Swimming Holiday Case Study

The following is a sequence of swims that we put on during a holiday back in 2017. It was one of those holidays where absolutely everything went perfectly (not that it doesn’t normally you understand!). The weather was perfect, there was no wind or swell - which meant that we could pick any swims we wanted.

It was a returning group and a private group booking, so everyone knew each other and we knew everyone. So there was lots of…(I hate this word but I’ll use it in this instance)…banter. The sun also shone all weekend. This obviously doesn’t happen on every holiday but even if it does rain it only ever tends to be for half the trip! A couple of unexpected things also took place - the first being an Opera singer warming up at the Minnack Theatre and her song blew across the water in the breeze for the whole swim, the second being an army of BBC trucks at Porthcurno early morning filming Poldark. We just missed the cast and crew…but it was a point of excitement…

Great holiday and if you watch the video you can view the swims that the group took on.

Am I suitable for a swimming holiday?

…is a question that we get all the time and something that I think puts a lot of people off booking swimming holidays. In this article I’ll address this question.
Now obviously I sell and manage swimming holidays, so you may be thinking this will be a bit of a biased article but…you also have to remember that safety for us and our reputation is paramount! Most of the i following info I’ll relate to our holidays but will probably apply to any swimming holiday provider.

SPEED : first up is pace. The majority of people you’ll find on our holidays, you’ll also find in the middle lane(s) of a public swimming session. You’re probably looking at an average 100m speed (over a swim of around 2km) 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Some will go quicker, some slower. This is no issue whatsoever. Quite often, the faster swimmers simply double back and get in some more distance. In general terms, the quicker swimmers are either younger or possibly a little fitter, so a sneaky double back and a bit of extra distance actually works out perfectly for them. SLOW & STEADY SWIMMERS are not generally a problem. It’s not so much about the pace, more about covering the distances. Although, we tow blow up SUPs with us on our swims. If anyone wasn’t confident covering the distances, gets tired, wants a break…we simply get them to climb onto a SUP and we’ll tow them around part of the swim. We also now offer a SLOW SWIMMING HOLIDAY where you can swim entirely at your own pace and we offer a number of different distances on each swim.

DISTANCE : this really depends on the booking. On our standard holidays we cover around 1500m - 3km per swim. We also tailor the swims to the individuals on those holidays. So, we may shorten the distances on all of the swims and then offer additional distance to part of the group at the end of any given swim. Bespoke / private group bookings are entirely tailored to the group, both in terms of the swim distances and the quantity of the swims. I’ll also point out that none of the swims are compulsory and with a little prior warning we can stay in the water at the end of any of the swims and allow clients a shorter swim option… More recently we’ve introduced our ‘slow swimming holiday’ offering flexible distances.

CONDITIONS : all of our swims are dictated by the days conditions, for both your safety and enjoyment. Individual / one-off swims are a little different but we won’t ever guarantee any specific swims or locations until we’ve seen the short term forecast (2-3 days prior to the swim day). The state of the tide may also play a factor. With the bulk of our activity in west Cornwall and the Lizard (which are both basically peninsulas), you’re almost always guaranteed a safe and flat swim. The way we plan these holidays and swims also means that you’ll never get the same swimming holiday twice.

TYPE OF HOLIDAY : it’s always worth making a note of the holiday type. As well as our ‘standard holidays’ we also offer more of a ‘wild swimming’ style holiday experience. Offering more swims, with shorter distances. This might suit you down to the ground, or provide a stepping stone towards our standard holidays.

SWIMMING OPTIONS BY ABILITY

NEWBEES / HEAD-UP BREASTSTROKERS / SLIGHTLY LESS CONFIDENT SWIMMERS : we have private one-off coaching sessions (or small group bookings) and open water confidence sessions and we offer coaching courses (a set of 3 sessions), we also offer very inclusive ‘assisted swims’ (the text is hyperlinked to find out more) and our ‘Wild Swimming Days Out’ may also be appropriate.

SLOW & STEADY / SHORTER DISTANCES : Wild swimming days out would be very appropriate, you may also opt for coaching, assisted swims, you’d be very welcome on our one-off (short notice) weekend swims and membership, private booking (individual and group) and the slow swimming holiday is available as well.

SLOW & STEADY LONGER DISTANCES : Wild swimming days out would be very appropriate, assisted swims, you’d be very welcome on our one-off (short notice) weekend swims and membership, private booking (individual and group) and the slow swimming holiday is available, as well as our standard swimming holidays. I could also look into our 10K Day event.

MEDIUM PACERS : You’d be welcome on any of our events, holidays or general activity. If you were a more mature swimmers that still swims well then definitely take a look at our Dash For Cash event. A handicapped 850m swim, that take age and gender into account. We run swimming MOTs (you’ll need to get in touch), which are a 30 minute coaching session

MEDIUM / FAST(ER) PACE : Again, any and all of our events and holidays are any option. We run swimming MOTs (you’ll need to get in touch), which are a 30 minute coaching session, designed to tweak your stroke and the Dash For Cash might be an option. If you have a collection of friends that swim at a similar speed, you may also look at a private booking swimming holiday.

