Morning dip in Bantham

Today we woke up at Farthings. Looking out of our bedroom window we realised that the tide was high.

So a quick breakfast for the girls and a family dash to the quay for a refreshing dip in the Avon. It was blustery but magical as always. I always feel a bit sorry for our girls as they sit in their pram and watch their nutty parents strip off and jump in to various rivers, seas, lidos and lakes but they don't seem to mind too much, well as long as we are armed with raisins and books!


Stuart went first and Freda, Etta and I watched as he swam out into the estuary. The view from where we watched was lovely, a redish tint to the sky you can see where the estuary meets Bantham beach and it looks powerful but always beautiful. It's such a wonderful place. Burgh Island sits beyond the mouth of the estuary. You can't see it from where we swim but you can see the cliffs of Bigbury, this morning Bigbury looked like a welcome place to be. More welcome that the water but we still managed to get in and have a swift refresher.

As Stuart returned I executed a quick change into my cossie and we had a nippy changeover. The water was cold but not cold enough to give me an ice-cream headache and infact I didn't even get cold today. Either I've got a higher fat content than I used to (very possible - I do like cakes!) or I'm just hardening up (not quite so likely!)

Either way it was a lovely start to the morning and we strolled slowly back to Farthings for a leisurely breakfast of toast and coffee followed by a sad departure, back home to the real world.

Bye Bye Bantham, see you again soon x

Impulsive morning dip

My drive to the local swimming pool takes me over the brow of a hill that always reveals a different seascape. Some days it's grey, choppy and uninviting others it's flat calm and shouting at me to swim in it. Usually I ignore it as I'm on my way to the pool and if I'm dipping outside it feels wrong to do it without Stuart. But for the last few weeks I've been staring longingly at the sea and the Dart wanting to get in and get cold. So this morning when I saw how wonderful the sea looked I couldn' t resist and the swimming pool didn't stand a chance.

Rather than turning right into the concrete world of the leisure centre I drove straight past and along the coast to Broadsands. It's a beach that I'm learning to love, it's easy to get in and out of the sea and it has beach huts with the same multicoloured doors as the 'Lido' and for that reason I love it. It isn't that picturesque on approach but once you're in the sea it's lovely. If the tide is high it's the best swimming spot I know as you can go from one side of the bay to the other and it's like it was designed to be an enormous outdoor swimming pool.

I expected it to be really cold and I was really hoping it would be. I braced myself for numb toes and an ice cream headache but as soon as I dipped my toes into the water it felt luke warm. It wasn't luke warm but in comparison to what I'd been imagining it really wasn't cold at all. It's the 4th of November and I could have swum a mile. I'd bet money that people have successfully swum the channel in water colder than this.

It was a very enjoyable swim, grey on entry but as I swam across the bay the sun came out and I swam with the sun on my back. The sea was flat calm and fluid, it was easy to slice through the water. It felt as if somehow the water was wrapping around my arms as I swam, it was silky smooth and I enjoyed every stroke. It was just as it should be.

I will do these impulsive dips more this winter. It was a great way to start the day and very exciting to be swimming outside first thing in the morning, in November. It's how it used to be!

It's November! Time for a dip in the delicious Dart

The Dart is beckoning me. Every time I walk past it or see it while I walk I hear it calling me. Come on in Olivia, it's cold in here. It was a little frosty this morning and I felt my toes tingle at the thought of putting them in the Dart.

The thought is exciting, putting on just my swimming costume my hat and my goggles I must submerge myself in the River soon and preferably under the frosty darkness of an early morning.

The River down by Duncannon is one of the most beautifully secluded and picturesque parts of the river between here and Totnes. It's a secret dipping spot that isn't easy to access unless you are prepared to wander through fields and down an old wooded pathway and down the steps built especially for King Charles II, according to local legend. I wonder if he too craved a chilly dip or if his corset and gown simply wouldn't allow!?

Edward Lovesey's delightful Otter

According to a local artist and recently published in the Stoke Gabriel News there has been an Otter spotted in the Dart recently. So it's clear that local swimmers of all shapes and sizes agree that now is the time to be diving into the Dart.

So, the next time that we have an early morning high tide I will wander down to the frosty river and submerge myself in the gloriously chilling waters of the Dart.

My lovely River Dart, here I come....I'll let you know how I get on.

My daughter dips

This summer it is debatable who has swam in the open water more, myself or my daughter Freda Pepper, now 2. She has a love of anything cold and wet, just like her parents. From a small puddle to an open expanse of sea Freda is driven by the toddler force to strip off and get in. Only when her lips start to turn blue does she seem the smallest bit interested in changing activities.


