Swimming Days Out

If you’re planning on broadening your horizons and taking on a new swim or two in the summer, it might well be worth planning a series of swims over the course of a morning, afternoon or entire day… If you’re going to make the effort to drive to a new area, you may as well do it properly!

Here are a few of Sea Swim Cornwall’s suggestions for some multi-swimming days out. Please bear in mind that you’ll need to check the forecast and ensure the conditions are safe to swim in. We’d always suggest swimming on an incoming tide, preferably neap tides and check the wind direction and strength. Under 20kmph is good and try and avoid a moderate to strong onshore wind. *More info on safe swimming, check out our ‘reading the conditions’ blog post - CLICK HERE.

LIZARD PENINSULA - a number of options here.

You could simply visit Kynance Cove and take on a few swims. Loads of options. Bear in mind that it isn’t lifeguarded. Best swimming on a low tide, with the tide coming in…and swim with company.

Porthallow, Porthoustock and Kennack Sands. Some really interesting swims, with really interesting old industrial features. Other than Kennack, these areas are generally quite quiet…even in summer.

Another option might be Gunwalloe Fishing Cove, followed by Church Cove and Poldhu. Church Cove is lifeguarded in peak summer weeks, Poldhu lifeguarded through the main summer season.

WORTH CHECKING OUT… Roskilly’s for ice cream and great food, also a great option with kids.

PENZANCE - again, a few options. You could look at Porthcurno, Porthchapel (be careful on the way down, a slight bit of bum-shuffling, climbing involved) and Lamorna Cove. Best to attempt either side of the main summer season as parking can be challenging.

Perranuthnoe is another option. Starting on Perranuthnoe Beach, you can then head east and you’ll find another couple of tracks leading to additional launching beaches. Obviously you are a little off the beaten track, so be careful when swimming.

WORTH CHECKING OUT - Pickle on the prom, Tremenheere Kitchen or the Beach Cafe (Perranuthnoe).

ST AUSTELL - Lovely short walk and options, simply look at Porthpean, Duporth and Charlestown. Best to finish at Charlestown on a high tide. You can park at Porthpean. Beautiful stretch of coast and if you avoid an easterly wind, normally very protected.

ST IVES - Porthkidney, Carbis Bay and Porthminster. Best during dry conditions, as part of the coastal path can get quite muddy. You can park at Carbis Bay and walk to the end of Headland Rd to access Porthkidney, follow the same route back to Carbis Bay and take the coastal path to Porthminster. Approx 2-2.5 miles of walking. Best heading for Porthkidney just before a high tide.

*You could also try Porthminster, Porthgwidden and Bamaluz Beach. Get the train into St Ives from either Carbis Bay or St Erth.

WORTH CHECKING OUT - Ocean Sports Centre on Carbis Bay.

ROSELAND - Porthcurnick Beach, followed by a short walk over to Portscatho and the swimming pontoon. You could then walk over to Porthbean or take on a much longer walk or drive over to either Pendower / Carne Beach.

WORTH CHECKING OUT - The Hidden Hut (although I felt like the prices were a tad high on the last visit but still worth a visit!).

Swims for people with limited mobility

I had an email about accessible swimming today and thought I’d write a blog post about it and highlight some of the more accessible swims near us. Please bear in mind however, that with granite cliffs, sand, country roads…there aren’t a huge amount of truly accessible swims.

In and around Penzance :

Penzance Harbour - swim at the back of the harbour, off Abbey Slip. Best avoid the main section of the harbour. Limited parking at Abbey Slip . There is a small section of road for blue badge holders…as well as the main council car park on the harbour. Slip drops into the harbour at mid-to-high tide.

Battery Rocks and the slipway to the west of the Jubilee Pool - Battery Rocks has a paved path running down to the entry point, entry via steps with hand rails. A good 300m walk, if you can park in close proximity. Blue Badge holders can park right next to the slipway and you can access the water within 2 hours of a high tide. Avoid moderate to strong southerly wind.

Jubilee Pool - not quite the sea but it’s salt water. Have hoists and accessible aquatic wheelchair. Car park is about 50m away from the lido but is small.

Around Penzance area :

Mousehole Harbour : can swim in the harbour at high tide. Make sure you check the SAS sewage alerts in the winter. You can park nice and close but either have to negotiate steps or a slipway on the steeper side. You can park nice and close to the south beach but I wouldn’t advise drive through the village! You could drive around the back of the village and approach from the rear side and park next to the south beach.

Lamorna - slightly further out of the way but you can park next to the beach…although avoid peak parking times in the summer! At mid-to-high tide, 40m walk into the water, via a rundown slipway and small section of sand.

Sennen Cove - you can park right next to the harbour. Again, near high tide, in calm conditions.

Long Rock - avoid low tide, as it’s a very flat beach and long walk. At high tide you can use the very reasonably priced car park and potentially walk 10-20m into the sea at high tide. You access the beach through a gently sloping slipway. Avoid moderate to strong southerly wind.

Marazion - if you park in either main car park across from the Mount, there are 2 slipways onto the beach and a short walk across the sand. Particularly true of the smaller short stay car park.

Praa Sands - best in calm conditions. Park in Maggie’s Patch car park. Short walk along an accessible road and then a short walk across the beach, at high tide. Longer at mid or low tide.

St Ives area swims :

Carbis Bay - you can park on the beach but the car park is likely to cost you £10-20 and you still have to walk across the sandy beach.

Porthgwidden Beach - if you can park in the ‘Island’ car park, you have a 50-100m walk to the beach and then a walk across a small beach.

The Lizard Peninsula :

Kennack Sands - Car park right on the beach. At high tide there’s a short walk across the beach. Lifeguarded during the summer.

Porthallow - park on the beach itself and a short 20m walk to the sea. The only issue being that it’s a pebble beach. So not an entirely straight forward walk.

Gillan Creek - park at the car park in St Anthony-in-Meneage. There is then a short 30m walk to the water, at high tide. If you swim at mid-to-low tide, you’ll have to negotiate a rocky beach.

