Tuesday 24 June 2008

Swimming to the sea


The day: Sunday. Our mission: to swim from Aveton Gifford to Bantham, down the Avon estuary. Taking part: a motley crew of women and children armed with surfboards, dinghies, one blow-up armchair and one inflatable banana. The idea was that we would drift in a leisurely fashion on the outward tide, languidly floating down the river. In reality there was a very strong wind against us, and quite low water, so there was much paddling and wading. Highlights: the swallows swooping down on us, flashing their iridescent blue plumage; the herons; and the sand on the bottom swirling through the light as we neared the beach, after our two and a half hour odyssey.

3 comments:

alex_murdin said...

62% of those questioned had been on a day trip and 50% on holiday to the coast or seaside. 65% felt the coast mattered to them for fresh air and exercise, 43% for peace and freedom. 59% have kept something at home that they found on a beach; 49% considered their happiest childhood memory as being by the sea; 16% want to have their ashes scattered at sea or on a beach and 7% have proposed on the beach or coastline. 34% often day-dream about being by the sea when going about their everyday life. natural england survey 2005

Mark said...

I love the Avon river estuary, we walked up it from Bantham last weekend. I like the Ham on the west side thats sort of half moor, half dunes. I mooted the idea of floating down on a rubber ring from Aveton Gifford. Nice one for doing it! The photo on my website shows the Ham at Bantham, I did take some up the river, but not uploaded them yet!

Sophie said...

Hi Mark, yes the estuary is stunning, especially when seen from the vantage point of the water. Something I intend to do again in 2209.