22km Charity Swim, 2020

Quite honestly, we started doing charity swims as a PR exercise…granted, we liked the idea of some of these beautiful and crazy swims but the original idea was marketing. We were also keen to demonstrate that we don’t just talk a good game, particularly when it comes to sea swimming.

Having done a few charity swims now, we actually started to properly realise the good these activities can do! We’ve raised a few thousands pounds for charities and funded an aquatic wheelchair for the Jubilee Pool, with enough money left over to pay the maintenance bill for their disability hoist. We research a number of charities before a swim and it’s a really uplifting process, seeing some of the fantastic work they do.

At the end of this challenge (which ended shorter than anticipated), Tom experienced the start of a long, drawn out Rotator Cuff injury. This issue was eventually solved with surgery. Now, back in the pool and swimming/training properly, for the first time in around 4 years(!)…we’re planning the next mad challenge. We have loose plans on swimming the 3 rivers of Cornwall in 1 day. As with most of our plans, there is very little actual planning, we decide a couple of weeks/days before and off we go. More details to come.

Anyway, back to 2020! In 2020 we (I) decided that we should swim 1km on as many Cornish beaches as we could, in one day. We drove and walked/ran between each beach and managed 22 in the end. We experienced some swell, some glorious conditions, some fatigue(!), injury, Tom got caught up in a fisherman line on the last swim, it was all happening…Great experience though.

Big shout out to our sponsor for this swim - Snugg Wetsuits. Awesome custom made wetsuits. Fairly certain they’re still the only custom swim wetsuit maker in the UK. I’ll also give a shout out to GoPro who very generously gave us two fantastic cameras for a previous swim challenge but we also used them for this challenge.

Sea Swim Cornwall's Safer Swimming Guide - Whipsiderry

We swam two route here, as part of our 2020 Charity swim. If you get the conditions right and plan this swim it should be perfectly safe. Don’t turn up and simply try and swim it! At certain stages of the tide, particularly with a large outgoing tide you get a lot of water movement. If you are going to attempt it, follow the safety advice on the guide and be careful.

Swim the Lizard Peninsula

The more time I spend in the Lizard Peninsula, is the more time that I want to spend there. It’s a beautiful and very diverse area and offers a number of swims that are simply world class. Being a peninsula you can generally get in a swim, regardless of the conditions.

LIZARD POINT : you get a lot of water movement through this area and we’d advise that you don’t swim in this area.

CHURCH COVE/GUNWALLOE : a beautiful and undeveloped area, managed by the National Trust. Sandy beach and ample parking. There are also peak season lifeguards. You’d want to avoid westerly winds of any sort of strength and keep an eye on swell. You can check the surf report for Poldhu on Magic Seaweed.

POLDHU COVE : a sandy beach facing west. Can often get surf. When threre isn’t surf it offers lovely swims. It is a lifeguarded beach in the summer season. There are also some nice rock features to swim around, when there’s no swell. Best swimming north towards Church Cove. It is quite remote and we’d recommend not swimming alone. Poldhu has a beach cafe…that is pretty much open all year.

POLURRIAN COVE : very remote, requires a walk or has very limited parking at Polurrian. Generally very quiet. Epic swims in this area. Again, it’s remote…so don’t swim by yourself and take appropriate safety measures. Great swimming to the left of the beach (south). You could swim across to Mullion Harbour and back (approx 2km). Best swum on an incoming tide. Lifeguarded over the peak weeks of the summer. Absolutely no facilities there whatsoever.

MULLION : swims available from the harbour. Again, I’d look at swimming there from mid tide, on an incoming tide. I’d avoid an outgoing tide as you can get some big water movement towards Mullion island. Common theme here….quite remote, don’t swim by yourself and take appropriate safety precautions.

