Chapter 3 Mission for a Medal

 Jumping the hurdles

Louise Bradley, woman on a mission.....to complete the Great North Swim. Had she put in the work, more than done that, she had swam herself to exhaustion on more than one occasion! Had she moaned....not applicable  had she cried definitely but most importantly was she still returning to the water and grinning....oh yes.

The Great North Swim was only one month away and there were still several hurdles i wanted to help her get over, the fear of what lay beneath the surface, putting her face in and fish!!! Could it be done, of course it could, it was just a matter of waiting til the right time to introduce it. Well time was running away with us now so it was time to start putting those fears in a box and sealing the lid!!!

So as with all of our swims i do not tell Louise in advance what we are going to be doing, no point letting her imagination run riot before she gets in. Today was face under, time to see what lurks below!

Ellerton is a diving lake so there is plenty to see as you are swimming along, but if you are not prepared then it can spook you, the first time i saw one of the boats i almost walked on water back to the jetty, i certainly would have got a pb if i had been in a race, now the things under the water rarely spook me but at the time nothing would have stopped me from getting as far away as possible from whatever object i thought was going to pull me into the murky depths.

Louise now a pro at putting on her suit was ready in no time, the water lovely and calm, the sun shining the perfect day for it. Allowing Louise to have her normal routine of getting in and having a swim round i gently maneuvered her towards the first buoy, i told her it was time for the next step. At this point reality stepped up and the look on her face changed to one of oh god don't make me. Now i am not in the habit of making anyone do anything in the water but i do have a way of persuading people to expand themselves, to getting people to reach heights they never thought possible, one of my motto's is don't just go for the goals you set in your life surpass them. And so by hook or by crook this lady was going to have her face under and be introduced to the delights of the underwater garden below her.

Telling her that she was going to lie flat in the water and hold onto my arm, i would then swim her over the object so she can have a quick look then once she had got used to that she could hover over it on her own with me by her side with my arm ready should she need to grab it. The first swim past resulted in Louise almost pulling her whole body out of the water she moved that fast to go backwards. And then the Louise strength that she seems to be able to pull on came through and although she maybe does not realise that she is doing it, she literally gives herself a talking to then gets on with it. Sucking in a massive lung full of air she held my arm again and we attempted it again, this time only the head powered itself out of the water, instead of gently letting the air out she had held her breath almost to the point of going blue.....but she had done it, shes had a look!

Now the head was under and she was starting to relax the front crawl took on another dimension, she became more streamlined, her legs lifted and she picked up speed. Not that she noticed she was too busy looking at the baby fish darting among the weeds. She was getting it, by adding another dimension to her swimming she realised that the garden below us is as amazing as the views from the surface.

Inside i was praying that no large fish pasted by us, i think she would have stood on my head and demanded to be taken back to shore!!! Thankfully they all stayed well away and that adventure would be saved for another day! But here is proof that she does in fact have the ability and can and still continues to be able to put her face under!

What an amazing swim, now it would be impossible to get her to swim for the rest of the session, all she wanted to do now was 'see things'. Her new found confidence certainly showed in her swimming ability and pretty soon she was happy to go anywhere in the lake to 'have a look'. This is a woman that never stops talking....but now i had found a way....face under....silence for a few seconds...but i must admit i missed the constant chit chat!

The water was warming up nicely now so we were able to stay in for much longer, this gave Louise more time to relax, to practice her technique and to master the distance. I already knew she would more than cover it, it was just a matter of convincing her that she could.

The following pictures are from the swim where not only did she comfortably complete the distance but went on to do extra!!!

Next on the agenda was to find some fish....big ones!! We would save that for another day and yes the fish were BIG!!!

Meeting the fish, well this came on a VERY wet and windy day, the air temperature had dropped, it was drizzly and altogether not very pleasant  But we had arranged to swim and swim we would, it would be Louise's first proper rain swim too for those that have experienced swimming in the rain it really is quite magical. Arriving at Ellerton we were greeted by the unusual sight of fish.....lots of them jumping and splashing around in the weeds, i had never seen this spectacle before. It was the carp spawning time...and a great time they seemed to be having too. Perfect, if there was ever a time to get Louise over the fear of fish it was not, rather than take her in the normal entry place in the lake we headed over to where the most 'activity' was taking place.

Body language speaks volumes and Louise at this point was trying to crawl inside herself and make her self as small as possible (shes only tiny as it is!). Hugging arms tightly to herself, shoulders about as high as they could get, we stood and watched the fish doing their dance of love.

