EVENT REVIEW

Simon Griffiths travelled to Scotland for a little dip in a big loch

In 2022, the long-distance swims at Go Swim’s Loch Lomond event were shortened due to challenging weather conditions. In 2023, in contrast, the only difficulty caused by the weather was the brightness of the sun, which made sighting tricky early on. This was Loch Lomond at its glorious best. Flat calm and dazzling, and overlooked by the broadshouldered profile of Ben Lomond.

Distances on offer ranged from an accessible and family-friendly 250m up to an Olympic marathon swim distance of 10km. I had allowed myself to be talked into the latter. These things always seem like a better idea when you sign up to them than when you see the distance laid out in front of you in the water.

The course for the longer swims was an approximate isosceles triangle with a 1,250m perimeter. We 10km swimmers had to swim eight circuits, which looked and sounded daunting. I worried about losing count or even getting bored. However, I found it a surprisingly enjoyable way to cover the distance. I always knew exactly where I was and how far still to do. I could gauge my effort appropriately and could get into a steady, meditative rhythm without having to worry about getting lost. Apart from the early challenge of sighting while swimming towards the rising the sun, navigation was easy. Swimming felt completely safe as you were never far from a kayaker or another swimmer.