Earlier this year, Mr W and I went abroad for the first time in about 6 years. It had been so long for a few reasons – expired passports, Covid, Brain tumours, buying a house – so the trip was overdue.
Having swum in the gloriously warm waters of the Ionian sea, the thought of swimmer in the cooler waters back home wasn’t quite as appealing.
So when, on the 2nd September this year while at a friend’s beach hut in our home town, I was invited to join her and another mutual friend in a dip in the ocean (at the point where the Thames meets the North Sea), I politely declined the chilly looking offer and sat in the tepid September sun instead.
It was therefore, quite the surprise when, a mere 7 weeks later, I found myself actually considering a wild swim when my husband and I were heading up to Scotland on our annual campervan road trip. (we usually do a few weekends and try to fit in at least one week-long trip away).
Having been a bucket list activity for Mr W for some time, he has a few specific lochs in mind for his wild swimming experience. I'd seen a few Tik-toks and Insta reels, and have spent a reasonable amount of time in Scotland; I wasn’t sure this was an activity that I was designed for – I enjoy being warm.
But there I was, actively considering a swim as we discussed our plans (not plans); I packed a swimsuit and the travel towels, made sure I had my Primark (other bands available) Snoodie (not quite a dry robe, but the best I could manage). We talked about the logistics – getting the diesel heater in the van on before we went for the swim – and which spots might be best.
On the day we set off for the week, Storm Babet was raging so our route was different to planned, this immediately affected the swimming plans as we had been hoping to make use of Loch Morlich in the Cairngorms, and due to the poor weather, we took our more regular route across the A66 and up the west coast instead.
After a night near our favourite spot in Glen Coe, we set of for Skye (having booked a Talisker Distillery tasting session). As we drove the weather lifted and the possibility of a swim was becoming more realistic.
We arrived in Carbost around 1pm, ate lunch and went for a cycle ride, then returned. I knew I would be a bit of a chicken so I dressed in leggings and a t-shirt over my swim wear (black for maximum solar gain) and insisted on a cycle ride to raise the body temperature before our dip. In my hurry to pack, I had forgotten to bring our beach shoes, so Mr W went barefoot – I always have a pair of flip flops in the van.
Once the bikes were locked we braved the water at the little beach near the spot we had parked for the night. Leaving shoes, watches, phones and towels on a concrete block on the beach we took our first chilly steps in. Having got myself to waist deep I instructed Mr W to get a photo as I wasn’t convinced that I was getting further in. Happily, he obliged. And announced it was much easier to get back in wading straight back in and getting his first swim in. I took his word and got out to take his photo, then waded back in myself – finding that the second trip in was indeed much easier. I managed to get right to my depth and had a little back paddle; cue more photos.
It was a refreshing and invigorating experience which I do plan to repeat – in the correct circumstances – albeit probably not with great regularity. It was a delight to get back in the van (which was a balmy 28 degrees thanks to the heater) and dry off. The Talisker tasting after the swim contributed to what we have decided was one of our most perfect days.