Wednesday 8 August 2012

Evening swim at Loch Venachar



In remarkable exception for this summer we had a good amount of sun today and the clouds were melting away as the sun headed to the horizon - perfect day for heading to Loch Venachar for a swim, or at least that's what Maz claimed in her phone call coaxing us out.  Parking at the loch side was a bit tight!


I don't think I impressed the Highland Cows with my parking though as when I walked away from my car to loch side one of the bulls charged me from his hilly vantage point.  Thankfully there was a fence between us so it was a bluster that ended a couple of metres before fence.  Unfortunately I didn't catch him in this photo, they look so tranquil grazing here, just shows that even the cutest of all cattle have to be respected.


Gwen, Ellen and myself donned our wetsuits and headed in for a swim, leaving Caitlin and Julia watching.  Maz a wild water nymph wasn't impressed by the wet suits, yep I'm chicken.  It was just plain gorgeous swimming out in the open loch.



The wind hadn't yet calmed so there were modest waves to contend with, waves that caught Gwen and I out when practising our swimming into them. Getting the timing of breathing right was the biggest challenge.  The biggest revelation for me was trusting that advice that you don't need goggles to see under fresh water.  It's was just peculiar just dunking ones head and keeping the eyes open, after years of swimming almost exclusively in a chlorinated pool it just goes against your instincts, however, it was amazing - great visibility, or at least as much as the churned up loch with lots of sediment was willing to reveal.


A great way to end a day, we bundled up three very happy children and headed home.




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