I'm not sure this is a trait unique to Freda, we saw so many little ones charging towards the water this summer, it's just wonderful to watch. The slightest breath of sea air seems to send small children into an excited frenzy of pulling off clothes and picking up buckets, all this whilst trying not to fall over and get covered in the sandy stuff!


Whilst I know that most children love the water, I'm convinced that Freda has the determination, and madness, of a true cold water swimmer. She was in the water from April to  late October and despite the occasional chilly giggle she didn't even blink at the temperature. She would often watch Stuart or I swimming off into the sea or river and make loud attempts to follow only to be distracted by the sea swallowing her latest construction whole 'SEA GET IT!!! at which point she would run off excitedly and hurridly trying to build the next blob of sand for the waves to munch.

I love her love of the outdoors and her love of the water, it's wonderful and if only I could bottle the mood and sprinkle it on her when she's not feeling quite as chipper life would be an endless bout of giggles, splashing and ofcourse finding 'Nemo', her name for any sealife!

Whilst I know Freda is showing us a childhood love I do often wonder if Freda will be a year round open water swimmer like us. Will we be able to pass on our passion for swimming outside or will she be very different to us? I don't mind either way but I am very interested to see how her early and continuous exposure to open water swimming year round will influence her, if it influences her at all. Watch this space....

The Palmer Dart 2011

On 17th September 36 scantily clad individuals walked down the Totnes slipway into the Dart and swam the four miles to Stoke Gabriel. Despite threats of wind and rain the weather was fine and the sun was out. With parts of the country suffering from wild weather and ‘storms worse than we’ve seen in 15 years’ we were very lucky to have the sun join us.

The swimmers get in

High tide was 0950 and we decided to start the swim half an hour before at 0920. The morning started at 0745 at Stoke Gabriel Quay where Anthony, John and Roger met to pick up some kayaks and ferry some support crew up to Totnes. The weather was already looking promising and spirits were surprisingly high given the hour. Flasks, blankets (and coffee and croissants) were transported to Totnes to keep the supporters going whilst out on the river watching us swim.

Alun and Lesley were waiting at Totnes Rowing Club where swimmers and other kayakers were starting to arrive. Stuart was busy handing out hats, and kayakers and swimmers were trying to coordinate to ensure a safe passage down river to their destination.

More supporters turned up than we were expecting, simply for a few hours on the water. It was clear that everyone there was looking forward to spending some time either in or on the water and it was a great way to start the day.

Sue looking forward to getting in the Dart

At 0910 our experienced ‘horn man’, Egg, gave the warning that we would be starting the swim in 10 minutes and clothing started to fly around the car park. Clothes were flung, hats were donned, goggles cleaned and for some, rubber on. Swimmers huddled together to keep warm before the swim began and at 0920 Egg sounded his horn and we were off.

John led the way in ‘Merry Go’ with Kev Dart and Steve Edwards leading the swimmers, our fastest swimmers by far Steve demonstrated his speed and finished the swim first. Following them were the Exmouth Masters group, a very experienced bunch, a mix of Channel Swimmers and Open Water aficionados they swam at a leisurely pace, chatting as they went and still managed to finish the swim in an impressive time.

Steve et al preparing for the swim - Next year no wetsuits! 

From then on a trickle of smiling swimmers meandered their way down river with the occasional pause to look around them, glorious sunshine, calm water, Sharpham, Fleet Mill, Duncannon, one Seal spotting and then out into the less sheltered part of the river for the final stretch into Stoke Gabriel.

Rounding the corner at Mill Point it becomes clear how quickly the tide turns and picks up speed, it was hard work swimming from there to the Quay but there was a welcoming crowd and the smell of bacon and sausage sandwiches drew in the swimmers.

As with last year a very welcoming crowd of locals, supporters, friends, family and SGBA members were there to both congratulate us and remark on our madness. A lovely way to finish a swim, surrounded by friendly faces all ready to offer you a cup of tea.

It was another fantastic swim, which turned into an event as the SGBA and Paignton Kayakers turned out in force to join us and keep an eye on us and then help us eat sandwiches and drink tea. It really would not be the same swim without the local support we have. It’s just lovely and makes us feel very lucky indeed. So thank you to the SGBA and thank you to anyone who enjoys being out on the water and comes along simply to help.

We will definitely do the swim again next year and who knows the sun may well shine for us again…fingers crossed.