Swimming at Charlestown, St Austell.

Walking down to Charlestown Harbour is like walking into a film set…possibly because it is used as a film set! The site has been used on the BBCs recent adaptation of Poldark and Doctor Who, as well as Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland….and a number of other titles.

Charlestown is a UNESCO world heritage site and it’s a little like stepping back in time when you access certain areas of the harbour and won Tripadvisor’s ‘Travelers’ Choice Award’ for 2021.

For swimming Charlestown is ideal. It’s not great on a moderate to strong easterly wind…but we don’t get that many days (particularly in the summer) where the wind blows in that direction. Europe is also in the way for big swells to roll on in.

In terms of swims - you can swim from Charlestown to Carlyon Bay and back, swim Charlestown to Porthpeanand back or opt for a shorter swimming route from Charlestown to Duporth and back. Alternatively, you could swim one way and walk back across the coastal path.

Charlestown has quite a few spaces in local car parks, as well as lots of on-street parking. The local town has all of the facilities that you’d need for a swim or day out.

Swims are best accessed from the beaches either side of the harbour. The harbour is quiet in terms of traffic but you still get the odd boat travelling in or out… Take care.

Swimming Charlestown to Porthpean (& back) - approx 2.5-3km

Swimming Charlestown to Carlyon Bay (& back) - approx 2km

Swimming Charlestown to Duporth Beach (& back) - approx 1-1.5km

Swimming at Porthpean Beach, St Austell

We carry out a lot of our swimming activity in west Cornwall, mainly as we’re based in the local area. Cornwall as a whole has some stunning swims throughout the entire county.

Personally I’m not a massive fan of the town but St Austell in particular has a number of outstanding swimming options. The highlight of these options (for me) being the Charlestown and Porthpean area.

Porthpean - is a quiet beach, a mile or two along the coast from Charlestown Harbour. You can find a small car park just up the road from the beach (PL26 6AX). It’s then a 2 minute walk down to the beach. We’ll include a video/photos rather than a description. The water quality and clarity is always great. You’d want to avoid the entire area on an moderate to strong easterly wind.

Charlestown - always a real treat. Ample car park space and a fair bit of on-street parking. I always pop into Short and Strong for a coffee whilst in the area…there are lots of other options. The harbour itself is stunning and has featured in a number of films, including Alice in Wonderland. As well as Dr Who and the BBCs most recent adaptation of Poldark.

SWIMS : great swim from Porthpean to Charlestown and back. Best attempted on an incoming tide, near to high. Approx distance 2-3km. There’s also a very active, very social group of local swimmers.

Other routes might include a longer swim from Porthpean to Carlyon Bay.

Swimming at Prussia Cove, Penzance.

You’ll find this delightful little cove, just tucked in around the corner from Penzance. With a long and colourful smuggling history.

In any northerly wind direction the cove offers some fantastic swims. The water at Prussia Cove is typically slightly cooler than other areas but the water is often very clear. You also have swimming options in the immediate area, from Prussia Cove to Keneggy or possibly further around to Praa Sands.

There are a number of parking options in the local area. With your best option being to park at Praa Sands and use the coastal path to walk over. The walk is stunning, as are the surroundings.

We’ve attached our safe swimming guide below. We’d also add that this can be a quiet area and quite remote. Be careful when swimming, especially if you’re covering distance around the cliffs and headlands. Also, avoid swimming just after high tide, on a large spring tide.

Porthleven to Rinsey

This is a swim we’ve been talking about for some time. Swimming out of Porthleven Harbour is always great (stick to flat conditions and away from the main, central channel whilst in the harbour). It can be a little tricky to plan as you need nice flat conditions and either a light N or NE wind. Today was the day however!

