THE LONG REACH SWIM
Simon Griffiths took part in My Sporting Times’s inaugural Long Reach Swim
Simon Griffiths
There’s always a slight worry when you take part in the first ever running of an event. Has the organiser thought of everything? Will the logistics work? Is swimming going to be an enjoyable experience? However, I was optimistic that My Sporting Times would deliver a great event having taken part in their Jubilee River Swim (see our August 2017 issue) earlier in the year – and they didn’t disappoint.
River flows and levels in the non-tidal navigable part of the River Thames are controlled by a series of 45 locks and weirs, an average distance of just under 5km apart. The second longest stretch (or “reach”) is between Benson Lock and Cleeve Lock, which is 10.46km, and this is where My Sporting Times decided to hold the Long Reach Swim. As an aside, the longest navigable reach (small boats only), at 18.88km, is from Cricklade Bridge to St John’s Lock.