KYNANCE COVE : a biggie! World class swims and lots of different routes. It can ‘pull’ around Asparagus Island with an outgoing tide, especially with a spring tide…so be careful. This area is not lifeguarded at any stage of the year. The swim around Asparagus Island, the big rock to the north of the beach is stunning. You also have other routes available, that are fairly obvious when you’re there. Again, best swimming with an incoming, neap tide. Avoid wind coming in from the west and swell coming in from any westerly direction. National Trust managed. Big car park and toilet in the car park and at the beach cafe.

HOUSEL BAY : Looks stunning. I’ve never actually paid it a visit! Will do this winter. Apparently it’s quite tricky to access.

CHURCH COVE : the other one. There are two! Stunning. Simply stunning. Limited parking, breathtaking walk through the village to this tiny harbour. You can swim at low tide but it’s tricky to enter and exit the water. Best entering at mid-tide and getting out before high tide. Delightful lifeboat station to the south…not far. Clear water, sand and seaweed bottomed swim north. Very remote and little chance of anyone seeing you if you got into any bother. Take a friend or two if swimming. World Class swim in the right conditions. Avoid wind from the east and swell from the south.

CADGWITH : This will sound silly but swell of 2m+ from any direction will get in here and it’ll be rough. Wow though. So good for swimming. The Devil’s Frying Pan swim, a massive arch in the cliffs, cave swims and general outstanding beauty. Decent parking facilities, toilets and local shop and pub. Swim from the south cove, not the north. The north is full of fishing boats!

KENNACKS SANDS : sandy beach swims. Fairly quiet beach, lifeguarded for most of the season. Clear water, generally safe conditions and a couple of swimming options.

COVERACK : one of the safest places in the Lizard to swim (in the right conditions!). Clear water, sheltered bay…it faces ENE, a direction the wind fairly blows in from. Be careful swimming anywhere near the small fishing harbour.

PORTHOUSTOCK/PORTHALLOW : pebble beaches facing ENE. Very often these areas are sheltered and offer some very safe swimming conditions in most conditions.

GILLAN CREEK : just to the north of the Lizard. Some of my favourite swims in this area. If you time the tide you can swim up the estuary, be careful however. Half way up the river are a couple of felled trees that just poke out of the water. You’d swim the river just before high tide. If you stay in the creek and don’t swim up the river, avoid the middle of the creek (lots of boats) and swim with an incoming tide.

For 2023 we’ve stuck with our winning long weekend formula. Offering a long weekend of swimming in this stunning area Sept 1-3.

10 Epic lesser known swims in Cornwall

1. KYNANCE : of course this is very well known. However, most people stick to the ‘main drag’. At a certain state of tide there is a secret cave to the east. I’m not going to give away too many details…I’ve nicknamed the cave ‘the Devil’s Chimney’.

2. Porthchapel. Sits a short walk and scramble away from it’s famous neighbour Porthcurno. It’s a little off-grid and remote (always swim with a friend) but well worth the effort.

3. Kennack Sands. Offers a great day out. Fantastic walks, good swimming, a lovely beach and 2 cafes on the beach…for your convenience.

4. Porthpean. It’s not particularly secret…but if there’s someone out there reading this that’s planning a trip to Cornwall and wants some advice… Always reasonably safe and flat, clear water, stunning surrounds and lots of swim routes from the beach.

5. Praa Sands. Better know for it’s surfing but when there’s no surf you have some stunning swims around the point, to the west. Always talk to the lifeguards first and let them know your plans.

6. St Just-in-Roseland pool / harbour. You need a Spring high tide for this one but if you get it right you swim in a beautiful harbour surrounded by a sub-tropical garden and church. It doesn’t get much better.

7. Porthoustock/Porthallow. They’re a slight pain to get too (from anywhere!) and they’re not the most stunning swims but I love them. Always easy parking, very safe, clear water, there’s a crazy building at Porthoustock (that was a torpedo testing facility during the Cold War), great pub at Porthallow… Avoid the quarry side of the bay at Porthoustock.

8. Mother Ivey’s Bay. Great option on the north coast. Stunning, undeveloped beach with golden sands and a gorgeous lifeboat station.

