Cockshott Point, Lake Windermere, December 2022
The most beautiful sky. The brightest deceptive sunshine. The blanket of frost over the grass.
What a scene.
The Boat House on Windermere Marina beckoned first though, and we couldn't resist a glass of red to build up the courage necessary for a mid-December swim. There was a very bohemian looking singer preparing for a live music session and we vowed to return after our swim.
The air felt warm lakeside so changing was easy. Entering the water was smooth aside from the fact that I was so carefree about putting on my gloves that I dropped one into the lake on the way in.
It was so quiet and still. A really lovely (brief-ish) swim. One of those that you don't really want to end but you know that your body has reached it's limit much quicker than your mind. Safety first.
Getting dry and dressed in the winter sunshine again gave a false sense of security. It was only later in The Boat House that I realised how cold my core felt.
The pianist (RG Paddler on Insta) was in romantic swing with a steady flow of mystic folk song. It felt dreamy and fairy-tale in there. A frosty afternoon with a beautiful view of the icy lake and the snow topped mountains beyond...but cosy and warm under warm yellow light amongst pre-Christmas festive gatherings. Paddler's rendition of 'The Wild Rover' felt particularly well timed given the fact that we had both concluded back in Autumn that we would not be entering into a winter-swim contract with ourselves: '...too bloody cold. Let's leave that to the more seasoned of swimmers. No. Nay. Never.'
And yet, here we were still going strong into the depths of December.
theboathouse-windermere.co.uk
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