men) have wetsuit, gloves, boots, hats and a sense of humour...will tolerate cold water in response to promises of coffee and cake or even red wine! Love being in the water, have started a small swim club for open water swimmers to get people into the water and also write a blog about it (http://paulinesquire.blogspot.com/2011/09/bashed-by-buttermere.html), Hope to hear from you soon and like the pics

Pauline Squire

Please note i have removed my address....wouldn't want Daniel Craig knockng down the door...but not when i would happily open it for him! A girl can dream.....oh listen to the collective groans from the men!

Not expecting to hear anything i resumed my normal life...a week later, again in one of those moments to avoid having to do housework i sat down to check my emails and low and behold there is an email....now was i about to find out that i had won the spanish lottery (without having entered....or had i been left 3 million pound by some wealthy aunt in anther country (one presumably that i did not know as we don't have any family in that location! For some reason something made me open my unexplained email and at that point in time my heart was attempting to exit my body via my ears, nervously i opened it half expecting to it say thanks but no thanks!

But no that was not the case it said they were interested and could i be in Devon the next day to attend an audition....!!! WHAT!!! Hasty made phone calls, checks on the Internet for flights, facebook soon made me realise that the open water swim group is wonderful, Dan Grey and Bryn Dymott both made wonderful and extremely generous offers of lifts etc so that i could get there, aren't open water swimmers wonderful!. In the end i spoke to Emma who was organising the auditions and it was decided that it was too far for me to travel at such short notice and that could i send some footage of me swimming in the open water instead. HD camera (borrowed) at the ready and off i headed to Ellerton lake, the weather wasn't too bad and rather amazingly i had the lake to myself (spared my blushes) whilst i did as Emma requested....even footage of me walking...now ordinarily i just do it one foot in front of another...but all of a sudden i had to think about it..did i wiggle, sashy, slump, drag my feet, did my thighs look big, did i walk like a duck.....oh the dilemia's!!. Video's are here...laugh til you vomit!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM7dAHmtmos&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvxZCCP4-vc&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvjhDXVhdXc&feature=autoplay&list=ULFUrjKnBGP1k&lf=mfu_in_order&playnext=1

Hastily getting changed i dashed home to upload the video and email it off to Emma. Then came the wait. Do i post on facebook what i was doing and possibly make a fool of myself or should i just keep my mouth shut. So post away i did, better that i make a fool of myself i thought than someone making a fool of me!. The comments that came through were really heart warming and made me feel quite special.

Again normal life resumed and during another break from domestic life i checked the emails....with the words The director viewed your footage and would really like you to attend. Would you be able to come down to meet us? in it, double gulp, it was put up or shut up time. I duly spoke to Emma, who gave me all the details. Slightly confused i came off the phone trying to figure out why they were going to see me in a swimming pool!But there i was getting up at 4am on Saturday morning and driving down to Chelsea's National Sports centre, in London.

The journey down thankfully was uneventful, but did afford me the most wonderful sunrise,     what a wonderful way to start the day. Typical London traffic added 40 minutes onto the journey as certain drivers in their inherant rush to reach their destination changed lanes at will, forgot to look in mirrors or even that they had indicators...why is it that sat nav's don't adjust for this.

Thankfully we arrived in plenty of time to have a look at the venue. Entering the building i asked the woman at reception where i was to go, oh she said you will be in the diving pool. Oh i could feel a Mr Bean moment coming on, it had been years since i had dived. If you have not seen it here is the link on YouTube -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4cmrMJul1g

Before i could inquire further Emma glided into the reception area with her crew in tow, full of cheer and with a fantastic attitude towards swimmers.And what a fab bunch they were, very into what i was oing, full of questions and full of stories or their wonderful careers.   No chance of backing out now i thought.! Emma soon had us gathered up and poolside, there were seven of us in total. Now you know that feeling you have when you see a face and think to yourself....i know you. but can't remember where from...i was looking at five of those faces and thinking this!!! Where they doing the same i wondered!!!