Trevassack Lake - I’m cheating a little. Fully accessible site. Has all the equipment you could ask for. Limited opening hours, so do your research.

Falmouth area :

Maenporth Beach - parking on the back of the dunes. Walk across the beach. Be careful, although calm and shletered, you can get strong currents…particularly on spring tides. Avoid a moderate to strong easterly.

Swanpool - similar to Maenporth…just a slightly longer walk. Avoid a moderate to strong easterly.

Gyllyngvase Beach - can never get the spelling of this one right! Quite a flat beach but parking can be an issue. Road access right up to the back of the beach. Avoid a moderate to strong easterly.

Roseland Pen :

Porthcurnick Beach - If you avoid the car park and get there at a reasonable hour…there’s a road right down to the beach. You can turn around at the bottom of the road and get dropped off. Again, plan to swim at high tide. Avoid a moderate to strong easterly.

In & around north Cornwall :

Porthreath - you can park right on the beach but you’ll have to negotiate the sand. Lifeguarded beach in the summer months.

Newquay Harbour - if you can park in the very small car park, there an easy and short walk into the harbour around high tide.

Porth Beach - it’s unclear whether you can still park on the beach but if you drive down to the sea front, past Gwenna Tea Rooms you can park on double yellows during the winter months / blub badge holders. On a spring high tide there’s a short walk across the beach and into the sea.

T-Shirt Sale

We have some end of line tees and some of ‘last seasons’ stock we’d like to clear before a big re-stock of new t-shirts and designs.

I LOVE COLD WATER SHOCK TEE :

One of Tom’s favourite designs. Great contrast between the text/logo and dark blue. Printed on a 100% ringspun cotton t-shirt. Originally £16.99 - Now £11.99 inc P&P. CLICK HERE

---

WILD SWIMMER 365 TEE :

This has been a popular t-shirt and we only have size 18-20 left. 100% Organic cotton t-shirt. Originally £16.99 - Now £9.99 inc p&p. CLICK HERE

WETSUITS ARE FOR WIMPS :

Our tongue in cheek ‘Wetsuits Are For Wimps’ t-shirts. T-shirts are 100% ringspun cotton. Originally £16.99 - Now £10.99 inc. p&p. CLICK HERE

REAL ATHLETES HAVE BEARDS TEE :

Tom’s always been intimidated by endurance athletes with beards…they’re either that good they don’t care about the drag or they’re too busy to shave (too busy training!). 100% ringspun combed cotton. Originally £16.99 - Now £9.99 inc. p&p. CLICK HERE

OLD MAN STRENGTH TEE :

It’s a real phenomenon! Ideal for a Christmas gift. Limited stock remaining. Originally £16.99 - Now £7.99! inc p&p. CLICK HERE

Full Moon Swim in the Lizard

2023 saw us take on a new swim. A night time, full moon swim. We picked Trevassack Lake, as it has high walls for shelter, great facilities and uninterrupted views of the moon and stars.

We offered 2 groups, at 6.30 and 7.30pm. The 6.30pm group had far more ambient light and witnessed the moon rising over the far cliffs and into the night sky. The later group experienced ‘proper’ dark and the moon and stars high in the sky.

The forecast was quite harsh, with 35kmph winds, with the odd wind gust. We picked the lake as it offers great protection from the wind and it delivered. We made slight adjustments to our original plan and used the west side of the lake and cliffs as protection from the wind. The swimmers experienced little to no chop at all. The water was also 15.5 degrees. It was warmer in the water than out!

Both groups then popped over to the onsite cafe and had a hot vegetable stew and hot drink (the water safety team opted for the hot chocolate!).

We had great feedback from the groups and will look to create a bigger and better event for next year.

*What the video doesn’t show is how stunning the moon looked. Rising on the east side (to the left).

GUIDE TO 2024

We still have a couple of events in the pipeline, so this may not be a complete list…depending on when you’re reading this. We also offer shorter notice swims (based on the tides) throughout the year and will often create small group swims around individual bookings.

MAY 25 - starting in slightly cooler water but the weather has been great in May for the last few years and these are shorter swims…so water temp isn’t a problem. This is a shorter distance ‘slow swimming day out’, multi-swim (non)-event. Number currently restricted to 24 and some head-up breaststroke is expected…encouraged even! These are leisurely swims, on a social day out. West Cornwall is our back yard and we know it better than any other area in Cornwall. Loads of opportunity for great beach swims. Previous footage - CLICK HERE. TICKETS / MORE INFO - CLICK HERE.

JUNE 8 - a little adventure in north Cornwall. The North Cornwall 5K Day. Quite simply, open to anyone that can swim….5k (not in one go)! All abilities welcome, provided you can cover the distance over 3 swims. So approx 1.7km per swim (x3). We have a delightful back-up plan in case of swell or undesirable wind. Limited number on the event, avoiding mass starts and tight turns around buoys… MORE INFO - CLICK HERE

JUNE 18-20 - a ‘slow swimming’ midweek holiday based around west Cornwall, the Lizard and Helford. As there is a huge area to choose swims from, this holiday can offer some absolute beauties! We have suggested a centrally located campsite but you can stay where you like. We have multiple members of staff on safety on these holidays, so pace and distance is very flexible. Loads of potential for a mix of beach and river swims. Previous footage - CLICK HERE. MORE INFO - CLICK HERE

JUNE 25-27 - our standard pace midweek, west Cornwall holiday. By standard pace you’d be looking at the middle lane of a public swimming session (from fastest to slowest)…provided you can cover the distance we really aren’t that bothered. This holiday offers longer distances, of around 1.5-2km per swim. We have ample team members on water safety and we can split the group, if needs be. Again, we know west Cornwall very well. Great potential for lots of beach swims. Previous footage - CLICK HERE. More info - CLICK HERE.

JUNE 29 - Our 10K Day swimming event. 4 swims, over 1 day, totalling 10km. This event will be based in the St Mawes - Roseland area. Numbers on this event are limited to 50. Although some are welcome to race the routes, it is really more of a challenge, than an event. We’ve stripped back the t-shirts and freebees normally associated with this sort of event and simply kept the price down. Great opportunity for beach and river swims. Previous footage - CLICK HERE. More info - CLICK HERE.

