In this month’s edition of the Outdoor Swimmer magazine, I was inspired by an article in which two people went swimming in a former quarry in Krakow, Poland.  Lola and John had a five hour layover in Krakow on their return journey from Jordan, and they took the opportunity to leave the airport and get an Uber to an old quarry for a quick swim.  What a fabulous thing to do!  It’s a great use of time; you get to see some of Poland, and rather than sinking a few beers in the bar, you’ve actually done something to feel proud of.  I resolved to try and do a wild swim whenever I travelled.

My first trip was up to Sunderland to visit my Mum, the perfect venue for a swim in North Sea.  We went down to Roker beach, where to my surprise, there were three lifeguards and a board giving information about the sea conditions.  There was nothing like that when I was a child!  The sea was a bracing 12 degrees, but I loved it.  I swam for about 20 minutes and then headed off down the road to the Glass Centre for a warming bowl of carrot and coriander soup.  

My next trip was to Suffolk, to spend the weekend at the Maverick festival.  We went early and camped overnight near the sea, where the lovely beach was slightly overshadowed by Sizewell nuclear power station.  It was beautiful hot day and the sea was much warmer than in Sunderland.  I’m not sure if this was the “Sizewell effect” or simply because I was further South!  It was lucky that it was warm as I’d forgotten my hat, towel and dry robe.  I did have my Selkie hoodie and bobble hat however, (useful for the festival as well the swim!), and I lay on the pebbles afterwards to dry off.  What a great experience!

My next trip is to Henley, but of course that is for The Swim Festival and a swim in Thames is mandatory!!