9. Polurrian Beach. A quiet beach in the Lizard, that takes effort to access…hence the ‘quiet’. Beautiful swim towards Mullion or a slightly more adventurous swim to Poldhu (in the right conditions!).

10. The Gazzle, Newquay. Swimming from the back of Little Fistral to Towan Beach. Great little exploratory swim. You need to do this in the right conditions and be really, really careful if you’re going to swim across the harbour mouth at Newquay Harbour. *You can exit at the Fly Cellars’ just before the harbour. You also need to be careful of fishing lines at the Fly Cellars!

    PLEASE DO TAKE CARE - if you take on any of these swims. Always do your research and plan your swims. We’d suggest swimming on an incoming tide and preferably a neap tide, minimising water movement…

Porthpean Beach, St Austell.

Swimming Church Cove, the Lizard

We’ve wanted to cover this swim for some time. Church Cove is absolutely stunning. From the walk down, to the thatched roof cottages on the walk down, the tiny harbour, the swim itself… We finally had the perfect conditions and tide to offer this swim…although best not to do it on a low tide, like we did. Was slightly trickier to get out of the water than I would have liked. You might want to try this one a couple of hours after low tide. It’s also very remote, so definitely don’t try it by yourself and take the usual precautions.

Best on a westerly wind. SW light to medium strength winds will also work.

Amazing swim. You can swim right up to the Lizard Lifeboat Station. The water was crystal clear, with seaweed in patches, as well as stretches of white sand. On a higher tide there would be a couple of arches and caves to swim through. Stunning swim. Well worth the effort.

*For the more adventurous swimmers or swim-runner you could swim from Church Cove to Cadgwith (or the other way around) and run back to the car.

That’s it from us. We’ll let the video do the rest of the talking. Church Cove, the lizard Peninsula :

Financial Times Article

Last week we hosted Will Hide (a travel journalist), who then wrote a piece for the Financial Times…featuring Sea Swim Cornwall. On his stay we took in a delightful swim at Penberth Cove, followed by swims at Cadgwith Cove (and the Devil’s Frying Pan), Coverack and Mousehole Harbour. Great few days and article.

Top 10 West Cornwall Swims

We’ve pretty much swum every inch of the west Cornwall coast. Here are our top 10 swims-ish. It’s really hard!

10. Prussia Cove - it’s not just the swimming but the whole experience. Beautiful, fairly quiet cove. Magical walk down. You can swim around to Keneggy or go west and back round to the start. Typically fairly clear water, always a bit chillier than other local areas though!

9. Swimming out through Porthleven Harbour (we definitely wouldn’t recommend this without an experienced guide!) and swimming SE along the beach. This is a hard one to beat in the right conditions. It’s difficult not to be impressed with some a stunning harbour.

www.saltwaterimages.co.uk

8. Carbis Bay to Porthkidney and back. Crystal clear water and a white sand beach. Definitely worth doing at high tide.

7. Lamorna Cove. Can be a bit hit and miss. If storms and rough seas bring in seaweed it often gets stuck there for months. You get this beach right however, it’s like being in the tropics. Clear water, white sand, an abundance of fish…

6. Mousehole and St Clement’s Isle. Mousehole is one of my favourite places in the world. Stunning village and harbour. St Clement’s Isle offers a 1-1.5km swim (depending on how straight you swim!). Give the island a wide birth ensuring you don’t get too close to the seals.

Mousehole Harbour

5. Rinsey to Praa Sands and back. Loads of see on the way. A few caves and rock features to explore en route too. At the time of writing there isn’t much sand on Rinsey beach so might be difficult to get into the water.

4. Zennor. Again, this one is about the whole experience. Stunning village, followed by a stunning coastal walk. You have to scramble down the side of the valley to het to the beach…something that older, or less mobile readers may struggle with. For me though, it’s well worth the effort. Secluded bay, clear waters….don’t swim alone though and ensure someone knows where you are.

3. St Michael’s Mount. I think I’ve marked the Mount down, simply because I’ve taken so many groups around it. I don’t think I need to write much about the Mount.

