On Wednesday the marine lake had dropped to 9.5 degrees. This is not an unpleasant temperature at which to swim for a while, but it still seems important to give the water a hard contemplative stare before getting in, just in case. Winter is coming…
Single Figures at Clevedon Marine Lake
Now don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against a nice warm swim at 20 degrees in the summer, nothing at all. But on Thursday Michelle got into the marine lake before 7 in the morning, I got out at nearly midday. In the middle of the morning, we were in the lake at the same time for about 20 minutes, doing laps. All I see of some of my swimming friends at the moment is a passing splash and a flash of goggles, and yet in the winter we huddle in the pub over hot chocolate and spend longer talking than we do swimming.
I am enjoying the warmth, I am not complaining, but we are ships that pass at mid-morning. The winter has its good points too.
Ships that pass at mid-morning, at Clevedon Marine Lake
…backstroke in the Marine Lake
A glorious morning, a quite ridiculous 22 degrees in the water, and I am swimming backstroke. I am not fond of backstroke and I’m not especially good at it, this is partly because I feel my eyes are altogether in the wrong place on my head for such a stroke. But Plum suggested it would be very good for me. I am persevering, and now I’ve clocked up few lengths of the marine lake I find I do not hate it as much as I expected, and almost no water goes up my nose any more. And I only occasionally hit the wall. But look out behind me, I’m coming, I’m not looking, and I’m literally putting blind faith in your ability to see me first….
Backstroke in Clevedon Marine Lake
Suddenly we have reached that time of year when chance onlookers may express not mere surprise, but disbelief, as if this is done by some inexplicable sleight of hand, a sort of smoke-and-mirrors trick. We know better: it is done with careful practice; one does not simply get this mental overnight.
(for the record: Clevedon Marine lake and on Tuesday 17th my thermometer registered 11.9, on this day – Sunday 22nd, it registered 6.9 degrees. Yep, it’s cold now.)
Yes, it’s cold now…
Went for a bob in the sea this morning. Couldn’t really call it ‘swimming’ as it was rather like this. Though I did make it almost as far as the first buoy, apparently about 200 metres out, before I decided that discretion was the better part of valour. I am used to the lake at Clevedon, not this stuff, but it was fun!
A bob in the sea at Clevedon, with the Pier in the distance
