Litter cleaning,Pies Festivals, Sunshine and oh a bit of swimming

I have rather neglected my blog of late, not because I haven’t been swimming, far from it but due mainly to being away from easy access to the Internet. This suited me fine but I have made some progress swimming wise. So here is few weeks’ worth of Blog!

Following my trip to Knoydart I was home for 7days of work during which time I didn’t do much swimming, instead unpacked, did my laundry repacked and prepared for a longer trip to include work parties at Sandwood Bay and Quinag, http://www.jmt.org/land.asp followed by some personal time hill-walking and going to the Knoydart Festival http://www.knoydartfestival.com/index.php

I arrived at Sandwood on 21^st April mid afternoon, joining the other volunteers repairing the much tramped path to Sandwood bay. When that was over for the day I went for a swim in Loch na Gainimh(photo), completing a number of lengths of the sandy beach on my back. I reckoned the beach was about 100m in length but lost count of the lengths! Chrissie (watched by her dog Patrick from the shore) also went for a dip but was out a good deal quicker as she didn’t have a wet suit. We stayed at opposite ens as Patrick can be quite unpredictable and I didn’t want him attacking me as a threat to Chrissie. In fact he was very well behaved.

Loch na Gainimh

When I reached the car park at Blairmore after my swim there was a young couple who had just returned from a walk to Sandwood Bay. We got to talking about open water swimming and the young man told me that to crack front crawl you just have to keep swimming through the first few minutes of gasping cold. I wasn’t certain I could do this.

Most of the group were camping at Sheigra and I joined them, later Abby arrived with her wet suit! She wanted to me to join her in a swim and it was tempting but I was starving, my wet suit was cold and wet so I let her have the beach to herself!

Sheigra Beach :Photo Dearg Stobie http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/405592

Next day (22^nd) work continued on the path in the morning with us arriving on the beach at Sandwood in time for lunch. Abby and I had our wet suits but the surf wasn’t really swimming friendly. I had a great time throwing myself around in the surf, getting used to the water swamping me. Abby proved to be a good buddy giving me loads of encouragement. Rory (JMT press officer who had joined the work party to take photos of beach cleaning) stood on the shore with his camera, later advising that I should invest in a colourful hat so that I stand out in the sea. Black is not a good colour to be seen in! Sandy had also told me this in Knoydart. However at the moment I am quite attached to my very cosy headgear.

Sandwood Bay (and some of the John Muir Trust Volunteers)

Back at Sheigra it was Abby that “threw in the towel” as far as swimming went citing hunger and a need for food. So I had the bay to myself and without any fuss started to swim front crawl. Across the bay I swam every alternative stroke but stopped after every 10 breaths (20 strokes). On the way back I managed every 3^rd stroke and lasted a bit longer before stopping. I felt really pleased with myself and danced back to tell Abby and Rory and anyone else who would listen...... I think I am turning into a swimming bore.

23^rd April saw us splitting into 2 groups, 1group to head down to Quinag with Sandy and Don to put up a deer fence the others including me remaining to clear the beaches at Sheigra, Droman and Oldshoremore. The weather in the morning wasn’t conducive to swimming although it improved by lunch time but the sea at Droman wasn’t good with a heavy swell crashing onto the rocks. Abby and I speculated about how it would have been good to swim out to Eilean an Ròin Mòr. Maybe next time, when I hope to be more confident. By late afternoon the weather had improve considerably. Abby was heading for the hostel at Achmelvich and asked how good the swimming was there. I hesitated (it was quite a long round trip to Achmelvich then back to camping near Quinag for the work party next day) but didn’t need much persuading as Achmelvich is one of my favourite places for swimming.

Achmelvich is very sheltered with a beautiful white sandy beach. There are rocks on either side so it is easy to get changed without getting sand into every nook, cranny and wetsuit (or my body shop coconut butter which is full of sand from having been dropped upside down at Sandwood bay). However the car-park is also very close and I changed in the van. The only downside was that the toilets, this busy Easter weekend, weren’t open.