Swimming out of Porthleven Harbour is always spectacular. Once you swim around the corner you’re greeted by an underground forest of seaweed and boulders. As you pass the first corner you can follow the spectacular cliffs and rock formations for a good mile and a half. You get to see a few beautiful, remote, sandy beaches, as well as lots of cave formations (including Nichols Cove) . You then head straight towards Trewavas Mine, perched right on the edge of the cliff. As stunning as the mines are they’re also slightly soul destroying. They’re far enough away that every time you ‘sight’ them they look exactly the same distance away…which makes you feel like you’re getting nowhere for quite a while!

Once you pass the mines you’ll shimmy around the headland, complete a short stretch before you shimmy around the last point and you’re then on the home straight. I love swimming the Rinsey stretch. We were greeted by a shoal of thousands of Sand Eel, as well as the odd larger fish. At this stage boulders rise and fall as you swim over them, you swim over large patches of white sand and eventually end up at the beautiful Rinsey Cove.

We also had the bright idea of running the coastal path back. Having done very little training all year - what could go wrong!? It is an absolutely stunning route across the side of the cliffs/hills and absolutely brutal to run (unfit anyway!). Up and down STEEP hills for 4 miles.

Epic swim. Best to do in a group or with water safety cover. BE CAREFUL. Probably best to start just before high tide and do your research and planning.

Swimming in Cornwall in a westerly wind

Strong westerly wind blows in - what do you do?

This week we were hosting a journalist for a national newspaper and the wind was howling in from the west. We had to do a bit of travelling but still got in some great swims.

A medium to strong westerly can be a little tricky to escape when on the north or west coast but it can be done…generally with a little bit of driving. With a strong westerly you may also need to check the swell direction. A SW swell along with a westerly wind may well rule out the south coast.

You can always hit most of the harbours at high tide for some sheltered swimming but if you want a bit more of an adventurous swim…

If you don’t mind a bit of a drive - Cadgwith Cove, Coverack or Church Cove in the Lizard.

You could take up the opportunity for a strong tail wind and swim from Mousehole to Sandy Cove, just before Newlyn Harbour. St Clement’s Isle (aka Mousehole Island) may also be an option.

Additionally, you could check out most of the swims in the Falmouth area, Gorran Haven, Charlestown/Porthpean, the Portscatho area or you could head for somewhere like Carrick Roads - obviously do your research on the tides.

Cornish swims in a strong northerly wind.

You get that horrible strong wind blowing in from the north - where do you swim in Cornwall? Here are some of our suggestions….

Salt Water Images .co. uk

1. Provided the wind isn’t too strong - St Michael’s Mount isn’t too bad. The wind doesn’t have a large fetch to whip up chop, so it remains fairly calm. You have a tail wind on the way out, protection from the island and then you obviously have a head wind on the way back. Swim anti-clockwise as you’ll have a tail wind for the longest stretch and watch out for the ferry on the way back in!

2. If you’re on the north coast and the tides are right…head for the Gannel. Do your research though, you need to get the tides right.

3. You have a number of beaches in the Penzance area, including Mousehole/St Clements Isle, Porthleven area, Rinsey, Prussia Cove…. as well as Porthcurno, Lamorna and Penberth.

4. Lizard area - Kynance (get there early!), Lizard Point or Cadgwith. All stunners. It’s a bit of a drive for most…so do a little mini-tour.

5. Falmouth shouldn’t be too bad. Head for Maenporth and Swanpool areas.

AVOID : You’ll pretty much want to avoid the whole of the north coast and St Ives. There’s not a lot of escape from a strong northly in those areas.

Open water swimming safety courses

With decades of beach lifeguarding experience between the team, in both Cornwall and all over the world - Sea Swim Cornwall have put together a beach safety swimming course. We’ve focussed our efforts on teaching the participants about reading the conditions both at the beach and from home. We then go through rip currents, how to identify them, common myths surrounding rips, how to manage yourself in a rip current and what to do if you see someone else in one.

There is also a practical element to the course, provided the conditions are suitable. For the participants that would like to participate - we’ll take them out in a rip current in small group and go through what to do if you get caught in one. We’ll obviously have water safety present throughout. If the conditions aren’t appropriate we’ll put on a demonstration.

