Since moving to our new location, one of my weekly joys has been a swim in a lake.
The Lenches Lake is just about 5 miles from our village, It’s a beautiful, spring fed lake. The picture above was taken in late summer which is when I discovered it.
This picture was more recently taken. As the temperature has dropped the appeal of the post chilly dip snacks has risen: delicious home-made cakes or bacon butties along with a hot drink does alot to bring your body temperature back up.
Why would I want to swim in a lake?
a) it’s beautiful
b) cold water swimming is meant to be really good for you (immune system, circulation, digestive system, mental health, fertility – loads of studies have been published about how good it is for you – one of those benefits doesn’t apply to me…
c) once you’ve swum in a lake looking up at the blue sky overhead (I like to do backstroke) the sense of space is 300% better than a fuggy chlorine, small pool where you can only see daylight through fuggy window and you keep bumping into either other people or the end of the pool.
d) you feel great afterwards
e) the cakes are excellent (but they are not sniffy about you bringing your own thermos flask and snack).
f) it’s as safe as it could be.
It’s not free (£8.50 for a half hour swim) but for that you have one person on the bank watching over you and two people out on the water in canoes at all times, all of them trained.
Before you commit the winter swim season at this lake you need to do a 2 hour induction, it was very helpful and gave me a lot of confidence.
You also need quite a lot of kit
For in the water: swimsuit, bright hat, tow float as a minimum. Then down to personal preference: a wet suit (needs to the swimming variety not the surfing kind which are too bouyant), googles, wooly hat, neoprene socks, neoprene gloves, ear plugs.
For getting out: easy slip in plastic shoes to get you from water to towel, robes, towels, wooly hat, three layers of clothes that can be pulled on really easily with no fiddly fastenings (too tricky for shaking fingers) a big coat, warm, easy pull on boots.
I go with 2 huge bags of stuff!
Some more pics to tempt you and the link. https://lencheslakes.co.uk/
Live Life Loved 
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