The Triskeli Swim Lake District Challenge - 3 Days to Swim Across 3 Lakes

The Lake District

The Triskeli Swim Lake District Challenge  - 3 Days to Swim Across 3 Lakes

A brief poetic summary by a (fake) William Wordsworth

Friday 26 July 2024 - Day 1 – Coniston Lake

Coniston Lake

I wandered lonely as a cloud and happy as a free stray dog. Swam among sparkling waves broke free in glee.

 [Arrive in Windermere at 12 noon and at 2pm I am in Coniston Lake for a 5.2 miles swimming in a sapphire blue choppy water. Water temperature around 16.7]

 

Saturday 27 July - Day 2 – Ullswater Lake

Ullswater Lake

The Ullswater Lake water reflected  low rainy clouds. Swam in the bliss of solitude.

[Under a cloudy, rainy sky 7.5 miles of true wild swimming in water temperature around 15.5]

Ullswater Lake

 Sunday 28 July - Day 3 – Windermere Lake

Windermere Lake

In vacant or in pensive mood, a swimmer could not but be gay.  Gazed - and gazed – but little thought.

[Ten miles of cloudy & sunny and again cloudy and then sunny swimming –

Water temperature around 18.5]

Triskeli Swim 

 

Thanks to Triskeli Swim (Becs&Kathy) who drive and guided me, counted my strokes, listened to my breathing, passed the feed and encouraged me without ever losing optimism

 

To get an idea about Triskeli Swim see this link: https://www.triskeli-swims.com/

Here the authentic poem by William Wordsworth - I wandered lonely as a cloud

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

 

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

 

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

 

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

By the way William Wordsworth also wrote “Guide to the Lake” a travellers' guidebook to England's Lake District, published  in the 1835 (fifth and final edition). 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2056416.Guide_to_the_Lakes 

To get an idea about Lakes Poets see this link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Poets 

 That’s all folks! Keep swimming!