The weekend of Windermere end to end had finally arrived in September 2022, Chillswim mass event. My family and I headed to the beautiful lakes for a long weekend and set up camp. With everything seemingly positive and no weather concerns, receiving an email at 6:30 am on the event morning advising that the event wasn’t going ahead due to risks of wind left me with mixed emotions. The first one was,
“Thank god I haven’t got to do it” followed by “all that training what a waste”.
I was gutted along with all the other swimmers. Understanding the organiser’s decision to put safety first didn’t stop me from feeling disappointed and deflated after a summer of hard training.
After a few days and lots of internet searching, I was going to attempt a Windermere end-to-end solo swim the following weekend. With the support of “Sam” an experienced safety stand-up paddle boarder (SUP) and a full and thorough weather check, the plan was set. We headed up to Windermere, to complete the exact swim that should have happened the week before amongst hundreds of other swimmers, however now I was going to swim solo with a very experienced SUP safety support. Fell Foot was the start of the swim with the route carefully planned, safety equipment, food, and hydration for our adventure all onboard the SUP.
We set off early, the lake was quiet a few other swimmers having a dip allowed us time to find our place in the water find our rhythm and enjoy the water. The weather became choppy which found me swimming against the current at times, but the weather and wind forecast was accurate.
As we swam and SUP’d the beautiful lake, my fuel was a mixture of Warburton’s thins with cheese, veloforte energy chews, tailwind, and Lucozade. My SUP support kept me safe fed and watered perfectly. I could not have asked for anyone better to have supported me along this journey. Reading the water, and the other users of the water, she kept me motivated and kept my family at home updated on my progress. The wind dropped, so much so that the sailing boats just bobbed on the water as we crossed the middle. The ferry drivers became familiar with us and gave us a wave. I kept swimming and swimming one more stroke just to keep going forward, keeping my head in the game and focused on the task at hand. Fighting away the tiredness that was beginning to set In.
A mile from the end I’d come so far but was so tired, I wanted to stop, I was so tired and exhausted, Sam said no I was too close to the end she knew I could do it. She led me to swim exact exit that the event swim would have taken, and yes, I cried tears of exhausted joy. I thought of my husband and boys who had hugely supported me in this whole journey and the months of training. When I reached land the vibe in Windermere was amazing, music, street dancers, people paddling in the water, and strangers congratulating me it was just amazing. Again, Sam made sure I was well looked after once dry and changed into warm cosy clothes. We headed for my much-wanted treat meal of beer and fish and chips. I ate at the water’s edge, whilst I took in every moment and cherished it. It was the biggest solo challenge I have ever undertaken. I could not have done it without the support of my family and SUP support Sam. Together we had done it and crossed the 10.5 miles of Windermere.
Windermere End to End 2022… Done September 10th 2022.
