Xann Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 This is Holcombe Quarry in Somerset. The authorities don't like you swimming there, idiots have abused it in the past, but it's amazing. People flock there in droves. Warm azure water, diving and a sort of beach. Nearer the Mids - Offenham and Ashton Under Hill near Evesham were fun. Droitwich has a lido if you felt the need for lifeguards, but my sister bought a kayak which we fell out of quite a lot. That started us swimming in the Salwarpe canal. It was fun, but you had to wear shoes and you could emerge from the water with sizeable leaches attached. I need to try the Serpentine at some point. Any other good spots inland? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 Can't be doing with old quarries and the like, spooks me out. As for the Serpentine, even the roped off area looks to be about 30% swan shit and feathers. Get in the sea. Get in and swim a long way out if you can and you're ok with rips and all that. Liberating to just bob around out there. Sea swimming in a calm sea when it's raining is a rare treat and a proper out of body experience. Bottom picture is the beach where the nippers had the local life saving competition / festival last weekend. Dozens of them smashing out to sea, round a buoy, swim parallel with shore, round another buoy and back in again. That's proper intense. Mine nearly drowned a couple of years ago, having misjudged a wave and head butted a life guard's surf board. Ah, the irony. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hogso Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 (edited) I've swam at Stony Cove, but it isn't free, and it is cold. Or was at the time anyway. A day like today though! Also been to Kingsbury and Bosworth Water Parks a bunch of times and know you can swim there, but never have. The NOWCA site has a bunch of info for other organised non-punx swimming venues. My favourite ever outdoor 'swimming' venue though, would have to be the following - one very familiar to all my Nuneaton homeboys, I'm sure Whale we miss you Edited July 19, 2016 by hogso Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 (edited) nope... Edited July 19, 2016 by villa4europe 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phumfeinz Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 29 minutes ago, hogso said: I've swam at Stony Cove, but it isn't free, and it is cold. Or was at the time anyway. A day like today though! Also been to Kingsbury and Bosworth Water Parks a bunch of times and know you can swim there, but never have. The NOWCA site has a bunch of info for other organised non-punx swimming venues. My favourite ever outdoor 'swimming' venue though, would have to be the following - one very familiar to all my Nuneaton homeboys, I'm sure Whale we miss you Blast from the past. I miss the aviary they used to have in Riversley Park too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Designer1 Posted July 19, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted July 19, 2016 (edited) When I was a kid Lodge Farm Reservoir or 'The Razza' as it's known to the locals, was a regular swimming spot at the weekends. Anyone shouting 'Pike!' and screaming was considered a bit of a wimp Edited July 19, 2016 by Designer1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hogso Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 2 hours ago, Phumfeinz said: Blast from the past. I miss the aviary they used to have in Riversley Park too. Yes! And the 'tropical house' 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeyp102 Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 Out in Stratford on my lunch break today, many swimming in the Avon... Many more in bikinis, I didn't want to go back to work 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlwaysAVFC Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 Jealous of my neighbours today, their garden goes right down to the Avon in Bath and they were out having a barbecue and jumping in the river. Mines a rented house, beyond my garden is 30ft of thick scrubland, so I would be covered in nettle stings and scratches to get anywhere near the river bank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 57 minutes ago, mikeyp102 said: Out in Stratford on my lunch break today, many swimming in the Avon... Many more in bikinis, I didn't want to go back to work Pervert. Pics or GTFO 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choffer Posted July 19, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted July 19, 2016 Given that it was still open when I was a kid, it's amazing how few pictures there are of Rowheath Lido. Used to love going there as a nipper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshVilla Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 (edited) Chasewater pier... remember jumping off it about 15 years back good laugh Edited July 19, 2016 by AshVilla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romavillan Posted July 21, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted July 21, 2016 This is lago di nemi, my favourite swimming pool round here, swam across this a few times but just swimming out into the middle and laying on your back and floating around is about as good as it gets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrenm Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 Went in the Severn as part of a tri the other day. Was lovely to be swimming downstream. Quite warm too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xann Posted July 21, 2016 Author Share Posted July 21, 2016 4 minutes ago, darrenm said: Went in the Severn as part of a tri the other day. Was lovely to be swimming downstream. Quite warm too. Which stretch? There's another VTer that had a very public dip in the Severn. It made the papers for the wrong reasons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 When I hit a certain age and my body starts to sag a little, I will 100% start swimming nude at nudist/naturist beaches. Closest one is in the Republic, though. Not keen on that sort of thing up here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrenm Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 13 hours ago, Xann said: Which stretch? There's another VTer that had a very public dip in the Severn. It made the papers for the wrong reasons Just 1500m at Upton-upon-Severn. Part of the Upton Tri. Took me twice as long as anyone else! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 On 19 July 2016 at 14:21, hogso said: I've swam at Stony Cove, but it isn't free, and it is cold. Or was at the time anyway. A day like today though! There's a name from the past , I did my open water scuba dive in Stony cove as part of my course about 20 years ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hogso Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Yeah, they do loads of diving there, in fact I think they refer to it as the 'underwater playground' or something. There's boats in it, cars, ships, planes...all sorts of old shit to have a swim down to. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 little story to show how cool I am and why I should be the next bond.... On holiday in Kenya we had a week at the beach (oooh yeah) and we signed up for some scuba. Practised in the pool, all the usual. Eventually we went out on a glass bottomed boat, just 8 of us. It was like some corny joke, a German couple, French couple, two Americans and me and my missus. We chugged out to sea, parked up at the reef and they dished out the scuba gear. All four womens jointly decided they were staying on the boat sunbathing and looking at the fishies through the glass. German guy put on the gear jumped in and swam off. French guy and American guy put on the gear jumped in and swam off. Ahhh, tits. Looks like I've got to too. Stick on the gear, jump in and I'm utterly taken by surprise that the water is cold, gasp, suck in sea water. A wave or a bit of current gets me and pushes me under the boat where I am now doing my best panicking dying fly impression pinned to the underside of the glass bottom boat. With an audience looking down. The guys running the boat had thrown a load of bread in the water to attract extra fish. That was all under the boat, with the fish fighting to get me out of the way so they could grab the bread. **** brilliant. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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