Dear fellow swimmers
A big shout-out this week to the Pevensey Plungers. On Easter Sunday, we did a family trip to Pevensey. We arrived at the beach at 9am, which, coincidentally, is the time the Pevensey Plungers plunge.
I’d never been to Pevensey before. When I stepped out of the car, the wind was tearing up the
English Channel, churning up the sea. The tide was far out. It was a long and uninviting walk across the pebbles to the water, and an even less inviting wade through the shallows to reach water deep enough for swimming. I might have gone directly to the beach café for breakfast if I hadn’t seen a large group of people entering the water. Seeing other people swimming is both motivational and reassuring. It helps you feel normal, rather than eccentric.
Often the most exhilarating swims happen on the days when it’s hardest to get into the water. This was one of them. A couple of the Pevensey Plungers pointed us in the best direction to enter the water, and in we went. I have to confess that while I did briefly lift my feet off the seabed and so technically swam, it was barely more than a plunge – but it was enough. It’s been a while since I’ve “enjoyed” the sting of cold salt water being blasted into my face.
Pevensey is where William the Conqueror landed before the Battle of Hastings. A couple of miles inland is Pevensey Castle. It’s an area of historical interest as well as a nice place to swim. Worth a visit.
King of the Thames
Closer to where I live, I was delighted to see SwimQuest have launched the King
of the Thames Swim from Hampton Court to Kingston, with a finish-line picnic and celebration on Ravens Ait – an island just upstream of Kingston Bridge.
I try to do the swim from Hampton Court to Teddington Lock at least once a year. It’s a lovely stretch of river. When I do it with friends, we almost always get shouted at by rowers or anglers – and quite often both – even though we do our best to look where we are going and keep out
of everyone’s way. I’m looking forward to doing the first part as part of an organised event and having that stress removed.
Find out more: kingofthethames.com
A new swimming podcast
For you podcast fans out there, swim coach Salim Ahmed has a new swimming-themed podcast. Salim coaches at Hampton Pool and Shepperton Lake, and he’s had the opportunity to work with some fascinating people. His first few podcast interviews include a plastic surgeon who works in Gaza, a GP and breast-cancer survivor, and a technology professional who donated part of his liver to his daughter – all are fascinating stories from people who turn to swimming as
a lifeline.
On Apple: In At The Deep End
