N has suggested a new category of blog post: This Month’s Swim. I know what he’s up to: we’re heading into autumn and the opportunities to swim in the sea are becoming fewer and further between. It’s not so much to do with the temperature – neither of us is bothered by cold water – but with the shorter days, there’s no chance of popping down to the beach after work, the weekend coastal camping trips are over for another season and swimming will be dependent on catching a settled day at the weekend. It’s easy to find that several months have gone by without having put so much as a toe in the water.

So … if I commit to writing about where we’ve swum each month, perhaps we’ll make sure we find the time to keep going throughout the winter. Right?

And there’s every reason to do so. While the physical health benefits of swimming in cold water are well documented, the mental health benefits are significant too and, for me, far more tangible. Maybe I’m just consumed with gratitude that my heart is still beating after the shock of the cold but the exhilaration I feel after swimming in the sea does more to fend off the black dog than anything else I’ve tried, including walking.*

So, I’m going to swim every month. November, December and January? Been there, done that. Check in again and see whether I’m as brave about February and March, when the sea is at its coldest.

In the meantime, here are a few photos of my October swim, taken on what turned into an unseasonably warm day at Mupe Bay after a chilly start. Unexpectedly, my best swim of the year.

Bring on November.

 

 

*I do find walking pretty effective too, but accumulative rather than immediate in its impact.