JULY 2-4 - slow swimming midweek holiday, based around the Penzance area. Like the other slow swim holidays, we’ll pick nice flat and safe routes over a shorter distance (250m -1km). We’ll try and keep this one centred around Penzance, if the conditions allow. Some amazing beaches in the area for fantastic swims. Previous footage - CLICK HERE. More info - CLICK HERE.

JULY 5-7 - Standard weekend swimming holiday, based in St Ives / Penzance. By standard pace you’d be looking at the middle lane of a public swimming session (from fastest to slowest)…provided you can cover the distance we really aren’t that bothered. This holiday offers longer distances, of around 1.5-2km per swim. We’ll try to include some delightful swims, in the St Ives area…as well as some around Penzance. All swims will be launching from beautiful beaches. Previous footage - CLICK HERE. More info - CLICK HERE.

JULY 12-14 - slow-to-medium pace swimming holiday, in St Austell. This is a flexible speed/distance holiday that allows the participants to explore St Austell Bay. Swimmers have to be able to cover around 500m per swim at their own pace. We’ll have multiple personnel on water safety, so we can subdivide into smaller groups. Previous footage - CLICK HERE. More info - CLICK HERE.

JULY - AUG - we have a selection of one-off swims throughout July and Aug (pace requirements included on the link)…as well as additional dates to come. CLICK HERE for calendar.

SEPT 6-8 - easily one of our most popular weekend swimming holidays. We restrict numbers (15) on this one and it’s a slightly more intimate holiday. The Lizard Peninsula has dozens of fabulous swims on offer, including both beach and river options and the water is a great temp this time of year. Previous footage - CLICK HERE. More info - CLICK HERE.

SEPT 27-29 - Our most affordable swimming holiday. Set on the weekend, in the St Mawes / Roseland area. At the end of Sept the water is nice and warm. The holiday is set in an area that offers great protection from the wind and you have dozen and dozens of river and sea swimming options. Previous footage - CLICK HERE. More info - CLICK HERE.

Slow Swimming Holiday - Case Study, 2023

2023 was the first year that we offered ‘slow swimming’ holidays and they were extremely popular. One of the holidays fully booked and had a waiting list of 18 people! So obviously, we’ve added lots of additional ‘slow swimming’ activities to our annual calendar.

In this blog post we’ll take a look at two of these hol’s and talk you through all the details. I thought this would be particularly relevant and of interest to anyone that’s never been on a swimming holiday, worries about their pace in regards to group swimming and anyone that simply wants more info. We’ll look at distances, locations, access, staffing, pace…

---

HOLIDAY 1 : a midweek ‘slow swimming’ holiday, based in west Cornwall, June 13-15. Price £129. Group size was 24, with 3 on water safety (43 seasons of beach lifeguarding/water safety experience between us)…as the forecast was perfect. If it had been slightly more challenging, we would have had 4 on water safety. We’d suggested staying at Tremorvu Campsite but obviously you could have stayed wherever you like.

Swim 1 - Perranuthnoe. Tues, at 3.45pm. Not that well known by tourists but a beautiful beach, with a stunning beach side cafe. After parking, the group strolled up the coastal path on a 500m walk and then down the track to a very quiet, secluded beach. With 3 members of staff on water safety the group soon split up with around 8 people doing a supervised shorter route (approx 400-500m), a number of these swimmers did head-up breaststroke. The other group went on to complete around 1.7km. Both groups swam around a great circular cave route, the ‘distance’ group then went on to navigate some very interesting channels, cut into some flat rock.

Swim 2 - Porthcurno. Weds, at 9.45am. Straight walk from the car park and down the beach, around 400m. On this swim we had a better idea of the group and offered 2 options. Around 10 of the swimmers chose the shorter route out to the Minack Theatre, for a ‘seaside’ view and back to the beach (approx 400m). The second group headed over to Logan Rock and back, around 1.8km, although a few turned back early (approx 1.4km). This for many, was followed by the ‘essentials’…coffee and cake at the cafe, some had lunch.

Swim 3 - Nanjizal. Weds, around 3.30pm. This swim is an absolute beauty that we rarely offer, as the conditions have to be perfect. It’s a straight forward coastal path and a good 20-25 minute walk to the beach, from the car. Here, we swam through ‘Zawn Pyg’ or the ‘Song of the Sea’ cave. Absolutely stunning, world class swim. The route through the cave is around 400-500m. Some of the swimmers enjoyed it so much that they did it twice. A number of the group also swam across the bay…so totalled around 1.3km.

Dinner - we had a delightful and social group dinner at 45 Queen St on the Weds evening.

Swim 4 - 3 Bears Caves Swim. Thurs, 10am. Access to this swim is a little trickier. A 400m walk down a fairly steep coastal path and then a careful bum shuffle down some rocks at the bottom, which all the group comfortably managed. We then had a great swim into 3 caves. All of the group completed the swim at their own pace, around 800m. Some then added some distance, with a swim across the beach - total 1.4km.

Swim 5 - Porthleven. Thurs, at around 2.30pm. A few of the group opted out, as they were tired but came down and did some sun bathing on the quay. Some also jumped off the harbour wall! A leisurely swim out from the harbour, around the reef and back in, on a slack tide. Very easy access along the quay/road. Swim distance approx 1-1.4km. A few waited until the water safety team were back and swam a much shorter route in the harbour.

---

TOTALS - walking of around 9km and swimming of around 3km-7.5km depending on which route you opted for. Some swam head-up breaststroke, some front crawl and some completed a mixture of the two. One swimmer also opted out of 2 swims…so swam around 1.5-2km.