As we got in and started swimming the gentle inlet of water became a downpour, oh well we were wet by now and plus we would not have got out just for a bit of rain! Heading towards the fish Louise's eyes took on an owl like stance, could they get any bigger, she was more worried about what was happening behind her let along in front, a good thing i suppose as it stopped her from witnessing the sheer size of some of the fish in front!  

Quick as a flash we were at the spot where the majority of the activity appeared to be taking place, Louise hung back, probably just as well that she did, underneath us must have been around 60 carp waiting to take their place on the dance floor. An aquarium of delight awaited our viewing. I would learn later that we were witnessing, common, grey, ghost and koi carp....there were a lot of them and that was only in one particular spot of the lake. This dance of love was taking place all over the lake! Having spoken to one of the fishermen prior to getting in we discovered that while they are spawning they are not interested in food and therefore would not nip or be interested in us at all. Huge relief as we were clearly out numbered!For fish that apparently would not be interested in us they certainly appeared to be, temporarily bemused by our joining them they came over to see if we were worthy of being 'danced' with, its quite eerie to have your legs bumped up against in such a manner by a romantic fish! but they soon tired of us and went back to their hunt for a suitable female! 

The rain by this point was starting to take on biblical proportions, at times it stung the face in its ferocity but on we swam round this weed filled aquarium, it really was quite special to see, the fish flying towards us, others meandering past but all large, a fisherman's dream but as the one that we spoke to said...pointless as they were not taking the bait in their lustful frenzies  It seemed that all around us a mass spawning of carp, a few lazy perch but other than that it was wall to wall carp. 

The fish realising that we were oblivious to their advances soon lost interest in us and so we headed off to swim elsewhere. If you have read the previous Mission for a Medal blogs you will be able to compare the pics from then to now where this remarkable lady (whom i am proud to call a friend and who has taught me as much as i have taught her) has transformed herself, just see how relaxed she is now in her surroundings. The fears are dissipating, the confidence growing, the stamina and fitness 100% better, the rate of development is astonishing, the strength she has inside is now showing on the outside, physically, mentally and emotionally. Its humbling to see!

So now we are only about 10 days off of the Great North Swim, Louise is more than ready, all we have to pray for is sunshine the rest she can deal with! It will be an emotional day and not just for Louise!!! Final chapter in the amazing journey coming up soon folks!

50 Shades of Blue

3.4 Degrees of Smiling

I love a challenge and always look for new ones, being on the slim side i have always cast aside the thought of winter swimming without a wetsuit for fear of the 'what if; syndrome kicking in. However the time has come....it has to be done. Seeing an event posted called the Chill Swim (http://www.chillswim.com/) i carefully read it, discarded it...then had a glass of wine. All of a sudden in my head the dismissed became doable as is normally the case. But can i really manage those temperatures sans wetsuit. Well as with all things if you do not train for them you will never know so 9th December 2012 with water temperatures at 3.4 degrees, air temperature at 6 and a wind temperature that was decidedly unfunny, a group of us met at Ellerton lake for the 50 Shades of Blue swim.! Although the air turned blue our skin came out a rather fetching red colour!

Getting changed took less time that when we try to heave ourselves into wetsuits...oh why cant this be a heatwave swim!!!! But heading towards the water which was a tad choppy the only concern was the wind chill factor.....and it was cold!! I wonder if there is a temperature gauge for windchill, it would have been interesting to see what it was. Not quite ready to go completely 'naked' in the water we had donned running trousers, and rash vests as well as gloves and socks, although these items would prove useless in those temperatures.

We actually got a round of applause from the divers who had exited the water and were standing around looking rather astounded at the almost naked forms walking in front of them. And as Kate Upshall Davis said it makes a nice change from 'Are you mad'. I think they made a hasty exit in case we did not exit the water and they did not want to have to call 999.!

Pat Maycroft came for the giggle factor and giggle she did! She was en route to visiting family so was not swimming this time....but next time Pat!!!! She encouraged us whilst wrapped in her many layers of warmth. Jackie Candlish fitting her goggles which she swore would keep her warm! 

Ian Holt managed the furthest distance with roughly about 600 metres under his belt, hes a confirmed non wetsuit swimmer training for the channel but that does not take away from the distance, the temperatures, choppy water and wind chill! The rest of us just finding our sans suit feet so to speak decided on a lesser distance....ok we just wanted to see how far we could do and for how long! 