Emma came to confirm details then wandered off to the diving area, we sat chatting....now given that the film was meant to be about open water swimming i naturally presumed (maybe i shouldn't have) that we would all be open water swimmers...but no, i was in the presence of the swimming elite. A pro diver (and trainee stunt woman), an ex pro back stroker, two Olympic hopefuls (for 2012),a pro butterfly and an ex Olympian and common wealth medal winner, one other woman who arrived late and none of us got to know oh and then there's me...the only open water swimmer. Normally i would have found this intimidating company especially when they started talking times (in seconds) for lengths, swims they had done, places they had swam, those that had swim portfolios, agents etc..instead i found it quite amusing that 4 of those i was sat with did not even realise that the film was about open water swimming.

Feeling a naughty sense of humour coming on, which i tried for all of three seconds to contain, i waited for them to finish postulating then informed them that the film was about open water swimming. Total silence!!! I could feel bubbles of laughter starting to rise as i desperately tried to keep a straight face. Well i thought to myself if i did not get to play the part of the open water swimmer at least i could make sure that i enjoyed myself today. For swimmers so knowledgeable about pool swimming they knew nothing of open water swimming. A nonchalent comment from my right brought the bubbles of laughter to the surface....'thats ok, i'll just get in and swim fast and it will be fine'. Trying to control my laughter amid the confused faces in front of me i chose my words carefully.. swimming in open water IS NOTHING LIKE POOL SWIMMING i informed then...still more blank looks. No nice neat squares of water, no sides to hang on to, very rarely clear water, no chlorine, weather conditions, water temperatures, fish and weed. Gulps from two of them, pale faces from several others!

A volley of questions came my way, one woman declared that she had just had her hair dyed and would not want the colour messed up....i hasten to add that she had turned up in full make up to do a swim film casting!!! Time to get changed...some had swimsuits on already so just stripped off...i can tell you it was hard work keeping my jaw closed as superb athletic bodies revealled themselves, one male was in particular was worthy of  a pause in breath!! The pain i was prepared to suffer for my art!!! Duly changed we sat waiting in the heat of the pool area....after the open water the air in the pool seemed stifling. Two in front of me then it was my turn. As i had already sent in video they did not need to see me go through the whole session like the others which was a shame, so i had to swim several laps, then continiously dive and swim round the divers who were filming me in the water. Then the final bit was to lie on your back while they photographed you.

Easy really, but given that we were not able to see how each other was doing it did make the nerves bounce around abit. Job done....it had to be said...there was a 50 metre pool calling me...can i ...yes they said so in i dived!!!!

The pool, both for filming and for swimming was unbeleivably warm, too warm in fact, one woman stated that if you got in at 5 am it was 1 degree colder...colder???? I was red hot, and it was that that drove me from the water. After getting changed it was time to say goodbye to Emma and her crew.  

I must say the experience was a wonderful one, i have never been filmed before swimming, not seen the footage but it was great to know that it was happening. Emma has promised to send over what they got of me so that will be fantastic to see. The organisers and crew were wonderful, interested in open water swimming and made it an overall exciting project to be a part of.Emma told me she would try to let me know by friday so after saying my goodbyes, it was time to get back in the car and head home..along the way...sunset, which again was a sight to behold!

 

Home, feed the cats and bed......checking the emails almost on an hourly basis in the few days that followed...nothing. Then i get the phone call, Emma, i didn't get it. Never mind, its one of those things, i made their discision hard to make, after all i have the experience and the back ground...but after much arguement (some apparently wanted me), they went with the young man who will have the part. Its not all doom and gloom though, this 18 year old has never been in open water so i have the task of getting him open water ready. Am i bitter, nope, it was a hoot and a lovely experience, tv and film is not an accurate protral of real life, the fact that i expected it to be is my own illusion to be shattered, it will be interesting to see that the finished article is like. Fingers crossed this young manwho as yet i am will not name..but who will be coming to my home to be put through his paces, i have between two days and a week ( its not been determined yet) to get him into the water and used to swimming in it. As for cold water acclimatisation well i shall do my best but those of us that do open water swimming know its something you don't get used to in a week, but if he can put in the work i will get him as ready as i can...and you know me i will blog about it!!!