IN SUMMARY : we’ve had quite a few people almost cancel or simply not turn up to holidays they’ve booked because of various anxieties and nerves surrounding their booking. In all cases it’s been their first swimming holiday and in every case they’ve had a good laugh with us at the end of it…and wondered why they were worried at all. Sea swimming can be quite daunting, particularly if you have limited or no sea swimming experience. As a swimming holiday company we will always put your safety first, as most suppliers will. We’ll always look for the days safest swimming conditions and never put you in unnecessary danger.
If unsure, you can always phone in and have a chat. As I’ve mentioned safety for us is paramount and if you are unsuitable we’ll advise you, we can also take you through other options that are available.

OUR TOP 5 ONE-OFF SWIMS

These aren’t necessarily the best swimming locations that we’ve experienced. They’re the moments when the conditions were perfect and all those little, random elements aligned and we got it perfectly right.

1. PORTHCURNO : I didn’t swim this one but covered the water safety. We turned up and swam at 9am a few years ago. The BBC had loads of vehicles in the car park for the filming of Poldark and we must have missed all of the action by about an hour. On the beach there was a very light off shore breeze. The sun was out and it was warm. There were nudists on the beach next door, kit off already it was that warm! The water was crystal clear and as we approached the 1km mark an opera singer started warming up at the Minnack Theatre. Her voice was carried across the water by the wind. This is a swim that has stayed with me for a long time and I doubt I’ll forget.

2. MOTHER IVEY’S BAY : during one of our Charity swims we swam at Mother Ivey’s Bay early in the morning. We’d already completed 2 swims and the sky was clear, so it was freezing! Despite being the middle of summer there was frost on the ground and our feet hurt walking down to the first swims. However, by the time we got to Mother Ivey’s it had warmed up. The sun was in the sky and the water was stunning. Pan flat, there were shafts of light piercing through the water and stretching down to the sea bed. Not a sole to be seen anywhere and perfect quiet. Mother Ivey’s remains one of my favourite north coast swims.

3. ST JUST-IN-ROSELAND POOL / HARBOUR : having been told about it on more than one occasion this was the first time that I swam in the tidal pool, at St Just-in-Roseland. We sailed and moored up fairly close, before rowing to a nearby beach. We then walked along the coastal path to the pool. As it was a glorious sunny day, I walked the coastal path in my swimming trunks. At the start of the swim is a beautiful old church and I got some curious…and some horrified looks from Sunday morning church goers as I walked past the church….at the exact time most exited the Sunday morning service. Lovely swim, phenomenal surrounds and landscape that surrounds this particular route. You need to swim in the pool on a Spring high tide or you’ll run aground!

4. NANJIZAL & THE SONG OF THE SEA : the walk to Nanjizal alone is worth the effort. ‘The Song of the Sea’ is the famous crack in the rock, just in front of the famous rock pool. Last year we walked down and swam through the crack. Breathtaking rock feature and stunning to swim through. There’s a real mix of excitement, fear and beautiful landscape and views when you do a swim like this.

5. LAMORNA TO MOUSEHOLE : a swim on our wish list for some time. I love Lamorna. It can get seaweed stuck in the cove and isn’t always ideal but when you get it right you have tranquil, beautifully clear water, an abundance of sea life… This swim started quite bumpy. The sea was full of jellyfish but they were all fairly deep….so I thought. Until I realised they weren’t really deep, just really small! Any ‘Father Ted’ fans out there might remember the scene with the cows! This was another swim with elements of excitement, beauty, slight fear and fatigue (I wasn’t that fit at the time) all rolled into one. I loved approaching Mousehole from the west, something I hadn’t done before. Incredible seascape the whole way along. Great swim.

Plan your own salt water wild swimming trip

Unless you know the areas you’re swimming very well we’d always recommend a local guide…I appreciate that we are a local guide and it’s obviously in our interest but…it should always be safety first. If you get together as a group, the water safety can be very affordable and it’s always good to have someone with you that knows the local area and is familiar with the conditions.

Generally and if you’re swimming in areas without swell, the shallower the better. Again, without swell it’s generally better to swim on neap tides and on an incoming tide. Ideally on a slack tide (ie. 20 minutes either side of high/low tide. That’s because there is less water movement around these times…but be careful you don’t stay in too long after high, as the water will then start to flow out quite quickly.

WHERE TO START : ideally you’d choose two areas. Both facing opposite directions. That way, if there’s a strong onshore wind and chop on one coast, you can move across to the other. We often base ourselves in Penzance and the Lizard Peninsula for that exact reason. In an ideal world you’d have a light off-shore breeze.
If you’re planning a series of swims your best bet is to find a central parking location and park up early. You could then potentially walk or cycle to multiple swim locations.

THE SWIMS : try and pick swims with multiple exit points. Have a plan B. If there is water movement and you can’t get in you’ll already have an exit point. This will potentially avoid panic, which typically leads to silly decisions…

HELP : inform the RNLI/coastguard/local lifeguards of your plans. Give details regarding timings, swim locations and numbers. Also, look up local businesses. If you’re quite remote and don’t have phone r3ception, they might. Taking a mobile, VHF radio or rescue beacon is always a good idea.