Due to the windchill there was no waiting around chatting in the breeze, it was get in or cool down too much to be able to get in, thank the lord the sun was shining! A quick group picture to prove we are all alive, not sure where Ian was but i can confirm he was there and did exit the water alive and well. 

Getting in....was slow and painful, well for some of us, Jackie and Vanessa Christie got in with effortless ease as did Ian who actually dived in! Kate and I having seen the gasps and colour drain from the others faces took our time. The cold did not seem too bad but the skins reaction to it when not bathed in neoprene was a different matter. The feeling i can only liken to falling in a tub of stinging nettles, the thighs were on fire and shows no signs of abating. Waiting for it to dissipate even the tiniest bit (as if!) whilst i watched Kate doing her own gangnam style dance in the water to try to generate body heat kept the smile on Pat's face and amused me, if i had not been shivering so badly i would have loved to have got some video of it!

Right, before i started resembling a tailor's dummy in an unusual pose, it was time to start swimming!!! Oh god this was either going to be dreadful or down right fun!!! In the end it turned out to be a mixture of the tow, more on the fun side i must admit! (I can say that now that i have warmed up!)

Jackie opted between swimming and checking that her hands were still attached!!

Vanessa and i opted to just go for it and head for the 1st buoy, gosh that seems like a long way, i can  not tell you the comment Ness made at the first  buoy but lets just say i never noticed that part of my body feeling the cold until she mentioned it!!! We made it to the buoy and paused, the urge to carry on was incredible but being sensible we decided to head back to land...next time though!!! 

 Another group pic to show we were alive, and it was time to get dressed strangely, we did not seem to notice the wind however the sun seemed to be hot against our skin! Not unpleasant a sensation i can tell you. 

Even the showers felt hot, although i must admit were ineffectual in warming me up so will give them a miss next time. I am  now on a mission to see how many layers i can fit on my frame and still be able to physically move, the shakes which did not start immediately soon had me looking like i had grabbed an electric fence, trying to get socks on brought fresh bouts of giggles from Vanessa. Mind you we all had the shakes, just varying degrees!

Getting out into the sunshine once dressed proved that we are not the only ones shaking, the divers that were left were mouths agog at us! The hot drinks came out, the food (fab oat biscuits Ness!!!) and so did the major shakes, if anyone who had not witnessed what we had just done; seen us i dread to think what they would have though, most people just gave us a bemused look ...interpret that as ' you lot are bonkers!' But we had done it the first hurdle achieved, it does make you feel alive on a winters day to be in water so chilly, roll on next Sunday!!! Wonder what the group thought of my TRULY NAKED WINTER SWIM....will they agree!!! Oh and John (A John W Mace)....us ladies must find a way of hiding the cold!!!!

And to show that when you swim and its 3.4 degrees you can not hide your reaction....as the last set of photos show!

Til next week folks...and next week we will be wearing less!!! Well the socks might come off!!! Enjoy!!!

Chapter 2 Mission for a Medal

Once she starts there's no stopping her!!!

Given Louise's clear nervousness during her first open water swim i did wonder genuinely if she would return to the water after all lets face it, its not for everyone and there is no shame in saying actually no thanks.

But shortly after her initial swim she contacted me again, can we go swimming, the smile in her voice could be felt over the phone. Date sorted and call ended. Said say duly arrived and so did Louise, this time she paused for breath so that the lesson could start, and despite being nervous she took it all on board and as she entered the water showed that she had clearly remembers previous instruction. Heading off for the first buoy this was a different swimmer in the water, a more determined air about her, safe in the knowledge that's she could in fact make it to the first buoy and back, but today she wanted to go further afield. At the first buoy she attempted to put her face in and have a look at the submerged boat, a nano second later Louise decided that she did not want to see what was under her and brought her head up so fast i thought her head would snap. Breathing through every pore in her body, she listened as i taught her how to calm herself down if she ever gets that panicky feeling again, once she applied this she was off, second buoy she shouted, is now the time to tell her that with my earplugs in i can still hear most things but they are muffled!!! And off she went second buoy looming large.

