#wild swim

[huariqueje]

Family Swim - Gordon Hunt

British , b. 1950 -

Acrylic on canvas , 70 x 90 cm.

[livebythemoonseclipse]

go slow -::- @earthtowildrose

[pyjamacardinal-sketchbook]

A visual narrative sequence (A comic!) I made for my wild swim friend Caroline. A group of us swim 3 times a week in our local river, and I have tried to capture a what that is all about here.

I created the images in pencil, scanned them and then coloured them in CLIP Studio.

[fromrusttoroadtrip]

We’ve only been wild swimming for the past year or so, mainly in Cornish quarries, Alpine lakes and once in the blue Danube, but this was by far the coldest water I’ve swum in.⁣⁣⁣⁣

After a night spent camping in the Welsh forest, sheltering under a tarpaulin from the deluge of rain, we hiked most of the way up Mount Snowdon on a typically blustery Autumn day.⁣⁣⁣⁣

We’d hiked through the Pyrenees, driven the length of the Alps, travelled across the Carpathians and explored the Accursed Mountains, but never did we realise the beauty of the mountains which lay on our very own doorstep.⁣⁣⁣⁣Snowdon was every bit as wild, every bit as barren and every bit as breathtaking as the mountains we’d explored so far, although perhaps its beauty simply struck us so poignantly because it had been so long since we’d seen a landscape this untouched.

⁣⁣⁣⁣Feet hot and aching post-hike, and feeling a little less than fresh three days into our camping trip, we pulled the car over next to Llyn Dinas on a whim. After a brief walk around its shore to a spot that looked suitably clear and shallow enough to climb into, I stripped off and put on my bathing suit, then eased myself into the water. It was instantly, numbingly cold, probably no more than 10°C, taking my breath away and the feeling from my toes, but I pushed myself to lower my shoulders and swim a few armlengths out into the water.

The water was invigorating, crystal clear, Autumn-hued leaves adding little splashes of colour to the glassy surface and that view- 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸! Luscious forested banks framing rugged peaks toward which the water stretched infinitely- this is what I focused on as I swam a few short lengths trying to warm up, and eventually my body adjusted to the temperature and I was blissfully floating.⁣⁣⁣⁣

Nothing could compare to this feeling; cold wild water, empty open space. Warm chlorinated pools could never recreate the exhilaration and freedom that swimming in wild water provides. The cold shock was said to improve your circulation and do wonders for mental health, and floating here, fully immersed, I could see why that would be true.⁣⁣⁣⁣

Wild swimming had been at the top of my agenda for our trip to Wales, and I sat in the car shivering afterward, wrapped in as many layers as I had packed, feeling truly accomplished in myself for having gone in.⁣⁣

[livebythemoonseclipse]

earth mood :: @earthtowildrose

[livebythemoonseclipse]

she’s always out of reach -::- @earthtowildrose

[livebythemoonseclipse]

between feelings :: @earthtowildrose

[fromrusttoroadtrip]

Sometimes we just need to disconnect for a while; distance ourselves from the humdrum of life and regain clarity.⁣⁣⁠⠀

A few weeks ago I surprised Ben with a trip to Snowdonia for his birthday. Although we’ve driven extensively across Europe in our van, we’ve never taken the time to explore much on our home island, and Snowdonia was a place we’d always wanted to see.⁣⁣⁠⠀

A six hour drive used to seem like a long way to us, but now as the miles are racking up under our belts the world is starting to seem smaller, and Wales suddenly didn’t seem that far away.⁣⁣⁠⠀

This time however we opted to ditch the van, and take our five day stint away back to basics. We loaded up the car with sleeping bags, tent, walking boots, axe, coal, a tarpaulin- not that at this point we knew just how much we’d need one.⁣⁣⁠⠀

We hit the road and immediately our shoulders felt lighter as the burden of routine was lifted. ⁣⁣⁠⠀

⁣⁣⁠

When we were still in uni, I used to drive us all over Cornwall in my little, clapped-out old Polo. We’d set up camp on the cliffs, on the sands of an empty beach, or camp in the car if somebody forgot to pack the tent poles. We’d stay up til sunrise talking around the fire, in awe of the crashing waves below and the distant lights of ships on the horizon hovering above coastal fog.⁣⁣⁠ After a couple hours sleep at most we’d pack up our wind-flattened tent as walkers passed by and laughed, and drag ourselves into the nearest public toilets for a wash.⁣⁣⁠⠀

It’s these kind of memories- haphazard, spontaneous and wonderfully simplistic that we look back on fondly, and it’s these days that inspired us to undertake an equally haphazard trip to Wales with nothing but ourselves, an old, crumpled road atlas and a car full of camping gear. We left in search of peace, in search of isolation and beautiful corners of this island, and boy did we find them.⁣⁣⁠⠀

Story continues on Sunday!⁠⠀

⁠⠀