like a caged fish

Kate is still working on her drills, so I've joined her for swims in the Greenwich Arches. It's an old style pool that's 25 yards long, so 44 lengths for a kilometre. Two very good things about the pool though - it is all day fitness with very slow, slow, medium, fast and front crawl only lanes; and it's only just above 20 degrees C, so cool. Two swims - four km. Kate is feeling a little guilty though and described watching me swim in the pool as like seeing a fish in a cage longing for open water. Roll on this weekend in the Lakes.

Dorset dipping

Just back from a few days (mostly wet) camping with Kate above Durdle Door. 

We swam mostly in Man O War Bay

but also managed swims at Durdle Door 

and a walk over to Lulworth Cove 

and a dip over at Studland Bay. 

on tour - days 3,4,5,6&7

A long ride up to Scotland. I was going to swim in St Mary's Loch, but got the wrong road! But arrived safe in St Boswells for a nice cuppa with my Mum and Dad.

Up the next morning and out to the Loch o the Lowes (next to St Mary's) for a swim across to the far side and back and a few splashes. There's a good cafe on the road, easy parking and a stony beach to walk into the loch - although it slopes steeply quickly.

Sunday and out to St Abbs Head, above Eyemouth. A beautiful sunny day which gave us a good ten metres of visibility through the water. Great to see the yellow and orange corals, sea urchins, kelp forests, rocky outcrops; and the dreaded jellies. Of all shapes and sizes, but thankfully not massing.

On Monday, I had a lovely ride over the north Pennines

from Selkirk down to Burnley, and stopped at Middleton for lunch and a cooling dip under the road bridge in the Tees.

Tuesday, I stopped off at Hatchmere (home of one of the wild swim originals, Yacov Lev) for a dip in the drizzle,

before seeing Kate's Mum and staying the night with some biker friends south of Craven Arms.

Wednesday, I sped across England and stopped at the Newnham Riverbank Club for another swim in the Cam...and felt my wedding ring slip off my finger and sink down into the silt and reeds. Yikes.

So, all in all, a wonderful week seeing friends and family, a swim everyday bar one, and some lovely, exhilarating bike rides on Britain's wonderful minor A roads, B roads and national speed limit unclassifieds!

On tour - days one and two

Lovely swim in the Cam yesterday afternoon. Joined the Newnham Riverbank Club. Then biked on to Ashbourne and played a game of footie, followed by a couple of pints with the Derbyshire lads. Today up at Hathersage Lido with beautiful views of the surrounding hills. Unfortunately the River Derwent was too low for another swim.

easy ks

A dip with Carl this morning. A chat after every two lengths meant that the km clocked in a a leisurely 40 minutes. Nice latte from the cafe. Back home to spend the rest of the day on food prep with Kate for Sunday's party.

knee

Kate tripped up the other day and hurt her knee quite badly. I stayed at home in sympathy with her for a couple of days, but have been down the Lido for the last two mornings. A couple of km each time. Nice and cool, not too crowded and a few chats with Egg, Alex, Gus and Elizabeth. And Sue - who said I was quick!

indoors, outdoors, clothed and not

Friday to Greenwich so that Kate could do her drills. A little warm, but not too bad. Saturday morning off to Cambridge for a naked dip in the Cam at the Newnham River Club.

And Sunday thru' the Blackwall Tunnel again for a training swim at London Fields Lido - heated, so that Kate could do her drills.