Who had the ridiculous idea of a December sea swim? Oh yes, that would have been me!

Katie C-R advised us that it would feel warmer in than out, as the sea temperature is 10°, the outside air temperature is 5°, with a wind chill that males it feel 2°. But someone needed to tell that to my feet, because just standing ankle deep in the sea was painfully icy.

Other hardened swimmers had turned away when they saw the size of the waves. But we were undeterred even though, as Katie L said, they were really big, scary, cold waves.

Rachel was phenomenal - dived straight in and rode some of the huge swelling waves, The rest of us just let the waves crash over us. I realised the only way to get safely immersed was to lie down in the shallows. Having achieved that, I was back up the beach to get changed, so I have no idea how much swimming the rest of them did.

We got dry, got dressed and sort of got warm with a coffee on the seafront.

Roll on the January swim!