Swim

 First swim in the lake this year. A bit fresh but I did not die...

The man who swims to work

I saw this in a news channel and I salute the man who swims to work - it is the same sort of lateral thinking as goes into barefoot running. Kind of flying in the face of tradition.

Panic

I mentioned my panic attack in a recent post and some time earlier too. I blame my fear of water on bad experiences in the bath as a baby. Wikipedia defines panic as a sudden sensation of fear, which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety. Which goes plain contrary to the usual instinct for self preservation - how does that work?

And how would I have fared two days in a dark underwater cave running out of oxygen?  I like to think I am a survivor but, frankly and thankfully, I haven't yet had all that much to survive from.

The elusive dead-end of Blessington Green Way

15.62 km including part of the green way

The lake is low at the moment making it easier to run along the shore line, although some parts are stony. My quest today was to use the curious dead-end of the Blessington greenway shown with a green blob on the official map below. The main part of the green way connects the Avon Rí leisure centre to Russborough House and there are car parking facilities either end. But the most southerly part ends rather abruptly and  ignominiously at the lake and thus is not very useful unless of course one wants to get to that particular random spot. Which is why I had not, up until this afternoon explored it. So now I have done the whole length, although not in one go.

Blessington green way - part of the official map

The weather forecast was for rain which I positively embraced, and rain it did. Fortunately I was running barefoot and wearing only shorts, and as I have waterproof skin I was able to enjoy the rain to the full.

View from the point where I joined the lakeshore

This is about where the greenway ends at its south end

Same place, looking back. Yes it did rain quite heavily

I took the opportunity to swim at my usual spot - I stayed in at least a couple of minutes. I cannot tell you where this spot is, for obvious reasons, but I will say it is somewhere between the two places pictured above and below this text. Which narrows it down to perhaps 5 miles of shore line.

Nearer to home, showing how low the lake is

Fear of water

I don't have many memories of infant-hood, but I do remember rolling over in the bath. That was back when I shared the bath with my three years older sister, so I guess I was quite young. Rolling over, a baby finds its head under water and does not appreciate the experience. Apparently it is not uncommon.  It seemed to me at the time that the bath was a very dangerous place to be left unattended.

I wonder whether my fear of water and hate of my head being submerged started back then?  It wasn't until I was maybe 13 that I learned to swim and before that I was certain that I would sink if I let go. And to this day I don't dive or swim under water and get agitated if anyone tries to mess with me. And yet I love that feeling of freedom and often dream that I am swimming, though in my dreams the water generally does not let me "in" so I flounder on the surface - strange.

Swimming in the lake here is strongly discouraged because there have been several instances of drowning - in most cases because of stupidity.  There are, however, some secluded places that are relatively safe, although I have no intention of telling you where they are - and I have taken a brief plunge twice this year so far - brief because the water is still a bit too cold for my liking.

First swim this season

A gorgeous day and I should have taken my camera. So, this time I turned left, which takes you down a dirt track to the lake, and then along the shore, under Baltiboys bridge, and all the way to the Valleymount bridge. About 8 miles in total. It takes me past one of my swimming spots so I gave it a try - clearly I am not the hardy type like those that break the ice in the Serpentine - I did a few strokes and then got out rather hastily. A lovely feeling of warmth afterwards though. And then at Lonely Bay I dammed the stream in order to divert it. Not entirely without reason (not that I need a reason to play with sand and water) as it is a dirty stream (it comes through farmland) and the diversion will make it deposit further along the shore from another "safe" spot for swimming. Not that I can condone swimming in the lake - it is not approved and it can be unsafe. People have drowned.

Sweet memories are a blessing

The present infinitesimal moment on which we travel through life leaves behind only a trail of memories. But even memories can be rich. We have just come back from a trip to visit Ali's mother in Devon and attend a nephew's wedding, and I had a day to myself whilst Ali went shopping. So I went on a memory trip.

Atlantic waves

Westward Ho!

My first stop was Westward Ho! It is possibly 50 years since I was here last and not much has changed. My goal was to taste the beach again and to locate the apartment block my parents rented. The beach satisfied: it is a long expanse of clean sand stretching over 2 miles. Of course I ran barefoot from end to end stopping only to take pictures and fight the breakers.

Looking south

Looking north towards Braunton

Around the tip of the beach to the Taw estuary

Towards the fishing village of Appledore

Westward Ho!

Zooming in to the apartment block

About here I would have purchased my daily icecream

This, I think, is where we stayed

In that door to the left - which opened into a dank smell

View from the apartment -
recalling that first thrill on arriving here

My next port of call was Lynton, or more accurately the coast to the left of Lynton. I followed signs for Martin Hoe and parked the car above Woody Bay. My goal was to retrace the euphoric walk I took during a Lee Abbey holiday. In fact I only retraced only a small part of it, but some is better than naught. True to memory I wore no top, but this time also barefoot.

Looking north-east from the top

Zooming in - the Valley of the Rocks is at top right

The glen leading down to Woody Bay

Woody Bay hotel

Looking west from the coastal path

Lee Abbey look-out tower

I followed the coastal path eastwards descending to Lee Abbey's beach which marked the starting point for my historic walk. I followed the coast westwards until defeated by unscalable rocks and sea, then retraced my steps to the beach where I swam for some while - the water so warm, so calm.

Regrettably I cannot remember how, back then, I continued westwards: there was no way-marked coastal path in those days. I think I must have used the road for a while before descending back to the coast at Woody Bay, but retracing that part of the route will have to await another occasion.

Lee Abbey private beach

The furthest I ventured

Lee Abbey

My last POI was Dunkery Beacon, the highest point in Exmoor.  Historically I would have walked here from Exford and continued on towards Dunster, but this time I cheated by parking perhaps less than a mile from the peak.  The views were fantastic.

I thoroughly enjoyed the day. Good memories, ephemeral though they may be, are certainly a blessing.

Towards Dunster

Looking south

The cairn

Towards west Exford and Lynton

An unknown hiker starts towards Dunster

This device wasn't there in my days!