with no competitions to think about...

it seems more seemly to enter the water and move through it in a more leisurely fashion. So a lovely km with Kate in Tooting on Monday. With many pauses at the end of lengths and lots of breathing drills - 11 strokes, then 9, then 7, then 5, then 3, then back up to 11 again.

And today in Greenwich Arches, as Kate's just had a swimming lesson from The Art of Swimming crew and needed to do her drills. So I did a couple of kms, some lengths slow and languid, some pacy, some breaststroke and a few increasing the distance between me and someone else in the lane.

local water heroes

A short piece to say thanks to Bryn, Sarah and Tom for organising swims around the SE, in the Nene, Ouse and Cam which have brought swimmers outdoors in increasing numbers. If only we had a river in London that wasn't a little too dangerous to get into...

If you want to know more about outdoor social swims (eg non competitive, all shapes and sizes welcome), then join the Outdoor Swimming Society on facebook.

Nene and Cam

Kate grinning after a refreshing dip in the Cam

This was on Sunday morning after a sleepless night listening to the Baltic bullshitter and others chundering on round a camp fire til 4am. It woke us up!

A mass of OSSers getting ready for a two mile swim from Tansor to Fotheringhay Castle up the River Nene in Northants.

Grasmere and Rydal

I had to go to Kendal for a meeting and needed to be there the night before; so I just went earlier in the day and had a stroll around Grasmere

Had lunch and swam, twice, opposite Helm's Crag

Walked on to Rydal Water

And swam around these islands

And got in again. Met some friendly cyclists, who also got in; and various people who inevitably said, "Isn't it cold?"

work work work

Haven't swum much lately. A leisurely km with the other Carl on Saturday morning in a very crowded pool and 2km on Monday. Been working since and failed to make the journey over to Tooting this morning. Working away a lot next week too, but am going to the Lakes on Wednesday for work; will get there early and go off for a swim in Grasmere. Then Brighton on Friday, so will take an evening dip on Friday evening - a pier to pier and back again methinks. Followed by Beaulieu River on Saturday and a 7km swim round Brownsea Island in Sunday. Makes me exhausted just thinking about it.

Log - 3km since the last post ;-(

leisurely lido lengths

After getting the bike fixed and serviced; and working through a conference call, I figured I could sneak off for a dip. So fetched up at Tooting about 1.45pm and swam a lovely leisurely 2km. As it was a little cloudy there weren't many people about. A nice Twix afterwards too.

bike broke

So hard to get to Tooting without getting on several trains across SE London - so went indoors at Crystal Palace on Monday.

Out working all day Tuesday.

3km.

Congrats to the Swans for getting across the Channel in under 12 hours.

Calshot current

Met Martin off the train at Totton and drive down to Calshot Beach for a swim. We picked a spot about a kilometre up shore and said we'd go there and back. The waves were in our faces on the way out, but the water was refreshing and the swimming felt easy. Enroute we passed Luttrel's Tower - a Landmark Trust place I've wanted to go and stay in. Then we found out why the going was easy. It took us 20 minutes to our marker and 35 minutes to return. We then went to the Blue Cafe for coffee and cake - run by a self proclaimed 'erratic' owner - and listened to JJ Cale's Anthology.

Calshot Beach is the venue for an informal 4km 'race' on 18th July. 2pm in aid of Lifeguards.

About 2km.

A couple of lovely swims

Riding into the car park near Newnham swimming club at Grantchester, I parked behind a grey haired man snoozing in his car. Only to find, as I was changing out of my riding gear, that it was Bryn; who I was there to meet with Sarah for a swim. Both of them are in a relay across the Channel on Monday, so are taking it easy for a few days.

Newnham Swimming Club is one of the few naturist places in a city and its a little disconcerting at first to see a range of shapes and sizes diving and jumping into the river in birthday suits. But it is not compulsory. We swam downstream towards Dead Man's Corner and then back for some jumps and dives off the bank.

I then dashed through commuter traffic along the A14 to meet Tom and others for a two mile swim aling the River Nene near Wadenhoe. For most of the two miles you're tickled by weeds just underneath you, but because the water is clear you see fish, glimpses of sandy bottoms and weird suspended structures of weeds, lilies and rushes. Very bucolic and very relaxing.

The journey back into London was not so relaxed, as the Blackwall Tunnel is closed, I had to take a long diversion and in my tired state had a small accident braking too hard in Surrey Quays. Thankfully I am a relatively sensible biker and had protective kit on - so a slightly sore wrist, a sheared off foot rest and a crash mushroom that did its job, but now needs replacing.

About 4.5km.