We have set date courses running through April / start of May - ready for the summer season. We then resume running set date courses in October. You can also book private group session through the whole of the summer, simply get in touch.

Swimming at Lizard Point

I still haven’t done this swim! I’m going to tick this off my swim list this summer! Stunning dipping opportunity here, well worth the drive. Beware that this isn’t a very safe spot to swim. This area is very exposed to the elements and you can get a lot of water movement, in most tidal states.

Swimming in the Praa Sands area

This is a really easy area to ‘sell’ but we do recommend swimming around the Praa Sands area with some caution. If it’s pan-flat conditions and the wind is light the area offers some stunning swims. The reason we’ve mentioned being cautious is simply because of the remote location of the swims. Swimming around some of these headlands offer very limited opportunities to passers-by to spot you, should you have any issues.

With either of the following swims - always swim in a pair or group…or even better, take someone along on water safety / get a guide. Both swims can easily be extended in length and offer a stunning swim, that’s a little off the beaten track.

Praa Sands does regularly get swell. However, in the peak of summer…when we’re (potentially!) surrounded by high pressures the swell often subsides and we get nice flat, calm conditions.

Here are 2 guides to a couple of swims in the Praa Sands area.

Eating before a swim

How long before a swim should you eat?

I’ve been asked this question a few times recently and there isn’t a clear answer. I think the major reason there isn’t one is because everyone is different. Not only that but the way you digest food and the speed of the process also changes over time. As a teen I could eat a decent meal an hour before a swim and be fine. I’d have to get out of the swim if I did that now…at the age of 30…something! The main rules are as follows :

1. Don’t eat a big meal before a big swim. Even if you digest it in time it takes energy to break down a large mass of food. On the day of a big swim eat smaller quantities, more often.

2. If you’re short of time and have to eat before a swim, eat something that will give you energy but is easy to eat…like Wheetabix.

3. Slow release energy sources are good (depending on what you’re doing) - brown rice / pasta.

4. If you’re new to swimming - experiment

5. I hate swimming on an empty stomach - get your timing right

6. If you don’t have a chance to eat before swimming and are really hungry, break out the emergency energy gel / bar

7. I’ve found that your body will get used to activity with food still in your system. It will take time to adjust however.

8. I always think it’s a good idea to eat something straight after training…before your energy stores get to depleted.

9. How far are you swimming? If we’re talking a prod around, some head up breastroke in the depths of winter…eat when you want.

Open water and wild swimming advice

I swore I’d never get sucked in again….yet last week I found myself giving a quick bit of technical swimming advice on a social media page and then 3 days of disputing and arguing the advice, with 60 year old Dave….that took up swimming 3 weeks ago…or whoever else! This is quite a regular pattern it seems. You view any posts asking for help, on social media and you’ll have an avalanche of answers from people that have been swimming for 5 minutes, to people that have been swimming for 50 years. I almost feel sorry for the people that ask for advice, as if you read all of the posted responses it’d take you a week….and you’d be no closer to getting an answer. Or possibly worse, you’d take the wrong advice and be worse off.

Now I’m not arrogant enough to think that I’m definitely right or my way is the only way to do something, to train or sort out an issue. Time and time again however, I find myself reading a post by someone seeking advice and then reading the horror show of answers that people dish out. Ranging from good, solid advice to the ramblings of a simpleton. Now, if you’re asking for advice in the first place you’re probably not qualified to figure out the gems, from the fossilised turds. So what to do…?

