Swimming to the pub

...is a great idea. I started off at Cellars Beach at the mouth of the Yealm estuary, and swam up river with the tide. It was a fairly rough old day with a strong wind and a notable absence of sun, but it was a glorious and exhilarating experience nevetheless. A changeable journey from the rocky, choppy grey sea at the start, to the deep green yacht-packed river as I got further up. As I swam up the creek towards the pub, it got shallower and shallower, and the mud was deep, thick and silky. I tried to walk but quickly started to sink. The only thing was to pull myself out over the mud on my stomach, like some primeval creature evolving milllions of years ago from the murky depths. I made sure to do this round the corner from the Ship Inn, so as to emerge with a smidgeon of dignity.