---

HOLIDAY 2 - St Mawes / Roseland Peninsula weekend ‘slow-to-medium pace’ swimming holiday. Sept 29 - Oct 1. Price £119 (only 4 swims on this weekend, standard is 5). Group size - 15. 3 on water safety (approx 43 seasons of beach lifeguarding/water safety experience between us). Over the weekend we had sun, a little wind and overcast conditions. We’d suggested staying at Treloan Campsite but participants were free to make their own arrangements.

Swim 1 - St Just-in-Roseland tidal pool / harbour. This is a stunning swim, that requires the right sized tide. We picked one of the biggest tides of the year and put on a swim, that included part of the sunset. 200m walk to the entry point. Swim length was 400 - 1.5km depending on the swim. A few head-up breaststrokers turned back early, with a member of the team.

Swim 2 - St Anthony’s Lighthouse. This required some work on our part, as the forecast changed. We spoke to the group and they were all happy to walk approx 3km to a breathtaking beach, around the corner from St Anthony’s Lighthouse. There we swam approx 1-1.5km up the Percuil River. A few swimmers swam and chatted their way around 400m of the route. Again, we split the water safety team and covered all of the swimmers.

Swim 3 - Porthcurnick. We stopped at the Hidden Hut at Porthcurnick for lunch. A great spot for refreshments. The wind had picked up (as predicted) and made the second swim slightly challenging. After careful planning we all walked over to Portscatho and used the headland for shelter. Whilst it was nice and sheltered in the bay, it got slightly rougher towards the point, which some swimmers quite enjoyed. Half the group stayed in the bay and some swam out to the point. Most of the swimmers climbed onto the swimming pontoon and jumped/dived off. Swim distance 400m - 1km. 500m worth of walking.

Swim 4 - St Mawes Beach. A straight forward swim up the Percuil River, from the beach in St Mawes. After a 200m walk from the car park, you pop down the stairs and you’re on the beach. We swam up the river. Some of the group opted for a 500m swim, while others pushed on and covered around 1.5km. We all ended up in Da Bara Cafe straight after!

---

TOTALS - around 8km of walking, with 1.9km - 6km of swimming activity. Some swam head-up breaststroke and chatted (a lot!), some front crawl and some completed a mixture of the two.

West Cornwall Swimming Holidays

Like most of our activity we pick west Cornwall because you have options for swims in all conditions. Whether it be high wind or swell…or both. West Cornwall provides shelter from almost all conditions and we can put on safe and sheltered (and obviously enjoyable!) swims. In the last 9 years, we’ve only ever put on 2 (stunning) lake swim, as we couldn’t find a good option and we’ve never cancelled a swimming holiday.

West Cornwall is the ideal location for a swimming holiday, as it has coast facing pretty much every point on a compass! You have large granite cliffs in areas, offering shelter. Although it’s a little further out, you also have additional options on the Helford River and Lizard Peninsula. You also have some of the following options for swimming :

St Michael’s Mount

Porthcurno

Mousehole harbour & island

Praa Sands

3 Bears Caves Swim

Carbis Bay

Porthminster Beach

Porthkidney Beach

Lamorna Cove

Perranuthnoe

We offer both standard pace and slow swimming holidays in west Cornwall. Standard pace holidays generally average at approx 2-2 1/2 minutes per 100m or 20-25 minutes per km. We have multiple members of water safety on these holidays, so there’s no issue with the group splitting up…you certainly shouldn’t be too concerned about your pace, provided you can cover the distances. Slow swimming holidays offers shorter distances for head-up breaststrokers, all the way through to slower front crawl swimmers.

For all of our activity - CLICK HERE

St Mawes Swimming

2023 was a very popular year for Sea Swim Cornwall…so popular in fact, that by July we decided at the last minute to put on an additional swimming holiday in Sept. As we hadn’t done a lot of swimming in the St Mawes / Roseland area…this was the obvious choice.

St Mawes is an ideal location for swimming holidays, as you have multiple sheltered rivers to choose from, as well as coastline facing in every direction. As well as the wind and conditions, the tide also dictates where you might swim…meaning every swimming holiday is different.

This is St Just-in-Roseland and the tidal pool. Great way to start a holiday!

Full Moon Swim

It’s 2023 and we’re currently gearing up for our first full moon swim. We’ve picked a stunning lake on the Lizard Peninsula, for a number of reasons.

• consistent conditions. We’ve swum in the lake in 60-70kmph winds, with minimal impact on the water conditions.

• Delightful nearby cafe, changing and toilet facilities.

• Contained area, easy to plan water safety and monitor swimmers.

• The Lizard is renowned for stargazing…with minimal local light pollution.

We’re offering two swimming groups, limited to 24 swimmers. Swimming will then be followed by a hot meal and drink, in the cafe…and a good old social.

Sea Swim Cornwall have been trying to set up a night swim / full moon swim for a number of years and have been unsuccessful…for various reasons. So we’re really excited to get this off the ground!

Pasty Politics

I’m not entirely sure why I’m delving into the world of the Cornish pasty. No good can come of this! I’ll probably receive hate mail. However, I’m going in…I’m going to do it…

Now we’ve been talking pasties all summer. At work, on the radio at work, driving to work, on the phone…there has been a lot of Pasty politics talk. He’s what we came up with this sumer.

We all feel that lots of pasty makers start well and produce a great pasty. The problems start when they take that popularity and expand…sometimes a little too quickly. Employing lots of additional staff and moving towards mass manufacture. At this stage there always seems to be a drop in quality.

We’ve also discussed in great length, the challenge presented by a molten hot pasty. It’s almost impossibly to leave a pasty to cool down ‘naturally’. You’ll snap a piece of crust off, nibble a hole to allow the steam to pour out…a riskier tactic is to bite a section off and hold it in your open mouth to cool…but it is almost impossible to leave it alone, once purchased.

Firstly, big shout to St Agnes Bakery. Their sausage rolls are so good that I never get round to the pasties. If the pasties are as good….oh wow. Secondly, Lavenders Deli in Penzance town, outstanding Scotch Eggs. They do a marmalade and red onion Scotch Egg that is to die for. Again, I never get round to buying a pasty. Both quality establishments however.