My advice would be simple. Look at the source. If you want advice about cold water swimming…ask someone that swims year round. If you want technical advice…ask a coach, ask someone that swims big distances…and just because someone shouts the loudest or uses big words, it doesn’t mean that they know what they’re talking about. The best advice I think I’d give is to get off social media and do your research. Better yet, meet with a coach (when safe to do so) and pay for some coaching. If you’ve just taken up open water swimming for example, and get it wrong early it’s much harder to fix a technical problem later on down the track. Get it right from the start. Failing that - check youtube. It’s a great resource. If you’re not sure….how much to kick on a distance swim or how often to breath - check out what the Olympians do. Make sure you watch the correct discipline though. If you want to know how often to breath over distance, watch a distance race - don’t watch a 50m sprint. You won’t get far not breathing for 50m over a 3 km swim! There are also a number of great slow-mo videos on there.

Swimming around Mousehole and St Clements Isle (Mousehole Island)

If you visit the Penzance area and have your swimming stuff there’s no excuse for not visiting Mousehole! Whether your looking to pop in for a quick dip or fancy a more serious swim you can’t go wrong.

This is me swimming out through the harbour - shooting a promo video with a good friend of mine and owner of Ulu Dry Bags - Ben.

At high tide you can venture round the harbour. There is generally very little boat traffic to be cautious of...but still obviously be cautious! At low tide there’s absolutely no chance of doing any swimming in the harbour at all.

For the more adventurous swimmers out there you can venture out of the harbour mouth (being very cautious of any boat traffic) and swim over to the island. We’d advise that you wear a tow float for this swim. You can do this swim at low tide but will have to walk through some mud to start the swim. The island is home to a colony of Seals. Please don’t get too close to the island. At a distance of around 20m the Seals may be a little curious but will leave you alone. Any closer and they can get a little feisty.

If you fancy a longer swim but don’t fancy the island, then you can swim east (left as you look out to sea). Follow the coastline, around the corner and visit the Penlee Lifeboat Station.

Mousehole itself has a number of fantastic cafes and delis and is well worth an afternoon out.

Swimming at Sennen Cove

Sennen Cove is well known for it’s surfing but we think it’s very undervalued as a swimming spot. Now, this is obviously a beach with surf but when the swells are small it offers a fantastic day out and some really nice swimming conditions. The water quality and clarity (without swell) are pretty good, the beach is another Cornish stunner and it’s a little out of the way. It does get quite a crowd in the peak seasons but offers you a bit of a chance to escape the crowds in the early and late season.

Best to swim in the main season and chat to the lifeguards before swimming.

In terms of a wild, winter dips you also get some protection from the harbour wall at mid-high tide, with very affordable parking right next door. Ideal for a cold water dip and coffee at the local cafe.

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

Safe Swimming Guide - Lamorna Cove

This beach can get swell and chop from any southerly wind. Again, be wary of swimming here once the tide has turned and is going out, particularly with big Spring tides.

Safe Swimming Guide - Gannel Estuary

Whilst this is a safe guide to swimming the Gannel Estuary please remember that it is only a guide. There are no guarantees to safety, when open water swimming. If unsure or not very experienced either take a guide / water safety or don’t attempt the swim.

Assisted swims in Cornwall

During the summer we often took out 2 rescue boards per paddler (water safety member), so we attached one board to the other using a leash. This was a Covid measure….so that if someone had stitch, cramp, had some sort of issue they could clamber onto the extra board without having to come into close contact with any of the rescue crew. This was a very good system (not that anyone actually needed it) and it also got Tom and Jo thinking.

We’ve had lots of enquiries, had a few nervous swimmers….there are lots of swimmers out there that want to complete various A to B swims but are nervous about the conditions and distance. So they miss out. We’d like to be as inclusive as possible but we’re also realistic - and have to be from a safety point of view.

So as of the 2021 season we’re offering a new service. We’ll offer people the opportunity to complete various swims that may not generally be open to them….because of their fitness, confidence, a disability….whatever the reason.

We’ll take swimmers on 1-2-1 swims around places like St Michael’s Mount and Kynance Cove using 2 rescue boards - which will be attached. The swimmer can pick-and-choose the sections of the swim that they complete and then hop onto the rescue board and get a tow around other sections…and a well deserved rest. This will ultimately allow the swimmer the experience of completing some world class, bucket-list worthy swims, without necessarily completing the entire distance. Opening up a whole new list of swims for lots of individuals.

