There are plenty of good reasons why otherwise sane and
respectable citizens slip into the cold water swimming habit: the endorphin
buzz, the camaraderie and of course – if you’re at Brockwell Lido – the coffee. But one of the biggest benefits is that once you’ve taken
the plunge and acclimatised to swimming in a freezing lido (3 degrees C. during
January since you ask) you can get on first name terms with hundreds of wild
swimming locations up and down the UK.
The Isle of Skye is the perfect example. Only 60 miles long
but with 500 miles of coastline, dozens of seawater and freshwater lochs, and plentiful
rock pools and waterfalls, the island is one big wild swimming opportunity. Tempted?
Here’s a quick guide to some of the best spots that we were lucky to visit in
June.
Loch Coruisk:
Dramatic mountain backdrop? Check. Easily accessible? Yep. Pure isolation,
absolute silence and freshwater straight from the peaks of the Cuillins? All present
and correct. There can’t be many more staggeringly beautiful wild swimming
settings in the UK. Swim to the centre of the narrow lock and spin round slowly
to take in the view. Here’s a picture that captures the atmosphere, along with
the all-important swimmer.org cap that accompanied me on most of the
expeditions.
By the way, ‘easily accessible’ involves taking one of the
frequent boat crossings from Elgol that drop you off for an hour or two at the
loch. Alternatively you can reach Loch Coruisk by walking from Sligachan across
the Cuillins (about four hours in fair weather). Or you can walk from Elgol
(four hours again) although this involves negotiating the infamous ‘bad step’,
a slippery wall of granite that can only be negotiated by shuffling along a
very narrow ledge. Not for the nervous.
Faery Pools: The crystal
clear pools and waterfalls that descend into Glen Brittle from the Cuillins are
an absolute must for any wild swimmer, let alone a visitor to Skye. It was so
stunning and memorable that we went twice - and would have gone a third or
fourth time if I hadn’t sensibly been talked out of it. Here’s a quick video that hopefully gives you a flavour of
the experience. You’ll see me make a tentative dive into one of the pools (it’s
deep but not that deep), crawl through a narrow, watery canyon and then emerge,
climbing gingerly behind a waterfall. This was just one connected line of
pools. But there are dozens that stretch for about a mile or so up the valley
and you could spend a long day dipping in and out of every accessible spot.
(By the way, anyone who fancies combining a dram or two with
their diving - that probably accounts for most of the Brockwell Icicles - should
also stop off at the Talisker brewery at Corbost, about two miles up the road
from Glen Brittle.)
Loch Pooltiel: This one makes the cut just because it was the nearest tidal loch to our self-catering cottage. I’m not suggesting you go out of your way to find it in the north-west corner of the island, but it serves as a reminder that wherever you stay you’ll find somewhere stunning to get your toes – any indeed everything else – wet. One tip here – check the tides before you make a trip to a salt water loch. Get there at the wrong time and you’ll be faced with a long stretch of rocky, water-free bay waiting for the tide to turn.
Coral Beaches:
The Caribbean on Skye. Drive through Dunvegan and up to Claigan. At the end of
the road there is a car park, and you walk for about a mile or so to get to the
main beach. Don't be deceived by the first sandy bay you come to, the real deal
is just over the low hill. No pictures here, just some over-wobbly video that
didn’t make the cut. So you’ll just need to trust me when I tell you that even
on a slightly overcast day the sand is pure gold and the water is cobalt blue.
That’s all we had time to swim on Skye although we did make
it to the Outer Hebrides as well (another story, another blog). But there’s
probably enough here to give you a flavour of the best swimming spots on this
wild, wonderful island. Daniel Smart has more tips for Skye in the latest
edition of Wild Swimming, but the beauty of the island is that you’ll always
find your own private wild swimming hideaway far from the most popular
locations.
It’s also pretty easy (and affordable) to get to there. A
one week trip for four, with flights to Inverness, hire car and one week’s
self-catering accommodation shouldn’t come to more than about £300 each
(although Talisker costs extra). Finally, thanks to Dawn who – as well as surviving my
swimming obsession - proved to be an adventurous swimmer herself as well as a
dextrous director of photography, putting her waterproof smartphone to
excellent use for the pictures and video in this post.
