We also popped out quickly to watch the start of the Holms Swim, with the intrepid swimmers plunging into the water from the back of the MV Graemsay and heading back to the Pier. You'll have to use your imagination as the camera on our phone couldn't cope with the distance!
We believe that amongst those taking part were members of the Orkney Polar Bear Club, those hardy souls who meet every week throughout the year to swim in Orkney waters.
For those of you inspired by the thought of wild swimming the Orkney Polar Bears have a Facebook Page, and in the meantime you can come along to the library and borrow our copy of Wild Swim by Kate Rew for tips on outdoor swimming and a guide to the best places to swim outdoors in Britain, or visit the Outdoor Swimming Society Website.
Now all you need is your swimming costume!
The Orkney Polar Bears sound amazing - I am envious and admiring in equal measures. I'd also strongly recommend Roger Deakin's Waterlog, a beautiful personal record of swimming in the wild places of Britain: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=AC5oj_jBtjoC&printsec=frontcover&dq=waterlog+deakin&hl=en&sa=X&ei=lRz8T6y9I5Cw8QOP04yFBw&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=waterlog%20deakin&f=false
ReplyDeleteThanks for the book recommendation Molly. We checked the catalogue and found there is a copy in our main library in Kirkwall, so we'll be relocating it to Stromness very soon!
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