Oh and a special mention to the team of Jetprint in Whitby (www.coast2.co.uk) to say thanks for reading the blogs, but now get back to work :) x If you wish a challenge can be laid.....a suitable design for the group.....and maybe a t-shirt or fleece/hoodie (size 8) for me to show them off, IF you are interested you know how to contact me.....just incase...pauline_squire@sky.com...i will give you details . Oh aren't i terribly forward.....but you know i will blog the product to death and back xxxx Enjoy this one  and let me know what you think....but seriously get back to work now !!!

Securing a new venue

Securing a New Venue!

Last year I entered a race..arrived at the venue to discover that it had fish...lots of them and highly visible!!!!! The venue was Capenwray Dive Centre, i could literally feel the fear embedding itself in my body......i can not swim with ....them. Used to swimming in cold dark water the thought of clear and clean really appealed, but now i was standing on the jetty it took every ounce of my being not to get back in the car and vanish into the night.

The lure of the water was too much though, with heart literally in mouth, i entered the water, eyes firmly on the little one inch fish swarming around my legs....the big one's i could just see in my peripheral vision, oh please do not let them come near me!. Breast stroking round to the starting point so i would not have to look down at was potentially underneath me, i tucked my legs up as far up to my chest as i could, the Jaws theme tune booming though my head. The chat and laughter of the other swimmers seemed to come from afar.

Before you could say jack spratt the horn had sounded and we were off. The first lap swimming front crawl was mentally painful and although my body was going though the motions my mind was on thoughts of getting swallowed alive by two foot fish. The second lap started and i began to relax into the spirit of things, by the third i was kicking myself for letting the small matter of hundreds of fish interfere with a race. My time i knew would be bad. But i finished, pleased with myself for getting over the fear of fish....that said i did not linger in the water long enough to have them come and say hello. With Capenwray being a dive centre the fish are friendly, they are used to divers feeding them, at that point i could not see the attraction.

The next race, i was mentally ready...found i could talk to other competitors without my eyes wandering in fear towards the water. The race passed off without incident.....plans formulating in my head as i sped round. Could i....would i be allowed to put on a social swim here....imagine not having to rush round unless i wanted to. After all i was used to the fish by now but other things had caught my eye in the water...and they needed further exploration at slower speeds.

Making inquires through out the year met with a firm NO, its races only, so frustrating......but nothing i could do about it. Did i want the hassle of finding timing chips and mats, canoeists, first aiders, additional buoys, advertising etc....not really, something for the future maybe but not for now. Then out of the blue, a phone call from a friend gave me information i had been trying to hear for over a year....was it true...i had to check it out.

Phoning Capenwray, i was told that due to the popularity of the venue and because of the number of inquiries they had had to swim there socially they would consider opening it up for social swims, and in fact the information i had been given before (baring in mind i had made numerous enquiries) was in fact wrong.....and i could have been swimming there all year round! Right, armed with this information the computer went straight on and the Mass Private swim was organised. This late in the year with water temperatures tumbling rapidly it would feel almost tropical to swim in 14 degrees. Swim organised i happily sat back...secretly pleased with myself for securing this venue. As long as it is open we can swim there, if i organise other private swims there, we could be accommodated and as we found out on Saturday, welcomed. Am i pleased....oh yes over the moon, the venue welcome children in the water too so these swims really could be a family event, introducing the next generation to the open water...fantastic!!! Now i really was looking forward to the Mass swim....little did i know how events would unfold to make it an really amazing day!!!...Look out for more in the blog titled The Lone Swimmer v Mass Private Swim.. coming soon!!!! This adventure has not ended yet!!!! So many swims so little time to blog...but i will get there believe me!!!

TWIN LAKE CHALLENGE - DAVID HACKWELL ET AL

TWIN LAKE CHALLENGE - DAVID HACKWELL ET AL

One evening last autumn, I got thinking what I could do as a challenge in my 40th year! I had

started open water swimming in 2010 and, as I'm sure you know, its addictive. Where the idea came from, who knows but it went like this- "To swim the two highest lakes in England and Wales in 12hours"..... This initially seemed a relatively easy thing to do, drive to Wales, have a swim, drive to England and have a swim. A few days later and a bit of googling, the two lakes in question are Llyn Llyffant and Malham Tarn. approximatley 150 miles between the lakes. No problem. That was the thought until I got the Ordnance map out...!