We’ll start with Rowes and Warrens. Both have been around for quite some time. They’re both popular bakers and have businesses dotted across the whole of Cornwall. We felt that Rowes fillings come out on top and Warrens produce the better pastry. Both are consistent but we felt both were nothing to write home about. They represent good value but don’t stand up against some of the smaller producers.

Another business that seems to be growing quite quickly, is the Cornish Oven Bakery. They offer both short crust and flaky pastry options. General consensus is that they are quality! Good size, great flavour, consistent…the option of the flaky or shortcrust adds a whole new dimension. We’re all just hoping the quality doesn’t start to drop, if they continue to grow.

Philps Pasties - a couple of my staff are from Hayle…so maybe a little biased. Philps are a funny one. At their best they’re right up there. Especially their meat pasties. The problem we all have is that you seem to have good batches and bad batches. The last couple of pasties I’ve had from them have been quite anaemic (and I haven’t been back for a good 6 months), Matthew however, tells me that recent batches have been very, very good.

Gear Farm pasties - Gweek area. One of the best pasty producers in the county. Fantastic pastry and a great filling. Good size too. Ticks all of the boxes.

Lavenders Cornish Pasties - I live just around the corner from an outlet, so have had plenty of pasties from these guys. They’re not bad. I’ve had better pastry and I’ve had better fillings. They are very consistent and reasonably priced. Not a bad choice.

Ann’s Pasties - we personally preferred Ann’s to Lavenders. Much of the above (Lavenders) holds true, just a little better.

Morris Pasties - some slight variations on the traditional flavours, without going OTT. Again, very consistent and very nice. Can’t really go wrong.

St Buryan Farm Shop - we had some customers visit on Saturday and the veg was a little raw…but everyone is entitled to a bad day. They generally produce very good and consistent pasties, especially the meat ones…being a butchers and all. My one visit yielded quality produce and again, word on the street is that it’s a quality establishment.

Brays n Kays - Newquay based producer. We haven’t personally had the pleasure but I’m hearing good things.

Mary’s Pasties - again, great reports from a number of sources. Will report back from personal experience asap.

Trevilley’s Farm Shop, Newquay. I’m hoping their not a one-hit wonder but one of my staff has not stopped talking about their pasties….and he’s only visited the shop once! Pastry, meat, the juice, veges…it’s all good! Worth the visit.

We’ll add a few more businesses and a short docu-style video to the article.

Annual Lizard Peninsula Swimming Holiday

One of our highlights every year is the Lizard Peninsula swimming holiday. We always hold it on the first weekend of September. The water is still warm and the crowds have thinned out. We’ve held this holiday for the last four years and each one has been absolutely stunning!

This year we really had to work. We had a southwest swell that rules out the west coast and easterly winds…so our experience really came into play, during the planning for this trip. Despite challenging conditions, we put on 5 delightful swims, in flat and enjoyable conditions.

Swim 1 - Kennack Sands following a route north, along the coastline, using the cliffs for shelter. Clear water, plenty of marine life and a great swim to start everyone off.

Swim 2 - Coverack, another nice and sheltered swim. We swam up and checked out the harbour before again, swimming north and keeping out of the wind. From there we took advantage of the location and popped into Roskilly’s. Epic pizza and ice cream…

Swim 3 - Durgan on the Helford river. Stunning morning swim, in pan flat conditions. Swimming from Durgan over to Trebah, then back across to Durgan to Grebe Beach. Beautiful scenery and weather. From there we visited the very unique and beautiful Potager Gardens for lunch.

Swim 4 - Parbean Beach. Takes some effort to get to but we had a very nice swim towards the mouth of the estuary / end of the headland and back. A new route for us.

Swim 5 - Church Cove / Gunwalloe. A proper sea swim…as we had snuck in a few river routes. Great morning for it and as it was swim 5, we picked a route that allowed a half way exit.

Safe to say that everyone had a fantastic weekend, including the staff! Bring on 2024.

Engaging your brain whilst swimming

One of the things I love about swimming is the ‘brain re-set’. It’s allowing your mind to wonder and drift off. It’s very easily done and beneficial in lots of ways. BUT…you shouldn’t be doing this all of the time. If you enjoy a challenging sea swim, like the odd race, want to improve…go faster and further…then you need to learn to engage your brain whilst swimming. Particularly in a race scenario, there shouldn’t be any points where you stop thinking about what you’re doing.

My old swim coaching used to say ‘‘if you want to get good at fighting, get in a fight!’’. If you want to be a swimmer that can adapt to the conditions and swim to a race plan and/or adapt that race plan mid-race, you need to practice engaging with your brain in training. No good trying it in the middle of a race. You also need to be able to think clearly when you start to get tired…which takes practice.

During either a pool or open water swim there will and should be times where you adapt your stroke technique, stroke rate, kick rate, breathing, sighting (when and where you sight), head and leg position, draft someone… This all needs to be practiced fairly regularly.

Technique - if you swim in the open water, swim with hand paddles for swimrun/Otillo events etc you need to think about the chop. Swimming directly into decent sized chop can be tricky, as it can catch the back of your hands and disrupt your rhythm and stroke. You should practice swimming with straighter arms and giving your hands increased clearance of the water. This also goes for your breathing and which side to breath on. You always want the chop hitting the back of your head.

Kick - whilst your leg kick is far less important in the open water, it’s still useful. Putting in a little ‘kick’ at the end of a race or to stop someone drafting can be a very useful tool. Conserving your kick rate when you start to get tired can also conserve valuable oxygen. Getting your legs a little higher in the water and promoting a quick flutter kick when you’re swimming with the chop can also be a good tactic. These all require practice and they require some thought whilst you swim.

Breathing - reading the conditions and knowing whlich side to breath to, waiting to be at the peak of the swell rather than the trough before you breath can also be a great tactic…that needs thought.

The difference between an average and good performance and an average and good swimmers very often doesn’t come from all those muscles you’ve been training in the pool and gym!

The ability to look back and evaluate a swim and make adjustments before the next is also a key factor in improving performance.