VISIBILTY : just the usual. Take a bright swimming cap, tow float etc.

ADDITIONAL SAFETY : do a head count in and out. You could also take emergency contact info and med records for everyone.

RESCUE EQUIPMENT : something like a SUP could be ideal. It’s not specifically designed for rescues but can cover distances quicker than swimming and can be used for buoyancy, should anyone get in any trouble. Visibly they’re also far easier to find in the sea. The group could take it in turns and an inflatable SUP are quit3 easy to transport.

Sea Swim Cornwall in 2022

NEW : we’re still unsure about events for 2022. With the constant threat of new variants and possible future lockdowns we’re going to leave it til a little later… The likelihood being we’ll put on one event. What we are doing is the following : we’re running summer long events, starting in April and running through til Oct/early Nov. We’re running handicapped events, that give time advantages based on your gender and age. This format allows you to swim a particular route at a time of your choosing, either by yourself or as a small group. It allows most entrants a good chance of posting a competitive time, regardless of your age or gender. There will be an overall winner at the end of the summer that will win a cash prize. So far, we have Carbis Bay as a confirmed route and we’ll add an additional route at a later date. MORE INFO CLICK HERE.

SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE : We’ll be offering a monthly subscription (4 weeks at a time), on tried and tested routes in the west of Cornwall. Typically on a Saturday morning but the odd swim may take place on a Friday evening or Sunday morning (if we’re not available on the Saturday). Provided we have good numbers we’ll also contact local businesses near the swim route and arrange some coffee and cake deals post-swim. FOR MORE INFO.

SSC MEMBERSHIP : CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS. So....this year we've made a few changes to our annual membership. We'll simply list the perks below. 

1. First option on all of our short-notice or planned weekend/midweek swims

2. Minimum of 10% off our short-notice swims - typically 25%

3. First option on events and 10% off

4. Occasional exclusive discounts on merchandise

5. First discounted option on any swimming holiday places that aren't booked up

6. We'll also invite you to bring a friend (at same reduced rate) on some swims

7. Discounted coaching sessions

8. *If we work on a collaboration with another partner we may not be able to offer discounts on these events ie. working with a pool provider

9. Generally - you'll be the first to hear about swims, events and holidays and have a head start on booking these, at a discounted rate.

SWIMMING HOLIDAYS : We simply require a £50 reservation fee for any of our holidays. We’re offering them the whole way through the summer. We try and make these holidays as inclusive as possible. If unsure of your suitability simply call us. As well as offering the same winning long weekend formula we’ve also added a wild swimming holiday / vineyard tour and a Lizard Peninsula camping trip. Some of these holidays are almost fully booked, others have good availability (generally down to when we published the holidays info & booking). Holidays generally cost anywhere from £160-250 for the weekend (Fri-Sun).

COACHING & WATER SAFETY COURSES : We’ll continue to offer the same high standard of coaching and water safety awareness courses through 2022. You can either book a voucher or book a slot. We typically start in April and finish early Nov.

Planning a swimming trip / holiday in Cornwall

Cornwall is packed full of world class open water swimming options. In the wrong conditions however, these can be unpleasant (at best) and sometimes quite dangerous. If you want to get the most out of your swims you’ll need to do your research and give yourself plenty of options. You’ll need to consider the following points :

• LOCATION : as picturesque as some areas are you need to pick a location that offers swims facing at least two different directions ie. west and east. If you picked Newquay as your destination, for example, a strong westerly wind and/or swell pretty much rules out any local swims! This is the exact reason we based a lot of our swimming activity in Penzance and the Lizard…lots of options.

• BE PREPARED TO TRAVEL : getting away from the wind and swell may require travel. If you’re planning to swim summer season, this in turn may also require planning…as you may need to park up early (in the popular spots) and get the tides right.

• RESEARCH : do you research. We offer safe swimming guides to a number of our blog posts. Talk to local swimming groups, look up articles specific to your swim, speak to local lifeguards…Don’t just turn up and swim.

• CONDITIONS : Look up the conditions for the swim as late as possible, so that the forecast is as accurate as possible. Ideally you want a light off-shore wind. Always best swimming on a neap tide and avoid the first hour after high tide…particularly on a Spring tide.

• SWIM IN NUMBERS. Contact local open water / wild swimmers that may want to join you. Try and find swimmers of roughly the same fitness levels / pace. Fairly easy contacting swimmers through social media.

• GUIDED SWIMS. Find a local professional swim guide. You don’t need to do this for all of your swims but if you want to get adventurous or go off-grid, this is definitely advisable.

• RESCUE EQUIPMENT. Get yourself a tow float that allows you to take a mobile. Well worth getting a waterproof phone pouch also. Just be aware that you won’t always get phone reception!

• PLAN YOUR SWIM ROUTE. Most people get in real trouble because they PANIC. Plan your swim route. Try and figure out multiple exit points. Think ‘worse case scenario’….and how you’ve navigate these situations.

• RIVERS. Cornwall has a phenomenal coastline but it also has a number of beautiful rivers. If you can’t get in the sea, head a little inland.