The nearest parking for Llyn Llyffant was 7.5Km away with and accent of 450m So the challenge was set.

I invited anyone who I thought mad enough through a Facebook Event page and surprise surprise there were a few takers.

So the day was set, meet at the carpark in Wales for 9.00 a quick stroll, swim, stroll then over to Malhan (Yorkshire) for 5.30 a quick stroll (this was only about 500m) then a swim across the tarn and back. Challenge complete.

The day arrived, and 8 of us (6 swimmers, Me, Alan, Jo, Paul, Pete and Ray 2 dry people Adam and Derek) plus two dogs set of up Snodonia national park.

The weather started a little windy (!) but clear until we were a mile or so into the walk.

The clouds started to come down, the tops of the mountains appeared then disappeared. The wind now was gusting where you needed to stop walking to ensure you weren't blown off your feet! the walk was an easy stroll right upto about 2K away from the lake then the climb started and the path disappeared. Under foot was a constant mossy bog but luckily the wind was blowing us up. A few stops and a few "next ridge and we'll be there", Llyn Llyffant came into view. Not the most awe- inspiring lake, more like an overgrown puddle, but a lake it is.

Now the winds howling and cold, so shelter is found (well we hid behind a few rocks) to get

changed into our swimming attire. In we go, F##K! its freezing, I swam across the lake then back, no longer than a couple of minutes and that was enough to loose the feeling in my feet fpr the next 2 hours. As the last are swimming back the clouds came down and we couldn't see the other side which was only 50m away. Getting dressed in a gale and in pouring rain is no fun.

The trip back down the mountain was, to say the least, a wet one! the rain came down constantly and horizontally all the way back to the car. Back at the car it was time for another change as we were all now as wet as we were when swimming.

An uneventful drive the 150 miles to yorkshire, where we met up with 7 more OSS's (Nez, Sam, Jessica, Neil, Victoria, Jenny and Joy) who were joining us for a swim in Malham Tarn. The weather cleared up and we all got changed again! and then marched of across the fields to the tarn, a spectical to be seen, 12 neoprene clad nutters walking through a field of cows!

In to the tarn and to the 6 of us who had just done Llyn Llyffant is was like a warm bath!

A great swim in a lovely lake. crystal clear waters, a bit of a chop and in all we swam around

1.5Km. A quick change then to the local public house for a well deserved drink.

Aky.

Hmm Saw this email about swimming 2 lakes in a day from some bloke on face book.. Although I new Ii wouldn't do both i thought the Welsh lake sounded good.. so I signed up & then forgot all about it... a few weeks later a reminder email requesting my presence at some remote car park in theSnodownia National Park reminded me that I had signed up.. at this point i thought how do i get out of this.. Self Harming.. some limp excuse... i tried both but in the end fate made me go.. So Saturday morning 7am I awoke, packed my bag, grabbed the sat nav & off i set.. Still in a sleepy state on the motorway a convoy overtook me filled with face i half recognized from the last swim I had signed up to.. 2 hours later after driving up several mountain paths & through numerous farm gates we arrived at a car park that looked more like a set from star wars and as baron as Tatooine.

Oh well, at least there were a few of us. So after re introducing our selves and a couple of photos to mark the event.. off we set.. just a 7km walk to Llyn Llyffant.. the Narvana of Welsh swimming.. So off we set.. It was a little over cast & a bit windy but i thought the sun would soon break out and shine on us.. (as it does on the richious..)