10K Day 2023 - 10km Swimming Event

Another year, another 10K Day! Starting to feel like it’s slightly cursed, as we had the same howling westerly winds…but I think the fact that it went ahead (when at least Cornish events running on the same day over the past 2 years have been cancelled) says volumes about the concept we’ve devised.

Rather than specifying a set location, we look at an entire area. We’ll check out the forecast 2-3 days before the event date and then contact the entrants with an exact meeting point and time. That way we can offer the safest and most enjoyable conditions possible. The 10km of swimming is also split up into 3-4 swims and is run as a challenge, rather than an event. This way, you can avoid mass starts, congested turns around buoys and some of the general rough and tumble that can come with similar events. It also allows the entrants the opportunity to check out lots of different areas and experience a number of swims. With lots of the entrants coming from out-of-county, the chances of a cancellation are also minimised. In the event of a cancellation (and unlike a few other event organisers), we’ll offer a refund.

2023 saw us take on 4 swims. We had planned on holding the event in west Cornwall but strong westerly winds forced us over to the Lizard Peninsulas east coast. With 2 delightful swims at Porthallow (one slightly challenging), one sheltered and shorter swim at Porthoustock (in crystal clear waters) and the finale at Coverack. A 3.5km swim in delightful conditions.

Wild Swimming Days Out

We’re running a number of ‘Wild Swimming Days Out’ in 2023 and annually. These are swimming days that are designed for all-comers. We have swimmers that turn up and do head up breaststroke, all the way through to swimmers that’ll cover 3-4km. The day is designed to take in 3-4 swims, with minimal travel between swims. Our West Cornwall day out in 2023 saw us park up and manage 4 swims without moving vehicles. We typically set a rough area and then get in touch 2-3 days before the event, once we’ve seen an accurate forecast and announce the exact swim locations. This ensures that you swim in flat and enjoyable conditions.

Our west Cornwall Wild Swimming Days Out saw us swim from 2 secluded beaches to the west of Perranuthnoe, one beach swim from Perranuthnoe and another glorious swim towards Cuddon Point.

READING THE CONDITIONS / PLANNING A SWIM

There is an art to reading the conditions and planning a swim. It really isn’t a difficult art to pick up though. The longer you look at the conditions and get used to planning, the better you tend to get at predicting the conditions.

Below, we’ll look at a specific swim and then how you’d go about checking the conditions and planning a route or possibly finding an alternative swim.

So we’re looking at Penzance sea front / Penzance Promenade. As you can see, by my dodgy scribbles - with a south, southwest or southeast wind, the wind (and chop) will be blowing straight in there. A wind strength of 0-10 kmph won’t produce a great deal of chop. 10-20 kmph will produce a little. 20km+ will start producing enough ‘chop’ to make the swim far more challenging and far less pleasurable. You also need to consider the state of the tide. At high tide the water level is half way up the sea wall. If chop and swell hits the wall it’ll bounce off and send that chop back out to sea. So…if you were swimming at high tide you’d be hit by chop from a few different directions.

START PLANNING when looking at where to swim you should always start the plan at home on the internet. There are a number of different resources that you can use. We like ‘Tides4fishing’, there is also Swimfinder, Windfinder, Magic Seaweed (soon to have a name change), Windy App, Nautide, local to Cornwall is the free My Coast App (I think they’re starting to roll this out nationwide). When looking at these resources you should be checking the wind direction and strength, tide times, swell, you can also look at the weather forecast (avoiding any storms/predicted lightning/drastic wind changes…). Below, we’ll use the Tides4Fishing website. A great starting point would be Swimfinder, which you’ll find towards the bottom of the page.

In our example at Penzance sea front, we’re looking at a 10am swim. The wind will be Northerly, at 31 kmph. So, whilst that is a little strong, it’s off-shore for a south facing swim. That means that the wind has no opportunity to influence the conditions, in terms of chop, as the wind only hits the water on the shoreline. You may think that this wind would push you out to sea…if you swim front crawl, there’s a tiny surface area exposed to the wind. This will have minimal impact on the swimmer. If you swam head-up breaststroke and you weren’t such a strong swimmer, you have more surface area exposed to the wind. This may make it trickier to swim back to shore. In this instance, you could plan a high tide swim…so that the harbour wall offers protection from the wind and the off-shore wind blows straight over your head. Next we’ll look at swell. Swell isn’t so much a factor in Penzance (sometimes local knowledge is crucial).

Again, in our example the swell for 10am is around 1.8m. You don’t really get breaking waves in our Penzance example. So whilst this is a decent size swell, breaking waves aren’t a factor. If we go back to the wind direction, we know that it’s 31 kmph from the north. So that wind will be pushing against any swell and flattening it right out. If it were 31 kmph from the south, with a 1.8m swell it’d be a very different story. Anyway, with a strong offshore wind and 1.8m swell there isn’t going to be too much to worry about. The only slight issue you might have is getting in off the slipway at hight tide. There may be a little bit of water sloshing around. *At this stage I will point out that the swell section of the website is my least favourite and least accurate. I’ll always double check the swell with Surfline.com. I’ll pick a nearby beach, that faces the same direction…like Praa Sands or Perranuthnoe and check the surf prediction. This will give you a good indication of the swell size.

Lastly, we’re looking at the tide. At 10am, it’s around a 1.9m tide. Bear in mind that tidal ranges can have massive differences from area-to-area, around the country. You need to specifically look at the area where you’re planning to swim, for accurate tide times and an idea of the tidal range. The ‘tidal coefficient’ is a great feature and gives you a visual representation of exactly how much water is moving around. In our example, it’s 75/120. So it’s not a huge tide but it’s not a small one either. A 120/120 is the biggest possible tide you could experience and a 0/120 would be the smallest. Above, it also gives you a text description of the tidal movement…’a high value and therefore the range of tides and currents will also be high’.

Back to the example swim, a 1.8m tide would make it tricky to get in along Penzance promenade, as it’s quite rocky. You’d have to head for the beach towards Newlyn or swim off the Battery Rocks area, at the back of the Jubilee Pool. If you were the head-up breaststroker we spoke about earlier and were worried about the wind you might wait for the afternoon high tide and get protection from the sea wall along the promenade.

