A wise weatherman once said that the 15th of June 2021 would be a beautiful evening for swimming in Bath and Bristol’s most famous river… and a beautiful summer evening it was!

Myself Aaron, Emily, Helen, Jane, Alice, Meyrick and Doris were all ready to jump in at the deep end. After a brief meet in Batheaston car park, we made the short walk to an open bank at the river side where we made the swift transition into our swimwear. One by one, we took tentative steps down the bank, onto the rocks and then into the water under which one can feel the unusually pleasant sensation of mushy silt sliding between their toes. It’s a gradual decline at first but with a sudden drop a few metres in. Eventually we all took the plunge and embraced those underwater arctic temperatures (actually, truth be told, the water was WAY warmer than the previous week)

We spent the bulk of our time a short distance from the river bank indulging ourselves in some water volleyball courtesy of Doris. Making a splash would be an understatement! We then swam back toward the river bank opening and got a couple of group snaps to commemorate the occasion. And so… before long, we exited the river one by one to dry off and absorb that luminous evening sunshine to the soundtrack of 70’s rock (portable speakers come highly recommended). There was also an assortment of tasty biscuits that Meyrick kindly brought along for that little rush of sugar needed after a good swim.