~wild swimming~

i was so pleased to find a book out about wild swimming

i learnt to swim about age 6-7 but my love of water was in me long before.

i was born in portsmouth and so for my first few years was never more than about ten minutes from the sea and my dad, having a huge love of the sea which has passed onto me, was always there either beside it or on it in his boat and as usual i was his small shadow at these times.

from the time i could swim, living in the new forest meant i had easy access to the assorted pools and streams and in nearby lymington there was a huge sea water pool~so imagine my joy when i moved to lymington and had such easy access. in my summer holidays back in portsmouth we would stay for two weeks with my aunt who lived near the hilsea lido.

when i met swampy and we moved to bournemouth i was in my element as we were only a two minute walk from the beach.however in the summer i could usually be found at branksome dean chine where to reach the beach you walked a chine scattered with old, but well looked after wooden beach huts.

i would be happily bobbing around while swampy shivered in the shallows, before going back up to our camper, at this time an old vw, to cook dinner while the sun set.

for some years now we have camped at worth matravers near swanage which meant good access to studland beach...from sandbanks there is a great little chain link ferry we used when we lived in bournemouth...camping at worth matravers also meant being able to swim at the rock pool at dancing ledge a really great experience.

so now my dream is to have a natural swimming pool~this goes with my dream of living on my own bit of land~after an afternoon spent among my vegetables i can just imagine jumping into my own pool~free of chemicals...

the thought makes me want to grab my swimming gear and go off!