Once there she lay on her back for a bit with me cradling her head in my hand for added support, while she again sorted her breathing (fitness would be tackled at a later date) and marveled at the sky and all that she could see. For a lady who has literally just learnt to swim she was doing remarkably well. Bobbing around....still chatting she rolled onto her front and took her first lung full of Ellerton water. The natural instinct of a choking swimmer is too grab a hold of some one or something to hang on to, now normally i will either approach from behind to support them or move away so that i don't get dragged under, with Louise, i just put my arm out and that was enough for her to splutter that the water did not want to go down and that she hoped that never happened again (Sorry it does!!!).

Fully recovered she headed back to the jetty, yep still chatting, but in an amazed way, i think she had surpassed what she thought she would be able to swim and quite rightly was pleased with herself. She was now looking forward to completing the Great North Swim, and i knew at that moment that by hook or by crook she would do it!!!

The next session was an eye opener for Louise, a lesson that the lake is not always calm, it can be choppy or become choppy while you are swimming. Half way through her session the wind appeared and it was making its presence known, the swallowing of water occurred again and again, and Louise started to panic. Now all of you know that swimming is not like running or cycling whereby if you don't like it or if something happens you can just get off or stop, you have to return to the side or an area where you can get out and so became lesson number 3, if you want to get out, you don't have to ask (yes she did, as if i would be cruel enough to make her stay in).....but i did not want Louise getting out in a panic, she needed to apply the lessons learnt and get back safely. A gentle reminder was all it took but then the hard work started, the wind mean that Louise's tiny frame was getting tugged by the waves in a direction she did not want to go in, dig deep i told her, pull hard, kick those legs, and slowly she started heading to where she wanted to be. Again at the jetty the release mechanism kicked in, Louise thought she had failed as she did not like the waves, not at all, its a learning curve and one that we all go through, clearly though she had not liked them but was not going to let them beat her. Showered and changed, it was coffee and cake time....oh yes she learnt that one very quickly. Louise is a very open and honest person and there is a lot to like, she invites feedback (good or bad), asks questions and reflects on her own performance, she can identify where she panicked and why, she can also see the beauty in the water and in what she is doing.

The next few sessions would be improving Louise's endurance and raising her fitness, again she took to it all well, amazing herself with each hurdle passed, she would do any distance asked, just so long as she did not have to look back at how far she had swam until she had reached the point where we would be turning round and heading back but her face when she did turn round and her astonishment at how far she had swam.

Investing in a new wetsuit which she now slid into gracefully and with none of the earlier shakes or nerves.....but still with the same amount of chatter!!!. Soon she was rising to any and all challenges, and despite the occasional muttering she simply dig deep into her reserves and positively devoured them, the transformation from the nervous woman that not that long ago was fit to pop at the idea of putting a toe in the water was  now berating herself when she realised things she could have done or should have done, but self reflection kicked in all the time and she would verbally tell herself off and then correct herself  and get on with it. But the smiles were still there, the chatter.....still non stop but this was a woman on a mission, to complete the Great North Swim and get her medal and T-shirt. I had agree to swim the race with her, i just hoped she got the same sense of pride in herself as i did watching her progress. She was starting to look forward to the 'big event' which was looming in the near future but there were other hurdles to pass still, would we have time, well Louise had the commitment and i had the time to make sure she reached her goal, it is a genuine pleasure to see her change in direction....indeed i feel she is already a life long committed fan of open water swimming and what a shining example of what can be achieved!!!

Chapter 3 being written as you good ladies and gentlemen are reading this!!!

Monster Swim 2012

Monster swim 2012!

Having massively enjoyed the Monster swim last year, i was over the moon to see it reappearing on the agenda again this year. For those of you who have  not yet participated its a race organised by those intrepid swimmers that are Swimtrek. Last year the sun shone, the swimmers gulped, the organisers prepared  it was amazing, even the weather changing and the wind turning the water into washing machine type conditions. This year would it be the same!

Entry fee paid, accommodation booked, now all i had to do was tick the days off of the calendar. I love going up to Scotland and you must admit there is something legendary about Loch Ness, will she come to greet us, will we glimpse her under the water! The answer so far is no she's not popped her head above the water but that being said she could be swimming right under me and i would not know the water is so black! Literally you can not see your hand once it enters the water even in the brightest of sun! The scenery is truly amazing and the atmosphere of the swim incredible. The organisation and safety cover is second to none with not a thing being an issue. Do i recommend it....very much so.

And so with the date almost upon us we decided to travel up a day or so early and extend the stay after the swim to make the  most of swimming in Scotland. The hotel were great, knowing what we were there for they put us in the Loch Ness room!

