He woke me up with a cup of tea, full of motivation. He is most definitely a morning person. I vary.
But to be honest, I was keen to get up and go too. Because today was going to be a first: a walk, a swim, and an attempt to get back without developing hypothermia. It sounds dramatic, but so far our swim locations haven't strayed far from civilization. This time we would have to pay better attention to getting warm quickly and getting moving as soon as possible.
The plus side? The possibility of a more remote, more mysterious and more beautiful swim.
I got a bit of a telling off for trying to wear my trainers instead of the trusty (ugly) pair of walking shoes I'd bought a few weeks before. And I'm glad I listened because waterproof footwear proved useful in the end.
Setting off from Grasmere was simple, up the road and through farm land. Water-logged and full of teams of sheep unwilling to break their stare. Then a steady uphill rocky path following Easdale Beck and passing Sourmilk Gill.
The tarn sort of emerged and declared itself. Half absorbed in sunlight / half in the depths of the dark. We had to get over to the sunlight. This meant crossing the beck which was an adventure in itself. Once we had landed on the other side I felt myself hop-skip-and-jumping along the banking searching for the largest portion of sun. A positively hopeful search for warmth in winter water.
And then the minutes fly by as you choose a spot, shake into a too-tight wetsuit, and wade in with false confidence. It's freezing as usual...but then (about the same time as you realise that you can no longer feel your toes) you stop, and look, and take it all in. You think about where you are and why. You look at where you are and why. You get a sudden flush of appreciation at the world and it's natural beauty. You feel overwhelmed and proud. Ok...it's cringy what I've said...but can you honestly say you've never had that feeling? If you haven't, then you're missing out.
We got back fine by the way.
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