For most people Monday mornings are a drag. It is the start of the week, often recovering from a weekend of swimming and the alarm pulls you from sleep to get to work, school, training or chores. But while the rest of the country are in a snake of traffic to the office, the St Ives Swimmers are meeting at Porthminster Beach.
Heading to St Ives in August was ambitious, the small Cornish town is a magnet for tourists and holiday makers. Despite it still being early, it is almost impossible to find a parking spot in the town, taking the bus or train in this corner of Cornwall is recommended. However, it is worth the journey. While many swimmers feel content with the dock, river, reservoir or pond they have discovered swimmable, the St Ives Swimmers are in paradise. Even on a grey day, St Ives sparkles.
There is a reason so many artists flock to the area and never leave. The white sands and turquoise waters give off an incredible light, it is mesmerising. The micro-climate of this part of the British coast allows bright blue agapanthus, purple hydrangeas and palm trees to flourish. If you can plan at least a day in the town you can watch the place transform. Arrive with the delivery drivers and you can see the town unpack and prepare for the day ahead, then watch as visitors swirl around the brick lanes. If you arrive when the tide is in, fishing boats bob and the harbour presents a perfect Cornish picture. In a few hours the water is gone, revealing a sandy space for the crowds to spill onto. It’s a wonder.