Suzanna (right) with Lottie Thompson
Photo : Stewart Smith
My earliest jaunts into outdoor swimming were limited to splashing in the sea at Sandown on the Isle of Wight during my annual family holiday. I don’t remember my feet ever leaving the seabed, nor did the experience leave me with any burning desire to further my education in this area. In fact, a weever fish sting when I was around eight year’s old left me with a lasting phobia of wet sands. As an adult I am still slightly suspicious.
Growing up in Coventry, I had a perfectly normal upbringing but one where the great outdoors did not feature heavily. It was quite a turn around when I decided to move to the Lake District in my early 20s and embrace a lifestyle that was entirely alien to me, one of hills and fresh air.