Several minutes in I realised this was no easy mission & back pack full of chicken sandwiches & flask of coffee may be required (note to self.. don't eat all at once).. also i looked at my clothing & hoped it would be sufficient if we wandered off course.. any upwards on onwards. I had my new sat nav.. what could go wrong.. an hour in and i realised we as a group) only had a rough idea of where the lake lay & I would be relying upon my sat nav to guide me in.. any way.. how could you not find a lake? A couple of hours in now & the group had split.. pathfinders to the front & the rest chatting & and following.. I was near the front & thinking I was close split to go round a rather large rock.. wh'en i came out the other side my fellow front man was wet from the waist down... he had slipped into a bog.. phew i thought.. glad that wasn't me... minutes later we discovered a small puddle.. hope that's not it.. so we kept looking.. suddenly. the mist came in .. visibility down to 5 meters.. when it cleared we had found Llyn Llyffant. haragh. some what of a anti climax may I add. Thinking I should go back & let the others know i turned about and set off. Suddenly i was neck deep in a bog.. panicking i managed to get out but I was soaked from head to tow.. even my Iphone took a soaking.. However, I managed to get out and save myself and warn the others.. 10 minutes later we were all at the LLyn.. to say it was small- uninviting & cold are some what of an understatement.. although Aky the organiser seemed over joyed.. (he had tried 3 times previously to find this jewel in the welsh mountains.) Before we knew it the rain had started..never mind.. we are going swimming. without a word people were stripping & changing into wet suits.. Within minutes Wales had what seemed like a new found Seal Colony..and everyone was heading to the water.. instead of the usual Seal noises all one could hear was F**k its cold & Jesus Christ.

I though all this way & we are about to witness a rebellion.. However.. the True Grit of the team shone through & one by one we held our nerve & got in to swim.. well errm crawl as the water only proved to be around a foot or so deep.. within minutes though we were all in and all out as it was possibly the coldest water on Planet Earth. So out we got.. and now in the pouring, wind driven horizontal rain we tried to dry down, change back into out clothes. Mine.. were just as wet as my wet suit after almost drowning in the Bog.. So a quick cup of coffee & a sandwich and we set off back.. Jubilant that we had managed to swim.. The journey back was almost as hard as the journey up.. The wind, rain and absolute misery of coming down the mountain in those conditions was horrendous. I am sure if it wasn't for the fortitude & the fact we were all volunteers you would have seen grown men cry & send up the distress flares to see if Air - Sea rescue could send young Prince William to save us. After another 2 hours we made the track to the cars.. warmth once again filled our hearts that this epic journey was about to end. (well for me it was) the rest would have to pack up & drive to the next lake. For me.. it was 2 hours in my car.. sat in wet clothing on a wet drivers seat before I was home..

All in all a great day out. Thanks to Mr "Aky" for arranging & thanks to all who took part for the company & an experience that no other will ever have.. A true Wild Swimming Expedition"

Alan.

When you circulated immediately is was a yes! Two swims in one day would always be a yes.

Tunnel vision then kicked in and I did not read the small print i.e. 15K walk up and down the side of a mountain. A phenomenal challenge hiking to the first piece of water and a fusion of feelings from anti climax to utter exhilaration. The lake was small than expected, visually it looked fantastic. The weather was as wild as a Heathcliff scene from Wuthering Heights, we were all soaked and wind swept and the climb was steep, I remember repeatedly saying 'are we there yet' like I had regressed to being 5 yrs old..it was tough and exhausting but exhilarating.

The swim was quick as it was very cold/windy and clouds were coming down which brought

torrential rain with them. I was first to have wetsuit on and stood in the water, it was frozen must have been c6c, given the air temp I was a bit panicky that I may get hypothermia when getting out..it took some time and cajoling to get me in and swim..I did and pleased that I did.

The journey back was quick and the food was eaten fast too as I tried to get warm and somehow

dry. I forgot that I put my jeans/cords in a plastic bag..when I came to wash them some days later they were soaking still..I could still squeeze water out of them! The journey to next swim required sleep..which was achieved..thank you Aky for driving.
Malham tarn again was phenomenal. We arrived being the only car in the car park..before long there were maybe 8 cars? 12 people swam the 2K swim in c12c fantastic...high fives all round and then off for a well earned two glasses of red wine

Fantastic...what an achievement and the only woman..yes yes

Jo.

Firstly, although I enjoy the beach and water - I’m a terrible swimmer.

I was first introduced to open water swimming during a training course many months ago. Although I like swimming, I get bored very easily in our local swimming pool finding it repetitive and sore on the eyes. My friend told me about a ‘meet’ at Hatchmere one evening, and the date was set....