The morning of the swim came so quickly but the excitement came equally as swift. A quick breakfast and it was time to head to the venue, Dores on the shore of Loch Ness. The sun was already in the sky showing us Scotland at its finest first thing in the morning. The low light complimenting the quiet and calm of the lochs that we passed along the way. Literally mirror images of trees reflected on water met our eyes with every sweep of the road.

Tarmac rising as we climbed the hills towards the top, and then the view ahead of us literally caused us to stop the car and hunt for the cameras. It was simply breath taking and had we not had a place to be we would have set camp and watched the suns efforts on the mist laden valleys in front of us. I can only liken it to how mountaineers feel when they reach the peak and pause, it was incredible.

Pictures taken we reluctantly headed over the tops and towards the mist, convincing ourselves that we would head towards it and through it and the sun would work its magic and enable us to enjoy the magnificent surroundings once again.

Alas it was not to be , tarmac and roadside barriers were our only markers that we were on stable surface, Loch Ness which was indicated on the map (yes we use that old fashioned paper based version as well as a sat nav) was to our left but there was no sign of it to the human eye!. And thus it stayed this way throughout the whole of the ride to Dores, where it only briefly lifted slightly to afford us a view of people in luminous yellow overcoats directing us to the car park (field).

Wow, this could be one hell of a race if the mist did not lift, we were amazed at the difference a few miles can make. Retrieving our wetsuits out of the boot, we headed to registration and the water’s edge.

We queried the actual starting of the race given the weather conditions, the staff were as chirpy in person as they are on the phone, ‘oh it will not be a problem it will lift they said....oh and if it doesn't we will look to put it on later or tomorrow’. You had to admire their faith.

Registration packs in hand we headed to the water’s edge, it looked completely stunning, picturesque even. The water pan flat, the mist only affording us a view of the wooden pillars standing dark and proud. People milling around talking in almost a whisper, the occasional bout of laughter as they moved in and out of the mist. Then eerily it started to lift and as if too heavy stopped where it got to.  A bit more water on offer to see, and then all of a sudden the water silently started a swell towards us, oh wow was this Nessie come to say hello, to show that the water really is her’s! Nope a lifeboat slowly and slightly drifted in to view. Amazing how your imagination works doesn't it! Note to self, there are no such things as monsters.....or are there!

More and more people arriving, some prepared and ready to race, wetsuits on others like myself waiting for a verdict on the weather. Already i had a plan in mind if the race was postponed until the following day after all over the other side of the hills where the sun had already worked its charms there was plenty of water to play in!

I also had an additional problem that had been plaguing me for a while and had decided to make life not only painful but limited! I have a long neck, and before you say oh ok so what.....i can hyper-flex it...well i used to be able to but degeneration in the bones mean that its not as flexible as it  used to be and also the bones now move in directions i don’t always want them to go and they nip the nerves....you have no idea how many nerves there are til they get nipped! It results in aches and pains, limited movement that not only feasts itself in the neck area but also travels to your shoulders, down your arms and into your upper back, where the muscles tense to protect. Now i had spent this year desperately trying to protect the neck so that it would not pull its normal stunt but had failed epically. I had been in pain for about 3 months, been to the chiropractor, physio, doctors, had it massaged, you name it i had done it. To no avail!

I had be ultra careful when i swam but every movement was painful, i truly wanted to do the race but even the week before i was still needing help to sit up out of the bed, to dress myself properly, i made a phone call to the Monster staff asking their advice and if i could defer if i was unable to swim. To be honest their response was incredible, and the reassurance i received was indeed heartening.

Various friends who were also swimming had offered to assist me getting my wetsuit on, i was determined that if i could get it on i WOULD swim, even if it was one armed! And so standing beside the changing tent Geoff and Maybelle McKenzie had the unenviable task of trying to shrug me into my wetsuit, yes the tears flowed i could not help it even though they were being as gentle as possible. But after a fashion i was in it and zipped up. I can  not thank them enough!

Now would the painkillers hold on long enough for me to swim as long as it was not delayed too long then i was hopeful. The looks on Geoff and Maybelles face said they thought differently and that i was nuts.....but this is Loch Ness and the Monster swim i really wanted to do it.

Walking towards the warm up area, mindful of not getting knocked by other swimmers and nervous of the neck and would it let me swim, we were allowed to get in to test the water and warm up, the same effect as last year, despite the water being cool it did not feel unduly cold, maybe that is because i swim all year round or not i do not know but to me it did not feel too bad. On the plus side the mist was clearing as if the sun had said enough playing and cast her magic, it literally lifted before our eyes; quite magical if you have never seen it before. Even some sort of mist rainbow greeted us.