2. Kynance Cove & swimming around Asparagus Island. Breath-taking swim. Incredible rock features, both on top and underneath the water. The walk down to the beach is worth a visit alone. Best swimming at low tide and get there early. It gets very busy in the summer months.

1. Porthcurno. World Class swimming here. Plan your swim for mid-low tide or on a small neap tide. It’s great at high tide but it just gets a bit deeper, a bit darker, the golden sands get lost a little under a high tide. You can swim over to Logan Rock or head west and take in the Minack Theatre.

*To help plan your swims in Cornwall we’ve created a Cornish swimming map book - where you can record, plan and get suggestions for your swimming trip or check out our Cornish Swim Trumps card game. CLICK HERE

Planning your summer of swimming in Cornwall

Whether you’re a wild dipping enthusiast or a serious open water swimmer - Cornwall offers more coastline than the rest of the south west put together…and what a coastline! I’m based in Penzance and we’re spoilt for choice but it’s the same throughout Cornwall. The main advantage we have in Penzance is that we have beaches and swims that pretty much face every direction. This obviously means that you can generally get a swim in regardless of the conditions, with minimal driving involved.

Photo supplied by www.saltwaterimages.co.uk

Here’s a run down of where to swim in various areas…although I may miss out some of my favourite ‘secret spots’ :

ST IVES : Carbis Bay is always a winning choice - clear water, sheltered from S wind/conditions. Easy to add distance if you want an adventurous swim. Rarely any swell. You could attempt the ‘Island’ if you’re feeling really adventurous but we’d recommend a guide and prefect conditions. Any of the town beaches offer beautiful wild dip opportunities.

PENZANCE : the whole of the Mousehole area is world class, especially at high tide. Porthleven Harbour is a swim you’ll remember but again you’ll need a guide, you need to get the tide right. You have several beaches around the Porthcurno area…and if you’re really adventurous you can try and find the beach at Zennor…it is a bit of a scramble down to it mind.

NEWQUAY : can be tricky as it’s hard to escape a westerly wind and big or rough seas if the conditions are challenging. The Gannel Estuary at high is a stunner! As is Crantock Beach when the conditions are flat. You can travel north to Mother Ivey’s Bay. Whipsiddery to Watergate is one of my fave’s but it’s quite secluded…only attempt that one if the conditions are right, you’re a competent & experienced swimmer and you have company.

ST AUSTELL : straight to either Charlestown or Porthpean. A swim from one to the other…and possibly back. Can’t go wrong! Gorran Haven just down the road is also worth a mention and visit. Lovely little village, full of character. There is another beach in the Gorran Haven area…but I don’t want to upset the locals!

FALMOUTH : I’ve always enjoyed getting off the main drag in Falmouth and popping around the corner from Gyllyngvase to Swanpool or Maenporth. Great spots from swimming!

THE LIZARD : Oh boy! Take your pick. Kynance, Cadgwith, Lizard Point, Church Cove…. Take a few days off.

Photo courtesy of www.saltwaterimages.co.uk

We’ll check in at a later date and talk about north Cornwall.

Safe Swimming in surf and on the beach

Whilst having a chat with the Sea Swim Cornwall team (including our part-timers) we realised that we have over 50 seasons of beach lifeguarding experience between us! Mainly in Cornwall but also seasons spent in Australia, India and a few other locations!

From here we decided to put together a straight forward open water swimming safety guide. In it we dispel some common myths people have around sea swimming, we look at rip currents, how to spot rip currents, how to swim out of a rip current, reading the sea and conditions…

We’ve priced our safe swimming guide at just 49p (with any other purchase) or you can buy a multi-pack…for yourself, family and friends. It is a lightweight guide, so we would recommend either laminating it or sticking it in a waterproof bag and then leaving it in your kit bag.

The guide obviously won’t guarantee your safety but there are lots of common sense suggestions and advice that should keep you out of trouble! Available for purchase or given out on our beach water safety courses, which we’re rolling out in April. Either book individually or as a private group.

CHECK OUT THE GUIDE - CLICK HERE