Most of all though…have a great time!

10 Epic lesser known swims in Cornwall

1. KYNANCE : of course this is very well known. However, most people stick to the ‘main drag’. At a certain state of tide there is a secret cave to the east. I’m not going to give away too many details…I’ve nicknamed the cave ‘the Devil’s Chimney’.

2. Porthchapel. Sits a short walk and scramble away from it’s famous neighbour Porthcurno. It’s a little off-grid and remote (always swim with a friend) but well worth the effort.

3. Kennack Sands. Offers a great day out. Fantastic walks, good swimming, a lovely beach and 2 cafes on the beach…for your convenience.

4. Porthpean. It’s not particularly secret…but if there’s someone out there reading this that’s planning a trip to Cornwall and wants some advice… Always reasonably safe and flat, clear water, stunning surrounds and lots of swim routes from the beach.

5. Praa Sands. Better know for it’s surfing but when there’s no surf you have some stunning swims around the point, to the west. Always talk to the lifeguards first and let them know your plans.

6. St Just-in-Roseland pool / harbour. You need a Spring high tide for this one but if you get it right you swim in a beautiful harbour surrounded by a sub-tropical garden and church. It doesn’t get much better.

7. Porthoustock/Porthallow. They’re a slight pain to get too (from anywhere!) and they’re not the most stunning swims but I love them. Always easy parking, very safe, clear water, there’s a crazy building at Porthoustock (that was a torpedo testing facility during the Cold War), great pub at Porthallow… Avoid the quarry side of the bay at Porthoustock.

8. Mother Ivey’s Bay. Great option on the north coast. Stunning, undeveloped beach with golden sands and a gorgeous lifeboat station.

9. Polurrian Beach. A quiet beach in the Lizard, that takes effort to access…hence the ‘quiet’. Beautiful swim towards Mullion or a slightly more adventurous swim to Poldhu (in the right conditions!).

10. The Gazzle, Newquay. Swimming from the back of Little Fistral to Towan Beach. Great little exploratory swim. You need to do this in the right conditions and be really, really careful if you’re going to swim across the harbour mouth at Newquay Harbour. *You can exit at the Fly Cellars’ just before the harbour. You also need to be careful of fishing lines at the Fly Cellars!

    PLEASE DO TAKE CARE - if you take on any of these swims. Always do your research and plan your swims. We’d suggest swimming on an incoming tide and preferably a neap tide, minimising water movement…

Porthpean Beach, St Austell.

Swimming at Charlestown, St Austell.

Walking down to Charlestown Harbour is like walking into a film set…possibly because it is used as a film set! The site has been used on the BBCs recent adaptation of Poldark and Doctor Who, as well as Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland….and a number of other titles.

Charlestown is a UNESCO world heritage site and it’s a little like stepping back in time when you access certain areas of the harbour and won Tripadvisor’s ‘Travelers’ Choice Award’ for 2021.

For swimming Charlestown is ideal. It’s not great on a moderate to strong easterly wind…but we don’t get that many days (particularly in the summer) where the wind blows in that direction. Europe is also in the way for big swells to roll on in.

In terms of swims - you can swim from Charlestown to Carlyon Bay and back, swim Charlestown to Porthpeanand back or opt for a shorter swimming route from Charlestown to Duporth and back. Alternatively, you could swim one way and walk back across the coastal path.

Charlestown has quite a few spaces in local car parks, as well as lots of on-street parking. The local town has all of the facilities that you’d need for a swim or day out.

Swims are best accessed from the beaches either side of the harbour. The harbour is quiet in terms of traffic but you still get the odd boat travelling in or out… Take care.

Swimming Charlestown to Porthpean (& back) - approx 2.5-3km

Swimming Charlestown to Carlyon Bay (& back) - approx 2km

Swimming Charlestown to Duporth Beach (& back) - approx 1-1.5km

Gifts for the open water / wild swimmers

As well as essentials for all year round swimming we’ve developed a series of products that are ideal as gifts for the open water or wild swimmer. Having actually had some time to sit down and plan our online shop during the first Covid lockdown, an idea we’d had for some time. We started with greetings cards - all designed in house, then onto small swimming-related gifts, before then moving onto larger items….and our open water swim shop has developed from there.

Below we’ll take you through some of our swimming products and gifts :

• A fairly recent addition (at the time of writing) are the Ulu Dry Bag tow floats. The brightest and most visible in the market. The real highlight for us, being the Ulu Adventure Pro. Not only does it have a very handy attachment for a GoPro style camera but it’s also made from recycled plastic bottle! VIEW PRODUCT - CLICK HERE

• With the rise in popularity or towelling robe style products, has come a massive rise in price! We really wanted to produce a decent towelling robe at a reasonable price and we feel like we’ve achieved this goal. Check out our towelling robe for swimmers (or surfers). CLICK HERE

• We started off selling surplus swimming caps from our events and soon realised that we were quite good at designing swimming caps! Since the first event we’ve continued to add to the range, with the Swimfari range coming out very soon. VIEW SWIMMING CAPS HERE

