Local Knowledge
Apologies for not posting for a while, I had a bit of a writers block and had some time away from writing.
As I’ve been following many of the open water pages through Facebook and Instagram, I have noticed something which I just had to write about.
One of the reasons I absolutely love open water swimming is the conscientious nature of all swimmers from all levels/intentions/abilities when it comes to giving information about local swim venues.
I remember my first time visiting the lake, not knowing anyone, not knowing where to go, not knowing the protocols and a very kind lady must have realised and just asked if I needed help! 5 years later I’m still learning about that venue and love learning from new people!
I now make it a necessity to find out from local groups or the OSS about swim venues/currents/entry and exit points/best times when looking at new opportunities to get into new water. I wouldn’t recommend going alone, even with the added knowledge from these groups. There are a huge number of people who just love to get in and show off our beautiful countryside!
My friends and I are heading over to the Lake District next week for a mini break and will be jumping in a few lakes while we’re there – I’ve given myself enough time to speak to a great friend and lover of open water swimming who will be our swim guide while over there! I think we’ll be heading to Crummock and WastWater while we’re there – hopefully more!
In a few weeks time I’ll be heading over to Blackpool after watching the open water nationals in Rother Valley where I’ll be meeting up with another coaching friend who’s keen to show me some of the swimming spots that he loves! It may become an east meets west trip as I’d absolutely love for him to visit over here.
I cannot emphasise enough the importance of finding out about different places enough – the last thing anyone needs is to become in difficulty and to be unsure of any issues regarding getting out of the water or water safety.
Please please please, check with local or national swim pages. Meet people – everyone I’ve met and hope to meet in the future are full of fun, interesting and crucial information.
Follow me on Facebook – TriOpenWater
Instagram – m_haycroft