Unexpected Pleasure

You never know what you can do unless you try.

This week sees the publication of “Breaking Waves” by

Emma Simpson

a Substacker who I have had the joy of meeting in real life. I had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of her book and gulped it down very quickly. A book about grief and cold water may not sound like an uplifting and positive read but it really is a joyous book. It got me thinking about how I arrived in the world of “wild” swimming. I hope you enjoy my experience which is rather more mundane than the stories that Emma shares.

Sometimes a thing which you’d always dreaded and avoided turns out to be unexpectedly joyful. 3 years ago at the end of October 2022 we had arranged to visit my brother and his partner in Cornwall. They had moved down from Manchester to a little village on the Lizard Peninsula, only about an hour from Lands End, in 2019 and this would be our first visit post-Covid.

About a week before our visit, my husband and brother were planning a route for a bike ride and Mark happened to say “Julie swims every day so Helen will be expected to go with her-there’s a wet suit she can borrow.” This provoked much hilarity from my husband who was adamant that I’d never consider sea swimming, even in the summer. To be fair, he had evidence on his side, the only swimming I ever did was at the spa, indoors in warm water. Unbeknownst to them I had a chat with Julie and packed some appropriate-ish clothing, as I love proving my husband and my brother wrong!

So it was that on a cold, breezy day at the end of October I found myself shivering on Coverack beach with a small group of people. The sea was declared “bouncy but ok for a swim” and off we went. Well, the serious swimmers went off without a second thought, I lurked at the back with a couple of people who were less confident and we edged into the sea….it was by far the coldest water I had ever been in and I found the waves somewhat disconcerting- there aren’t many waves in a heated swimming pool. However, I got in, swam a little bit, got battered by the waves and after 20 minutes I was out and struggling into my clothes. I was cold, damp and sandy but feeling very pleased with myself for proving everyone wrong.

October 2022…those waves look small but they really weren’t!

The following day Julie and I repeated the experience, the sea was rougher, I got knocked over by the waves several times and almost lost my bikini bottoms but found myself wishing we lived nearer the sea so I could swim more often. By the time we left for home the following day, I had made contact with a local open water swimming group and was planning some river and lake trips.

That winter I swam almost every week, first in a local river and later in a lake a little further away. The joy of doing something so ridiculous as getting into icy cold water voluntarily was so addictive we even went when there was ice at the edge of the river. The following summer I swam in lochs in Scotland on holiday, even persuading my husband to give it a try, though while he enjoys an occasional swim in the summer, he cannot see the point of going in the winter.

December 2022 there was ice at the edge of the river, water temperature was 4°, air temperature was -6°needless to say we weren’t in there for very long!

Feb 2023 The only time I’ve swum alone in winter-I don’t think my husband thought I’d go in!

Then, the next summer I went back to Cornwall for a swimming weekend with Julie, the weather wasn’t great but we swam 5 times in 4 days in 3 different places. I conquered my fear of going out of my depth, met a seal, avoided jellyfish and was brave enough to swim straight out from the beach instead of swimming parallel to the shore.

July 2023, Cornwall-much warmer and with fewer waves!

Since then life has got a bit more complicated and swimming has had to take a back seat but I still plan to be back to weekly swimming at some point. Last summer I swam in Austria in one of the most beautiful lakes imaginable and that reminded me of the joy I’d been missing. The sun was hot but the water, from high up in the mountains that surrounded the lake was cold. It was so awesome that we’re already planning a return trip.

August 2024 Can you imagine swimming anywhere more beautiful?

The combination of friendly company and the physical and mental challenge of the activity brings a sense of invincibility- If I can get in this freezing water and swim then I can take on any challenge I face. However, I still am absolutely unable to jump into a swimming pool in case I get my face wet, stupid or what?

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