OTHER FACTORS :

• land mass. You often get large tidal movements through narrow land masses. You can get this with long narrow beaches or area like Dover. You have water funnelling through narrow gaps or land masses and can get strong currents on an outgoing tide or almost constant lateral currents, as the tide goes in and out.

• tides. You have the most water movement in the middle two hours between a high and low tide. These are hours you can avoid. Particularly if you’re experiencing spring tides. If unsure of an area normally best to ‘test’ on an incoming tide, avoiding those middle two hours.

• headland. You can experience currents moving around headland and islands, particularly when there’s deep water in these areas. Remember that most people would struggle to make any forward movement against a current as small as 2 knots!

BE FLEXIBLE WITH SWIM LOCATION

Our example location was Penzance sea front. If we look at Carbis Bay (10-15 minute drive away) on the same day. The wind would blow straight in here. It’d really be whipping up some chop and wouldn’t be the most pleasant location to swim in. The swell is coming from the south so you wouldn’t have surf but you would have constant lumpy chop and plenty of it.

ADDITIONAL CHECKS

You can always make additional checks if your swim location has a webcam. Just remember that most webcams are wide angle and aren’t always that close to the water. So any chop or swell may look a little smaller than it actually is.

FINALLY

You can do all the checks in the world at home…but it’s really important to re-check the conditions when you arrive. Ensure that the conditions are behaving in the way you’d expect. Be prepared not to enter the water and possibly have a plan B…just in case.

COURSES

Sea Swim Cornwall have set up an affordable course to teach the fundamentals of planning your swim and understanding the conditions and rip currents. Our ‘First aid for swimmers’ course is available in a number of locations throughout the summer. CLICK HERE for more info.

---

ADDITIONAL WEBSITES :

SURFLINE, FORMERLY MAGIC SEAWEED

ABOVE : We’ve started by highlighting the search bar at the very top of the page.Put in the location of your swim. Bear in mind that this website is primarily for surfing and if you live in an area that never gets surf/waves, they may not cover your area. I was quite surprised there were search results when I put in ‘Penzance’.

At the bottom of the page I’ve circled a little summary of the conditions. So today we’re looking at 5-7ft of swell, next to the 5-7ft prediction it says ‘9s’ in small text. There’s a 9 second gap between each significant swell. This means there’s a decent swell, with some power. If the gap was really small ie. 2-3 seconds, we’re now really talking about waves with far less power ie. chop or choppy conditions.

We then go onto wind strength and they supply a handy little map that shows you how and where the wind will hit that particular stretch of coast. In this example 37 mph is a significant strength of wind! Below in smaller text you also have the ‘gust’ strength. This can have a real influence in whipping up chop, so is also important. There’s then a small visual representation of what the tide is doing at the time you’re checking and a guide to the water temp.

IF YOU SCROLL BELOW THIS INITIAL INFO THEY GO INTO FURTHER DETAIL: (see below)…

Figure A - takes you through the changing swell size and wave period through the day. Next to figure A are little arrows. They show you the swell direction.

Figure B - Wind strength through the day and a visual of the direction (arrows).

Figure C - summary of the weather.

Figure D - very handy…goes over the probability that this forecast is accurate. Todays forecast is around 90%. If you look at ‘tomorrows’ it’s only around 65%.

WINDFINDER

When using Windfinder always use the exact area you’re in or intend to swim in. For me, in this example I’ve typed in ‘Windfinder Penzance’. This website primarily focuses on the wind direction and strength. Great if you don’t ever get much swell in your local area but not so good if you do. I like using Windfinder as a secondary check, after using another website that’s better with swell.

So…they give you an exact location ie. Penzance Heliport, which is a nice central location. They then give you a quick summary of the wind direction and strength….and a summary of the weather.

Circled below this is another summary of the wind through the day and it strength. If you look at the Friday (today), it’s strong wind all day, building through the morning, peaking in the afternoon and dropping off in the evening.

Above red circle gives you a visual representation of the wind direction.

Blue circle is wind strength in knots (roughly the same as mph) and then gust strength below.

Green circle really summarises the days weather.

Black circle, goes over swell. This includes a visual of the direction, height in metres and the wave period. So…today it’s 10-12 seconds, which suggests a good strength swell.

Yellow circle at the bottom is the tidal info. This is the bit I don’t really like, as they don’t go into specifics. It’s difficult to figure out the exact tide times etc.

SWIMMER SPECIFIC WEBSITES :

SWIMFINDER

A website aimed at swimmers that supplies you with all the info you’ll need. I feel that this website dumbs it down enough to be really easy to understand, whilst still making you engage your brain a little and forcing you to think about what’s going on with the conditions and how this’ll impact your swim and the conditions. They strike a good balance.

Firstly, select your swim by the exact location or town in the search bar and then select the location on the map. The map is handy as you may be on holiday / not know the local area and it gives you an idea of your options. Once you’ve selected the swim…

I’ll point out that this is a big website, with lots of info. However, after spending 5-10 mins on here I started to get to grips with it and after that time period I found it far easier to navigate. So if you struggle a little initial, persist! There’s a lot of useful info on here and it’s presented in a way that makes it easy to digest, even if you’re new to look at this sort of info.

ABOVE - We’ll start by looking at the forecast. You get a summary at the top of the page, which I’ve circled in red. It goes over wind speed, direction (telling you whether it’s onshore, offshore, cross-shore…), wave height, weather forecast… It then details the rest of the week and the likely swimming conditions.

As already stated, you have a summary of the swimming conditions (circled red). Today ‘challenging conditions’. Circled blue is then more info on those conditions : including wind strength, direction (visual arrows), wave height, direction and wave ‘periods’. In addition, there’s a lot of info regarding the weather conditions.

They have this great little feature (above), highlighting the water quality.

You have a visual representation of the tide for the day.

Another great feature is the above. It highlights local swimming groups and businesses…as well as handy info on how to get to swims.