Those that were not ready to swim suddenly rushed to get into their wetsuits, the ambiance of the areas was  suddenly bustling and an air of nervous anticipation started to appear.

A quick dip to test the water temperature, it was not too bad, we had been told 10.5 but it felt warmer. From thick mist to radiant sunshire and the loch was showing us her beauty, to be honest i think most of us were silenced in awe of it seemingly endless waters. It really was a sight to behold!

Safety briefing given and we are eager to be off, normally i would love to have got in with the throng and trashed my way to finding a good spot but i was so wary of being knocked that i hung back, just as well as i did as there was a false start!!! Still it was interesting to watch the start rather than being in the throng of it...next time though!!!!

Everyone regrouped and it was time for the big yin to start, the water once calm became froth like with the churning of the swimmers arms and the frantic kicking of legs, in I got, it felt great, the neck and shoulders relishing the cold water as a natural painkiller. The first buoy came and went, then the second, virtually every breath i took i was aware of the safety crews watching over us there were that many of them (can't say i have been in a race where the swimmers are so well catered for!), those in canoes shouting words of encouragement, if only you could have stopped and said thank you to them ( i am saying it now).

And then it happened, from out of nowhere a lone swimmer not only bumped into me but managed to wallop the back of my neck with their stroke. Instant pain and a right arm that became numb and totally useless! Just what i was worried about. The breathing temporarily went to pot as the strength of the pain overtook me. Swimming one handed the head then began to play silly games, would Nessie see the useless arm as a target to come and say hello....yes i was spurred on to do the two armed swim again, but now i felt a lack of power, never mind, i was in Loch Ness, the weather was great and in reality i was having a ball.

The sun, however, decided it too would play with us, the furthest buoy was now not visible to the swimmers eye. Decisions....do i follow the other swimmers and hope they are going in the right direction or do i carry on sighting on what i think is the general area....a mixture of the two got me there. And then it was time for the home sprint....not in this case for me, it was more of a lollop! But the finish arrived and the grins not long afterwards, the staff there congratulating everyone which is always lovely.

Off to get changed and unusually but very much welcomed was a young gentleman asking for and taking instant feedback, very refreshing i must say. Feedback duly given and off to find my clothing, thankfully there were people to help me get the wetsuit off and the top of my clothing on and the rest was down to me. Dried and dressed and out into the sunshine, camera in hand. It was time to capture those grins and see how everyone had plastered on their face!

The weather had changed, the sun still shone (as it did last year) and the waves were picking up, thankfully all swimmers were in and either dried or drying off. It does appear at times that the loch has its own micro climate. And it was great to see some of the ladies from last years swim there too, Ann Middleton looking pleased with her time and the swim.

Another beauty of these swims is that they attract swimmers from all over Britain and abroad, most of home appear to be on Facebook judging by the amount that came over to say hello. I must admit that unless you are in a wetsuit (and the same suit you have in your pictures!!!) its highly unlikely that i will recognise you!! Its not an insult just my daft brain not recognising faces out of context!

One swimmer who brought along her 'plus one' (her Labrador dog, whose name is forever escaping me so every time said dog and i meet i end up calling her something new, i am sure this perplexes Jo but the dog understand my dotty nature!) The dog, we'll call her Amphitrite for the purposes of this blog, has as much of a love of the water as her owner and was in as soon as the clink of the lead established her freedom. Clearly oblivious to any chill she bounded in and out loving it as much as we did. Shorty after each exit she did the typical canine thing of standing as close as possible then shaking! But since her swim she has accompanied her owner on several trips to swim with us at our local watering hole (Ellerton), dogs aren't meant to be allowed into the water there by i plan to make her our team mascot so the lake owner will permit!!!

With time passing, and it did pass, its so easy to relax and just enjoy the company and scenery at the Loch, staff are in no hurry to push you towards your cars and in fact approach to congratulate and hear of your experiences, they clearly love the event as much as the swimmers. But soon it was time to head off, I had spied other stretches of water on the journey over and you know me, if there's water i will swim. Little did i know of the surprise that awaited me the following day...but that's for another blog.

Do i enjoy this event, very much so, would i recommend it, definitely  its value for money, fit for purpose and does what is says on the tin! See you all there next year!!!!.