After managing to swim to the other side of the mere, I soon heard myself gargling the immortal words... ‘ah’. It transpires that there is actually no where to get out on the otherside, and I had to tread water for a few minutes and then swim back... quite different from the 20m lengths that your body accustoms to in the local pool! I don’t believe Hatchmere is the cleanest of mere’s – but what an amazing and refreshing change from the chlorine and veruca ridden swimming pools!

After several more swims in Hatchmere and Pickmere, the local ring leader ‘Dave Aky’, a fearsome fellow ;-) suggested a ‘twin lake’ challenge, which came across as a most appealing adventure,  especially as I don’t get chance to do much swimming.

The walking element was about 7km to the highest lake in Wales, albeit the blustery weather

conditions made it a challenge! The clouds soon came in the and weather changed... as we walked higher, the temperature drops were, rather rapid. At the same time, the scenery was amazing and the air ‘fresh’. Unknown to me the bright green lush grass in some parts turned out to be a ‘bog’, and I soon found myself in slush to my waist, not evening have time to take in what happened... (note to self - if I repeat this type of adventure, don’t stray alone)!

The tallest lake in Wales wasn’t a lake that day.... quite small, but never the less inviting purely

because of the challenge. Teeth chattering, I quickly put my shorty wetsuit, took a breath and

entered the water (note to self – get around to buying a full wet suit). A short swim across the water, and we were out. Changed – hot coffee, and walking back down to the cars. The walk down seemed further this time walking down having to steady ourselves, coupled with hurricane type wind and rain.

Thankfully I didn’t have to drive to Malhan Tarn.

Back into my ‘shorty’ wetsuit and straight in the water.... ice cold. I headed off across the lake, and was soon overtaken by everyone else. Not being the greatest swimmer, I can only manage short spurts of front crawl and having to rely on breast stroke. However, my swimming is improving largely down to the open water swimming. As I swam alone I notice that the large manor type house on the hill adjacent to the lake didn’t seem to move... hmmm... not a good sign that I was making progress!

Just as the other side started to come into distance I started to spy a ‘way out’, and planned to walk back being, well, exhausted. However, as I reached the other side – everyone else started swimming back... ahh. As I treaded water for a short time, one of the tribe (props to Ray ‘the Dolphin’) offered to swim back with me.. How could I refuse? It felt like I had my own Dolphin at hand, encouraging me to swim and keeping an eye on me too.

My hands were grey and orange with the cold (or was that my vision?)... not appealing to everyone, but I never really noticed or cared for it, as I was enjoying myself so much. Despite the obvious exhaustion, I felt exhilarated with the achievement.

In short, fantastic time with fantastic company. Damn good exercise in the open, and a great way to enjoy swimming.

Paul.

It seemed like a good idea at the time, sat cosy and warm in front of a laptop, when I agreed to join

David “Aky” and bunch of like-minded outdoor swimmers for his “Twin Lake Challenge”: an

attempt to swim in the highest lakes in Wales and England (Llyn Llyffant and Malham Tarn,

respectively). Two months later though, with eight of us gathered one May morning in a remote carpark in Snowdonia – the starting point for the first leg, the 7km trek up to Llyn Llyffant – buffeted by a persistent chilly wind, and with ominously dark clouds lurking nearby, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one feeling a little uncertain. This was definitely going to be an adventure!

The ascent to Llyn Llyffant was challenging, through a landscape of a spectacular and desolate beauty featuring huge walls, abandoned slate works, hidden bog puddles, and fragments of a WWII plane wreck. With increasingly grim determination we finally reached our objective a few hours later, and were rewarded with a striking sight –

a small lake with clear cold water rippled by the wind, and surrounded by rocks surreally peppered with more wreckage (including an engine and a wheel). We quickly changed into our wetsuits and with some trepidation (as least for me!) made our way into the icy water: the bottom of the lake seemed to consist of thick boggy mud over uneven rocks, and I felt my exposed hands and feet turn to blocks of ice almost immediately as I managed to breaststroke a width of the lake. Other hardier souls were able to stay in longer, but it was enough for me to say that I’d swum in the highest lake in Wales – made even more special by its remoteness and all the effort taken to get there.

