(Nearly) 99 red balloons

In honour of a trio of birthdays - Kari, Steph and Clare - a madcap plan was hatched to swim around Burgh Island in truly celebratory style, each swimmer attached to a red balloon. As we arrived we could see an excited group below the Pilchard Inn, some already clutching balloons, while Jonathan manhandled a helium cylinder, filling the rest. The sea was flat calm and gorgeous, with the sun rippling across it. There must have been about twenty of us who swam round; it was sheer pleasure all the way. Some of the highlights; being able to swim in and out of the maze of gullies at the back of the island; marvelling at the pink and purple rocks and seaweed below us; the silhouettes of the cormorants and gulls; the incredible visibility of the water; and the sky turning pink as we swam.

Bbbbbouncy Burgh

Christmas Eve. A Santa swim at Burgh Island. Ssswwwwell - and how. We set off, a motley crew of Santa-clad swimmers, into the surf that was roaring to the west of the island. A strong south westerly wind pushed into our bodies and faces, rolling huge walls of water at us. Every so often I got a massive mouthful and I can still taste the salt as I write. As we approached the first corner, and were bumped and bounced about in the most undignified manner, it was time to decide whether to push on or turn back. I was in two minds, given the roughness of the sea, but got caught up in the moment and decided to keep going. At the back of the island I had a moment of fear, as I got separated from the others, and started to feel tired. It just felt as though I wasn't going anywhere. I kept going and eventually pushed through it. Yet, even at that moment, I was also glorying in the sheer solitude in the water out there, in the beauty of the wild rocks and sea, and in that sense of being truly alone in the elements. The final part of the swim was much easier, as the wind was in our favour, and we got regular welcome pushes from the big waves - in the right direction this time. On the way back we stopped for a dip in the Mermaid Pool. What perfect peace, an infinity pool after after the angry sea.

Frolicking around the fringes

When we arrived at Bigbury-on-sea it felt like October. The place was shrouded in mist and everything was awash with grey. We continued with our swimming plans, and lo and behold it brightened up and we explored around the edge of the island, meandering through channels and diving through great fronds of kelp. We were approached by the lifeguards in their boat, who wanted to know if we were going to swim around the island. This feat has now become all too 'de rigeur'.

Spot the starfish

What camouflage eh? We found this handsome specimen on the beach at Bigbury. After this we swam around the fringes of Burgh Island and carried out a guerilla raid on the hotel's private Mermaid Pool - a gorgeous tidal pool with a wooden diving platform in the middle. Sadly I have no photographic evidence of this daring feat, but can confirm we did indeed dive off the platform before making our exit.

In the underwater jungle

There are sometimes days when familiar surroundings feel like uncharted territory. It was hot and still, and the sea around Burgh Island was smooth and benign. The water was calm and clear; we could see every frond of seaweed as we swam over rocky mountains and chasms below. It was so still that we were able to go in and around the rock formations that surround the island, venturing through channels and into coves and caves. At one point we came up against a vast, chunky, almost geometrically carved cliff face that looked, as my friend Anna said, like something out of Lord of the Rings. We were truly in another magical and mystical world.