If you are interested in this service simply contact us next summer and we’ll give you the full rundown.

Swimming St Michael's Mount

We’ve officially lost count of the number of swimmers that we’ve taken around St Michael’s Mount. We’ve swum people to the harbour wall (away from the harbour mouth), we’ve swum them around the Mount, we’ve swum around the Mount as part of a 10k swim, we’ve swum around the Mount and back, we’ve done it at high tide, mid-tide and low tide, big groups, small groups, individuals…. We’ve even recently done it at night! NEXT YEAR we’ll offer assisted swims around the Mount for people unsure whether they’d make the distance. We’ll simply tow you part of the way, on your own rescue board and you can then choose when to jump off and swim sections of this amazing swim.

One thing that never changes is the stunning view. We think the best view available is from the rear East side. It takes in the castle and beautiful sub-tropical gardens.

Despite being a 3km swim, where you’ll be out of site whilst you’re swimming around the back, this is a fairly safe swim (in the correct conditions). It’s never particularly deep, if it isn’t too choppy it’s possible to exit the water at certain points. What we would say is - swim with a friend, take a mobile in a tow float (TAKE A TOW FLOAT), watch out for boats, inform someone of your swim and when you should be back, check the conditions and if you’re unsure don’t swim.

Swimming around the Mount isn’t always possible. There are often small boats ferrying people to the island. Avoid this boat lane.

WHEN TO SWIM IT

You can swim the Mount at any stage of tide. At low tide it’s tricky to exit/enter the water at the east side of the island, as seaweed prevents you from seeing the bottom. It is however, a shorter swim (being low tide), so you can swim the island anti-clockwise then turn back on yourself and finish where you started…the beach.

Mid-tide…from around 3.5m of tidal height entry and exit of the swim is fairly straight forward. Easiest to get out on the causeway. A mid-tide swim is around 2-2.5km in length. Best to swim clockwise around, as you’ll have no issues exiting the water at the beach.

High tide offers around 2.7-3km of swimming. You never really have anything to worry about in terms of currents but I would avoid swimming around on a large Spring tide.

WIND STRENGTH / DIRECTION

The longest swimming stretch around the island is on the west side of the island, running along the harbour wall. This should be one of your main considerations. When looking at the wind direction.

A light northerly is one of the best options as the wind hits the water where you’ll be setting off and doesn’t have a chance to create chop. Be aware though that you will have to swim against the wind on your way in.

In contrast, a strong southerly is the worst wind direct as the wind has hundreds of miles to influence the water and build up lots of choppy conditions. That chop will then hit the land and bounce back…creating carnage!

Generally, you want light wind under 20kmph, with little chance of increasing whilst your swimming.

BOAT TRAFFIC

There are regular small ‘ferries’ to the harbour so you need to be careful if you’re crossing the harbour mouth or their regular route. I’d advise that you where a tow float. The midday sun often makes it quite difficult for the drivers to see swimmers.

Last minute swims - Summer 2020

This year we’re putting on a series of last minute swims. We’ll access the week’s weather forecast and by Tuesday / Wednesday we’ll publish where we’re putting on swims for that weekend. We’ll try and include bucket list worthy locations like Porthcurno, St Michael’s Mount, Kynance Cove, the Island in St Ives…

You can book once we’ve published the swims or pre-book a group or individual swim and we’ll match up the conditions with an appropriate swim. This way you get the most enjoyment out of your swim possible, in the safest conditions possible.

£30 per head.

Sea Swim Cornwall - Safe Swimming Guide. Rinsey Cove

One of our favourites. A little remote but that isn’t a bad thing. If you’re unsteady on your feet probably best to avoid this one. Avoid the point in the direction of Praa Sands, particularly on an outgoing tide. You can get a .5-1 knot current running along there.