There wasn’t much time to savour our achievement however – almost as soon as we got out of the

water the rain started, and the hike back was a gloriously miserable affair as we got wetter and

wetter (more than when we were in the lake, even). No time to dwell on it though once we reached the carpark again – we still had another lake to get to! So began the long dash cross-country to Yorkshire, picking up more outdoor swimmers along the way before we arrived at the second lake: Malham Tarn.

Malham was a real contrast to Llyn Llyffant – a much bigger body of water, but more easily

accessible just a short walk across a field from a carpark – and perhaps seemed a little ordinary after the adventure we’d had earlier in Wales. Still there was good swimming to be had here – the water again cold but beautifully clear, with the rocky lake bottom visible beneath and trees lining the more distant lakesides; and while the sky was overcast the rain held off long enough for our pod of 15 or so swimmers to get a good long swim.

My favourite memories include chasing after a crowd of bobbing coloured swim hats (I’m not a fast swimmer); continually mistaking two pillars at the lakeside on the way back for two non-swimmers who’d come along with us; and leaving the water at the end through what felt like hundreds of “British Gas Great Swim” flip-flops, temporary abandoned by people when they’d first got in.

And then that was it – shivering as I ran back to the parked car, struggling into my warm dry

clothes, and feeling the satisfaction of completing the challenge. Gathering in a pub nearby we were finally able to relax and reflect on our achievement. It might look like madness from the outside, but for me it’s during experiences like this that life seems to be at its most colourful. Thanks to Hacky and everyone else who made it such a fantastic day in so many ways: I know that the vivid memories of the Twin Lake Challenge – and Llyn Llyffant in particular – will stay with me for a life-time.

Pete.

When Dave mentioned the idea of a twin lake challenge I thought sounds like fun and a good

challenge. So accepted thinking it will be a pleasant day out on a balmy warm spring May day.

When the day arrived it was a cool overcast windy morning, we then set off for out first challenge into the Snowdonia national park, as we started our ascent the wind began to gain momentum accross boggy typical snowonia terrain, the mist and clouds came down and the rain started and temperature dropped. Due to the weather conditions the ascent seemed more like 20k that 7.5k. We finally arrived at Llynn Lyffant which I must say was small and uninviting with the exception of the wreck of a crashed aeroplane my son Adam found fascinating,first in the water was pippa the dog who was glad to escape from the lead! The rain began to increase and wind really blow, time for our first swim! to say it was cold and miserable is an understatement, however did not curb our enthusiasm and we duly completed the first part of the challenge into the water circa 5 degrees,  shallow, boggy therefore quick swim across then out and dressed as quickly as possible.

By this time the wind and rain were blowing sideways. Had a quick cuppa and soggy sandwich and back down the mountain in gale force and stormy conditions. There is something eerily beautiful about Snowdonia in such conditions, makes one feel small and insignificant amongst the regal yet foreboding mountains. After a slog down the mountain we finally arrived back to the warm and dry car.. After a quick change of clothes we were off up to Malham Tarn amongst the glaciated valleys and limestone pavements of North Yorkshire. Early evening by the time we arrived therefore very few people around however a herd of cows looked on disdainfully and confused at these beings dressed in rubber walking across their field. We then had a lovely swim across the tarn and back circa 2k. The tarn was positively balmy by comparison the llyn llyfant and lovely lake to swim with stunning views from the lake in all directions. Our challenge complete we were all tired but elated so decided to finish off the evening for a pint/glass in Malham and shared our experiences of the day. The challenge complete to round off the day stopped at a traditional chip shop near clitheroe for a traditional fish and chippy supper complete with mushy peas! A memorable day, great company and unique challenge.

Ray.

All in all a great day, our pioneering, epic, never done before, stupid challenge was completed.

The last word.....is always mine, a while i begged, pleaded, demanded.....well you get the picture for people to add to the growing list of blogs so that people the world round can see the amazing place we swim in, the wonderful friendships that are forms, and in the hope that it will inspire one and all to join in, this blog is a fantastic example of just that, the swims look soooo tempting, the people i hope to swim with one day, on their home turf and ours. Thanks so much for the blog and any more please feel free to submit them. LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING OF YOUR OTHER ADVENTURES .....WHICH SOUND LIKE THEY WILL BE PLENTIFUL!!!!