• We’ve designed lots of swim related logos and the logical step was to then go into t-shirts and clothing….which we did! These include our tongue in cheek ‘Wetsuits are for Wimps’ logo, as well as our ‘Wild Swimmer 365’, ‘Real athletes have beards’, St Michael’s mount ‘Bucket List Swimmer’ tee, coming out soon is our ‘Powered by old man strength’ t-shirt… CLICK HERE FOR WOMENS / HERE FOR MENS

• Another idea that took us a year or two to develop was our Cornish Swim Trumps card game. The big obstacle was finding an affordable way to produce the game, which we finally managed to do. VIEW PRODUCT - CLICK HERE

• Our range of open water / wild swimming specific greetings cards continues to grow. It started with a simple birthday card and we haven’t looked back. VIEW FULL RANGE

• To send with (or without) a card is a full range of pocket make-up mirrors, stickers, bottle openers and/or badges. All designed for open water / wild swimmers and have swim-specific designs. The stickers are a big seller. CLICK HERE FOR - STICKERS, BOTTLE OPENER & BADGES

• Tidal clocks are one of our faves. A constant reminder of the tides state and which swims are available, at the desired time of day. CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE

• Skin care oil for the open water swimmer. Made in our home town of Newquay - this blend of oil has been specifically put together for people that swim or surf in salt/freshwater and are exposed to the elements. READ ON…

• Tote bags designed for swimmers are another top seller. We especially like the ‘I love cold water shock’ bag, that is made from off-cuts and is environmentally friendly. Ideal for the wild swimmer that doesn’t carry round quite as much gear when swimming. VIEW BAGS

• Books and bookmarks. Bookmarks were a no-brainer for us. A great little gift to slip into a card and easy to post. We produce a couple of books. One ideal for planning and recording your swimming activity in Cornwall (comes with a pen made from corn husk) and the other is a mindfulness-style colouring book, designed for adults. READ ON…

• Cornish Chocolate…everyone likes chocolate…and from Cornwall! We’ve designed some bespoke packaging for the bars and are in the process of changing suppliers. Soon to stock Cream Tea Milk Choc, Milk Choc Fudge and Chilli and Lime Dark Chocolate. Ideal as a gift….for anyone!

• We’re always keen to add environmentally friendly products to our range. We love this company. We’re now stocking Waterhaul sunglasses. Made from recycled fishing net. Fantastic idea and beautifully made and stylish sunglasses. FIND OUT MORE…

• Goggles. We have been selling some local bankrupt stock and will then try and source additional pairs from alternative suppliers. At the time of writing we have a large selection of very affordable goggles. CLICK HERE TO VIEW

We’ll continue to research, source and add products to our shop going forward. We always try and keep our products as environmentally sustainable as possible and will continue to do so going forward.

The Perfect Swim - St Michael's Mount

In theory Sept/October is the perfect month to swim in Cornwall. The water is still warm and the crowds have dispersed (a little). The Cornish locals love this time of year. The only issue of course, being the weather! This time of year has the potential to be outstanding but all it takes is a storm or two to roll in and it’s all over.

I had a standard email from a lady wanting to swim around St Michael’s Mount in Oct this year (2021). Forecast looked very good for the Thursday, so I booked it in.

Turning up was a treat. Car park quite empty, which had not happened all summer. The wins was light northerly and the sun was shining. In the water was around 16.5 degrees.

This turned out to be one of the best swims around the Mount we’ve done. The water was crystal clear and glassy. You could see underwater without changing the angle of your head. The water is rarely so still and clear that you can look forward and see rocks and seaweed almost seamlessly merging into the over-water landscape.

The lady swimming told me at the end that it was “the most beautiful swim I’ve ever done”…I wasn’t in the least bit surprised.

Why learn front crawl (freestyle)

I offered to teach a group doing a water safety course front crawl and they asked me why they would bother? The question slightly surprised me and I didn’t have an immediate answer. For me it’s one of those questions that I never thought I’d be asked and had never really given any thought to the answer….now that I have thought about it, here’s why.

• I think primarily the view underwater is often as spectacular or, in some cases more spectacular than the view above. This year we’ve seen a large number of sand Eel and marine life and the usual stunning Cornish underwater seascapes.

• Cold water does a great job of ‘re-setting’ the brain. Great for your mental health. In warmer water (ie. the summer), swimming with your head in the water, focusing on your breathing, thinking through your technique…does exactly the same. So when the water isn’t cold, you get the same affect.

• Breaststroke gets the job done but can be quite punishing on the knees and joints. Especially as you get older. If you pick up an injury/RSI to your shoulder or knee you may have to give up swimming.

• Swimming front crawl (correctly) puts less strain on the body - particularly with the added buoyancy of salt water.

• Generally speaking, swimming front crawl allows you to cover more distance, quicker, with less energy and resistance (from both the wind and water). Which would allow for more adventurous swims or simply more variety.

• Even if you weren’t to swim front crawl that often. It’s nice to have the option.

• From a safety point of view I also think that swimming faster, with less effort is definitely a good thing.

These are our thought on the topic. Quite honestly, we’re just thrilled that more people are swimming and it’s gained such popularity. However you swim…keep it up!