Achmelvich Beach

Abby set off freestyle, I followed swimming 20 strokes before stopping and finding myself ahead of Abby. She caught up and over took while I rested then I swam again for another 20 reaching the other side in fits and starts shortly after Abby. Abby reckoned the beach was about 100m. I thought this was about right but in fact 2 days later I measured it on the OS map and it is 200m. I was determined to swim further on the return leg but again stopped 3-4 times. Abby had no such problems and swam steadily all the way across. It was great having some-one to swim with and Abby gave me lots of encouragement. I swam 4 lengths of the beach mostly, felt both elated and quite exhausted. This was a little disconcerting as a similar distance in a pool would just see me getting into my stride. Abby would have none of this pointing out that I had come a long way since starting this challenge and I still have over 4 months to go.

Abby on Achmelvich beach (Suilven in the distance) The water is really that colour

Thanks Abby 

After swimming I felt I had earned a visit to the famous Lochinver Pie shop http://www.lochinverlarder.co.uk 3 miles down the road. Abby asked in the YH and was told that the Pie shop wasn’t open for the season so she stayed put. I had to get supplies from the Spar in Lochinver so headed there and found to my delight the pie shop was open. I bumped into a Swedish acquaintance from the days when I was studying for an MSc in Sustainable Mountain development ( before I decide that studying was getting in the way of being out on the self same mountains). I stuffed myself full of an excellent pie . bought another to take back to Sandy in his van then headed back to Quinag.

Easter Sunday saw the group ( with a few more and having seen some leave) working in ideal pathwork weather i.e. pouring rain on the Quinag path. There were not many people venturing out into the hill however the forecast promised an improvement by lunchtime and sure enough the rain and wind stopped. As this was the last day of the work party it wasn’t a great hardship getting wet.

I assured Abby that the evening would be fine for a swim at Achmelvich but it wasn’t until we got there and the weather was as good as the previous night that she believed me. I was disappointed not to make 6 lengths of the beach but at this time I was still under the impression that it was 100 metres long so 4 lengths was respectable. Abby and I chatted to a couple up from Newcastle. The woman (a primary school teacher ) was very interested in conservation volunteering particularly in Scotland so I gave her details of the John Muir Trust.

Abby of course wanted to visit the pie shop as I had waxed lyrical about it. I didn’t feel I could justify another pie and mash but being weak-willed caved in, it n to eat was worth it! But I had a pile of food in the van to eat before I headed to Knoydart for the Festival.

After my pie I headed to Black Bridge to be ready for an early start for the next day’s hill-walking to Carn Ban and Beinn a Chasteil ( 2 remote Corbetts in Freevater Forest). I had originally planned an overnighter but as night time temperatures were to dip below zero I settled for having a long day in the hills and a cosy sleep in the van! What a wimp. Tuesday 26^th was another hill-walking day before I headed to get supplies in Fort William en-route to Mallaig and the boat to Inverie on Wednesday.

I visit Knoydart a fair amount and they first organised a music festival 2 years ago as part of the 10^th Anniversary of the community buy out. This was the 2nd one and word had gone out and it was a sellout. I went over a day ahead to help (or hinder) the preparations and to get in more swimming. Abby was also going to be coming but I wasn’t certain if she would bring her wetsuit as she didn’t envisage much time to swim! I also wanted to pick Grant’s brains about open water swimming as he has done a fair bit. The festival was held on the Long Beach and therefore any swimming was going to be a bit more public than I would have liked. Also the weather was exceptional and everyone was going in for a dip but no-one was wearing a wet suit, however no-one was staying in the length of time I was! Grant advised me that if I started swimming without my suit I would get acclimatised to the cold. As swimming in a wetsuit feels a bit like swimming in body armour I am tempted but would be worried that I wouldn’t be able to do it for the length of time of my swim.

Sunset at the Festival

One day I swam from the slipway to the beach and had my first experience of swimming through (non-stinging) jelly fish this year. It is just like swimming through jelly but in my usual wimpish fashion I stopped swimming front crawl as I didn’t like the feel of them against my face! Abby swam with me on Sunday as we swam back and forth along the Long Beach. I have decided that as I need to continue what I have started on the West coast back home on the less friendly (swim wise)East coast I should go out with an open water swimming club. This would also probably help with my swimming technique.