If you find the idea of reading the conditions and planning swims a little intimidating, Swimfinder is a great place to start. The summaries are really helpful, as is the initial info on the local area, parking, facilities etc.

If you liked this article it might be worth reading our Safe Swimming Guides to various areas… CLICK HERE

Penzance holiday activities guide

Now offering midweek swimming holidays, to run alongside our weekend and private booking activities, we thought it’d be a great idea to include a Penzance activities guide. An idea of additional activities you could undertake whilst visiting. OBVIOUSLY it’ll be difficult to compete against the swims we’ll offer but we’ll direct you to some providers that can compliment the swims.

Your first port of call might be to check out Kayak’s local area guide, particularly for accommodation - CLICK HERE.

You also want to check out some of the following :

1. Western Discovery - walking holidays

2. Ocean High beach hire/activities provider, Marazion

3. Ocean Sports Centre, Carbis Bay. Activities and hire centre

4. Kernow Coasteering

5. Electric bike hire - Ride On / Beryl Bikes

6. Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens

7. Sauna on the sea front

8. Local art galleries

9. Surf school Praa Sands / Surf school Sennen

10. Visit St Michael’s Mount

11. PASTIES!

12. Minack Theatre

13. Polgoon Vineyard and vineyard tours

14. Morrab Gardens

15. Good food and entertainment

16. Great food in town

17. Newlyn Filmhouse

18. Mousehole Harbour

Open water swimmers first aid course

We’ve been offering water safety, swim planning and rip current awareness courses for a few years now and they’ve been really well received. So, we’ve added this course to a half day of training, which also includes :

• First aid training

• CPR

• intro to using a defib

• Choking (adult, child and baby)

• towing techniques

• short practical in sheltered, shallow water

• We also spend a lot of time looking at hypothermia

• heart attacks / cardiac problems and other medical conditions…

Group swimming has never been more popular and we’ve specifically looked at issues that might crop up with swimming in groups. So, we’ve included :

• towing techniques, in case you have to tow someone to the shore. As an individual or as a group

• Choking, specifically including child and baby…as lots of swimmers are parents and grandparents

• There are a number of ‘mature’ swimmers in the water, so we’ve focused on conditions like fainting, heart issues (attacks, angina…), using defibs...

• Swimming year round is popular so we’ve included hypothermia, cold water shock, after drop etc.

• Pro-actively planning a swim and looking at the conditions.

The training is available through our website, with individual places and private group booking options.

Swimming at Charlestown, St Austell

Typically any moderate wind direction, other than a fairly rare easterly works at Charlestown. Taking all necessary precautions, you can swim out of the harbour or opt for safer entry off the beach immediately next to the harbour…on either side. From there you have a number of options. *If you are swimming from the harbour check the tide. There isn’t a lot of water at low tide! A very short swim may include entry in the harbour and a swim around the corner to the beach. A longer swim may include a round-swim to Duporth Bay to the south (anywhere from 1-2km) or circular route from Charlestown to Porthpean Beach and back (approx 3km). Please be aware that some of the route is quite secluded and these swims would be best with a swim ‘buddy’ and possibly tow floats. If unsure, swim these routes on an incoming tide.

…and here’s additional footage of Porthpean. Porthpean has a small car park just above the beach. Charlestown has a larger car park and some free on-road parking.

OUR BIGGEST HURDLE

We attract swimmers from far and wide. We’ve had clients from Scotland (taking advantage of Cornwall Airport, Newquay), Manchester, swimmers from Holland, a lady from south Australia…all over the place. As well as accommodating people from various areas of the country and the world, we also accommodate swimmers of varying abilities, experience and speeds. This is also where one of our major hurdles lies.

On a fairly frequent basis we receive emails and phone calls from clients that have booked and are looking to book, regarding the anxiety they are experiencing over swimming in the sea and their suitability to the activity they have booked. This year we have introduced a ‘slow swimming’ holiday and it’s booked up 2-3 times faster than our standard holidays…and I’ll be shocked if half the people that attend the ‘slow swimming’ holiday aren’t perfectly suited to the ‘standard’ version of our swimming holidays.

So…firstly, we’re not really concerned about the pace that people swim. What we are interested in is whether or not you can swim the distances set out in the holiday/event description. What we’ll also point out is that there is no requirement to complete all of the swims over the course of the holiday/event day. Provided you let us know prior to swim starting, there’s obviously no problem with you sitting a swim out. What we’re are also happy to do is put on a shorter distance swim immediately after the scheduled swim finishes. We adopt a very flexible approach.

Secondly, we base all of our swims on the days conditions. So we never approach a swim day (unless it’s a one-off private booking), with a set swim location or series of swim locations. That way, you swim in the safest conditions possible…for both your own safety and enjoyment and there’s no pressure on us to hold a swim in questionable conditions!

Third and final point, as I’ve already mentioned, we approach all of our activities in a flexible manner. If for example, we had a couple of slower swimmers in the group, we simply split up our water safety team and one of the team would hang back.

If you have any questions regarding swim holidays or swimming events feel free to get in touch.

Helford River Wild Swimming Event

At the start of 2022 there were loads of westerly winds. In an attempt to escape the dreaded ‘westerly’ we popped over to the Helford and the lesser well known Gillan Creek. Thank God for those westerlies! Ever since we’ve carried out quite a bit of activity in both areas. Both are absolutely stunning and both areas are fairly well protected from most wind directions. More importantly, both are really safe areas to swim (in the right conditions) and have very easy exit points.

For 2023 and the foreseeable future we have put together a series of wild swimming days out. These are very casual, walking - swimming days out. They’re designed specifically for people that simply want to turn up and swim at their own pace. No open water swimming experience is required and participants can swim whatever stroke they like, over very flexible distances. We typically take in 3-4 swims over an afternoon or morning.

SUMMER FOOTAGE

---

---

AERIAL FOOTAGE

Some aerial footage, shot in the winter over a number of the areas and beaches we’ll hopefully include on the 2023 day out.