Swimming at Porthpean Beach, St Austell

We carry out a lot of our swimming activity in west Cornwall, mainly as we’re based in the local area. Cornwall as a whole has some stunning swims throughout the entire county.

Personally I’m not a massive fan of the town but St Austell in particular has a number of outstanding swimming options. The highlight of these options (for me) being the Charlestown and Porthpean area.

Porthpean - is a quiet beach, a mile or two along the coast from Charlestown Harbour. You can find a small car park just up the road from the beach (PL26 6AX). It’s then a 2 minute walk down to the beach. We’ll include a video/photos rather than a description. The water quality and clarity is always great. You’d want to avoid the entire area on an moderate to strong easterly wind.

Charlestown - always a real treat. Ample car park space and a fair bit of on-street parking. I always pop into Short and Strong for a coffee whilst in the area…there are lots of other options. The harbour itself is stunning and has featured in a number of films, including Alice in Wonderland. As well as Dr Who and the BBCs most recent adaptation of Poldark.

SWIMS : great swim from Porthpean to Charlestown and back. Best attempted on an incoming tide, near to high. Approx distance 2-3km. There’s also a very active, very social group of local swimmers.

Other routes might include a longer swim from Porthpean to Carlyon Bay.

Swimming at Prussia Cove, Penzance.

You’ll find this delightful little cove, just tucked in around the corner from Penzance. With a long and colourful smuggling history.

In any northerly wind direction the cove offers some fantastic swims. The water at Prussia Cove is typically slightly cooler than other areas but the water is often very clear. You also have swimming options in the immediate area, from Prussia Cove to Keneggy or possibly further around to Praa Sands.

There are a number of parking options in the local area. With your best option being to park at Praa Sands and use the coastal path to walk over. The walk is stunning, as are the surroundings.

We’ve attached our safe swimming guide below. We’d also add that this can be a quiet area and quite remote. Be careful when swimming, especially if you’re covering distance around the cliffs and headlands. Also, avoid swimming just after high tide, on a large spring tide.

Swimming Church Cove, the Lizard

We’ve wanted to cover this swim for some time. Church Cove is absolutely stunning. From the walk down, to the thatched roof cottages on the walk down, the tiny harbour, the swim itself… We finally had the perfect conditions and tide to offer this swim…although best not to do it on a low tide, like we did. Was slightly trickier to get out of the water than I would have liked. You might want to try this one a couple of hours after low tide. It’s also very remote, so definitely don’t try it by yourself and take the usual precautions.

Best on a westerly wind. SW light to medium strength winds will also work.

Amazing swim. You can swim right up to the Lizard Lifeboat Station. The water was crystal clear, with seaweed in patches, as well as stretches of white sand. On a higher tide there would be a couple of arches and caves to swim through. Stunning swim. Well worth the effort.

*For the more adventurous swimmers or swim-runner you could swim from Church Cove to Cadgwith (or the other way around) and run back to the car.

That’s it from us. We’ll let the video do the rest of the talking. Church Cove, the lizard Peninsula :

Review of 2021

2021 above all was very…interesting. Planning was very tricky due to Covid and us basically predicting the restrictions that might be in place. The weather and wind forecasts were all over the place, with a lot of the short term forecasts being far less accurate than usual. We had to cancel our first swim ever on the beach, just before we were going to set off…as the forecast and actual conditions were wholly inaccurate. The wind strength was really strong for long parts of the summer. The water temperature was also really cool until at least the start of June. Cornwall was incredibly busy all year, so we had to factor in parking with a lot of our activity.

That being said…what a great summer of swimming it was!

We appeared in the national press 3 times over the course of the year! The Times, Financial Times and Guardian.

We started the season with quite a few swims around Mousehole Island and a few shorter routes. Mainly for safety reasons, as if you started to get cold you’d have less distance to negotiate on your way in. We have a large list of shorter swims and some stunning swims with really interesting features, so we still offered some beautiful swims. We also offered water safety / rip current awareness courses (for the first time) in the early part of the season, so swimmers could swim safely through the summer. Along with some 30 minute coaching sessions and a coaching programme we ran at the Jubilee Pool.

We ran a number of swimming holidays through the summer. We saw lots of new faces, as well as lots of returning ones. A number of these holidays were private holidays for returning groups. By the end of the summer we also got back to what we do best - a nice social trip, with pubs and cafes featuring…as well as world class swimming of course!

2021 saw us offer a new type of holiday. We held a trip in the middle of the Lizard Peninsula, with people staying in a central campsite. This made for a far more social experience and has proved to be incredibly popular.

NEW SWIMS : We’re always on the look out for new swims. I find it incredible that we still find them 4 years of swimming holiday. This year saw us swim out of Polurrian Cove on a couple of occasions. A stunning, quiet beach, just around the corner from the more popular Poldhu Cove. As well as swimming a route up towards Mullion, we also completed a more challenging 2km route from Polurrian to Poldhu.

The Sea swim Cornwall team completed a glorious swim from Porthleven to Rinsey - a quite spectacular route of around 3 miles. READ ABOUT IT HERE.

We offered a few swims at Kynance Cove this summer and accidentally (always the best way) found a secret new cave, only accessible on a certain tide. We’ll look to offer this swim next summer…occasionally.

Church Cove, on the east side of the Lizard (there are 2!), has been on our hit list for some time. This year gave us the perfect opportunity to finally offer up this swim and it did not disappoint. Words don’t do it justice. You’d be better off clicking on the link above.

A longer swim we’ve considered for some time finally got some attention. Lamorna to Mousehole. Around 4km of what we thought would be rugid, DEEP swimming but it was surprising safer than we imagined. In the right conditions, getting out is fairly straight forward, once you’re round the point at Lamorna. There is also a coastal path you can scramble up to, if needs be. Whilst it is deep in parts, there are also fairly shallow sections the whole way along. Swimming into Mousehole, from the less popular side was also a real pleasure. It’s a swim we’ll more than likely look to offer next year.

Porthchapel - hidden around the corner from Porthcurno was a real treat. There is a little scramble / climb down the rocks onto the beach…but nothing too taxing. It’s a beautiful beach and swim. It’s also a new and different option to swim to from Porthcurno.

The north side of the west of Cornwall is an area we’ve spent some time exploring. Whilst we’re happy with heading to St Ives when a strong southerly wind blows in, it’s nice to have lots of options. We’ve found a few additional swims, although some are a little tricky to get to. We’ll save these for smaller groups and on-off swims.

Praa Sands also hosted a number of swims. Whilst I’ve visited Praa Sands a number of times, I"‘ve never really rated it as a beach. This summer however, changed that. Really enjoyed spending time here. There are a number of very cool cave swims off both ends of the beach and options to swim around to Keneggy and Prussia Cove.

Poldhu Cove better known for it’s surfing has provided us with a few very nice swims this summer. There’s an awesome little channel that you can swim through on the point and you also have the option of swimming around to Church Cove and exploring a few caves.

All-in-all fantastic summer of swimming. We’ve actually learnt a little more about reading the conditions, found some new swims and tweaked a couple of our holidays for 2022.

2022 holiday dates and events are either out or being announced shortly. Holidays requiring just a £50 fee to reserve your spot at this stage. Memebership for regular local swims are also currently available for 2022. You’ll find out about events and holidays first, be offered last minute reduced entry for any spots still available on holidays, as well as receive discounted entry for weekend swims and events. CLICK HERE for more info. Membership just £20.

Swimfari Event in Cornwall

This event was a result of a late night brain storming session. Sea Swim Cornwall wanted to come up with a shorter, safer event specifically aimed at slower swimmers, swimming newbies, the head up breaststrokers, the less competitive swimmer, people that don’t like the mass starts and aren’t a fan of the more formal and competitive swimming events.

We set a rough geographical area for the swims and then wait until 2-3 days before the event day. We’ll then email the participants after looking at a short range, fairly accurate forecast of the conditions. This allows us to offer enjoyable swims, in the most favourable and safe conditions.

The Swimfari events typically consist of 3-5 swims over the course of the morning and afternoon. Each swim is approx 500 - 1200m in length. The exact distance is up to you, as is whether or not you take part in all of the swims. We have a number of water safety crew spread out across the swim length, so it’s very easy to turn back early if you’d like.

The St Mawes Swimfari this year was a real hit. We planned the whole event around having a spring high tide at the St Just-in-Roseland pool / harbour. A swim that never disappoints. You walk down through the subtropical Church garden to the banks of the harbour. From there you have a sheltered swim, in the shadow of the Church and gardens. Most swam out through the harbour and onto the river. This year we had a little morning mist, which made the swim a little more dramatic than usual but no less spectacular. From there we put on 3 magical swims, all based around St Mawes Castle and St Mawes itself. The feedback from the event has been great and we’ll look to plan a 10km swim around the same area in 2022 (broken into 2 x 5km swims).

Porthleven to Rinsey

This is a swim we’ve been talking about for some time. Swimming out of Porthleven Harbour is always great (stick to flat conditions and away from the main, central channel whilst in the harbour). It can be a little tricky to plan as you need nice flat conditions and either a light N or NE wind. Today was the day however!

Swimming out of Porthleven Harbour is always spectacular. Once you swim around the corner you’re greeted by an underground forest of seaweed and boulders. As you pass the first corner you can follow the spectacular cliffs and rock formations for a good mile and a half. You get to see a few beautiful, remote, sandy beaches, as well as lots of cave formations (including Nichols Cove) . You then head straight towards Trewavas Mine, perched right on the edge of the cliff. As stunning as the mines are they’re also slightly soul destroying. They’re far enough away that every time you ‘sight’ them they look exactly the same distance away…which makes you feel like you’re getting nowhere for quite a while!

Once you pass the mines you’ll shimmy around the headland, complete a short stretch before you shimmy around the last point and you’re then on the home straight. I love swimming the Rinsey stretch. We were greeted by a shoal of thousands of Sand Eel, as well as the odd larger fish. At this stage boulders rise and fall as you swim over them, you swim over large patches of white sand and eventually end up at the beautiful Rinsey Cove.

We also had the bright idea of running the coastal path back. Having done very little training all year - what could go wrong!? It is an absolutely stunning route across the side of the cliffs/hills and absolutely brutal to run (unfit anyway!). Up and down STEEP hills for 4 miles.

Epic swim. Best to do in a group or with water safety cover. BE CAREFUL. Probably best to start just before high tide and do your research and planning.

Choose your swimming holiday / activity

We have a range of swims, events and activities, for a range of abilities. This blog post will hopefully help you to decide which option best suits you. I’ll break your options down into what you might swim regularly in terms of distances and speed and your experience level and look at what might be suitable. We’ll start at 1 (which would be a complete beginner) up to 5 (more advanced swimmers).

1.BEGINNER / NOVICE

Just started swimming, possibly don’t swim front crawl or lacking confidence, definitely in need of some coaching…

LOOK AT : 1-2-1 coaching or small group coaching (with some friends), we also run beach you could also safety courses/rip current awareness…

You could also look at our ‘Slow, Short and Social’ swimming holiday option. Short, supervised ‘plods’ in stunning locations…

2. SLOW SWIMMING / SHORTER DISTANCES

Maybe looking to swim further and improve technique. May also want to look at small scale swimming events or take on longer swims safely…

LOOK AT : 1-2-1 coaching or small group coaching (with some friends) & we also run beach safety courses/rip current awareness. Take a look at our Swimfari Events - a non-competitive day of swimming, with multiple swims, based on the days conditions. Ideal as a social day out, to gain experience and fitness and ultimately have a laugh.

Another option might be an assisted swim. We tow a SUP around a longer swim with us. This gives the swimmer the option to take regular breaks or catch a lift around sections of the swim. This option open up a whole new world of swimming options that weren’t possible ordinarily.

You may also consider a ‘Slow swimming holidays’. Chat to a member of staff before booking.

Or again, look at our ‘Slow, Short and Social’ swimming holiday option. Multiple short, supervised ‘plods’ in stunning locations…

3. SLOW SWIMMING / LONGER DISTANCES

LOOK AT : 1-2-1 coaching or small group coaching (with some friends) & we also run beach safety courses/rip current awareness. Take a look at our Swimfari Events - a non-competitive day of swimming, with multiple swims, based on the days conditions. Ideal as a social day out, to gain experience and fitness and ultimately have a laugh.

People often get a little intimidated by swimming holidays. All of our swims are based on the conditions and the average pace of swimmer is generally around 2-2.30 mins per 100m over a distance swim (approx 20-25 mins per km). We obviously have slower and faster swimmers…but we either split the water safety/group up or swim as a group and the faster swimmers double back regularly.

We offer our unique ‘10k Day’ events, taking in 3-4 swims over the course of the day, that total….10km! We’ve stopped this type of event for 2020 (Covid fitness issues) but it will come back. The Swimfari Event follows the same format but with shorter distances.

We also have short-notice / weekend swims or privately book a swim.

4. PUBLIC SESSION MIDDLE LANE SWIMMERS (APPROX)…

You may still look at coaching or water safety courses.

You’ll definitely need to look at Swimming Holidays, all of our events, as well as our one-off swims and private bookings. As well as set-date swimming holidays we also take private group booking swimming holidays (tailoring the holiday to the group), generally starting with as few as 4 people in the group.

5. MIDDLE - FAST LANE PUBLIC SESSION SWIMMER

You’ll definitely need to look at Swimming Holidays, all of our events, as well as our one-off swims and private bookings. As well as set-date swimming holidays we also take private group booking swimming holidays (tailoring the holiday to the group), generally starting with as few as 4 people in the group.

We also cover longer distance swim (up to 10km) private bookings. Either individuals or we’ll take small groups (provided they stay as a group through the swim)….as well as body surfing tuition.

Church Cove, the Lizard

We’re always on the lookout for new swims and re-visiting old swims to check out local parking, changes in cafe and shop use, exploring more of the local area…

This week we went to the Lizard Peninsula and went back to a few spots, checked out some new potential swims and just had a bit of a jolly!

This is Church Cove in the Lizard. It’s a stunner. Will make for an excellent addition to a long list of swims that we offer.

Swim Camp

This year Sea Swim Cornwall are rolling out a new type of swimming holiday. We’re basing ourselves at a campsite on the Lizard Peninsula. The campsite is very central and around 15 minutes drive away from a large number of world class swims.

You have places like Kynance Cove, Church Cove, Porthallow, Cadgwith Cove, Lizard Point, Kennegy Sands… just a stones throw away.

The idea of the holiday is to allow you to book as many, or as fewer swims as you’d like. You simply book the accommodation and then book individual swims. The swims are then broken into groups - the groups based on speed and distance. We have every confidence that this camping / swimming holiday will go well this year, we’ll then look to add coaching sessions, water safety and rip awareness courses and a whole loads of extras for next year’s swimming trip. We also tow a large SUP on the swims. This allows swimmers the chance to climb aboard and have a breather, whilst still being involved with the swim and adds an additional layer of safety to the swims.

The concept and some of the locations are detailed in the video below :