Round trip

We hadn't really intended to swim around Burgh Island, but that's what we ended up doing. We started off on the western side, where it was calm and the water was unbelievably clear. We kept close in to the island and swam through dramatic channels and gulleys, admiring the swinging seaweed below and the angular rock faces above. At the back it started to get a little choppy, and we were whirled around several times in little eddies. By the time we got to the eastern side, and the last leg, it was much harder going. At one point a group of seagulls kept swooping on us; one landed right by us and floated along with us for a while.

Around the island (again)

It's becoming a bit of a birthday tradition (mine) to have a beach party and swim around Burgh Island. For the last few years we've had much better weather in September than August, and today was no exception. The conditions were absolutely perfect. Flat calm sea, bright sunshine and the occasional scudding cloud. We had three 'Burgh Virgins' in the group; they were all so chuffed to make it round. We swam at the bottom of the tide, and it was a really low one. So much so that the channel at the back of the island - normally a dramatic watery passageway - had just a dribble at the bottom. We saw armies of cormorants lined up at the back of the island, and, in total contrast, charming little rock pipits which hopped around the rocks right close to us.

And the band played on

It was like the final scenes on the Titanic. As the annual Burgh Island Race wound up, the heavens opened and there was a monstrous deluge of epic proportions. The band was playing; they were there to perform the first ever "Symphony on Burgh". They kept on throughout the storm; it was all so terribly British. Despite the grey skies and rain, the sea was actually quite calm, and the swim was an otherwordly experience. As I swam around the back of the island, through rocky channels surrounded by foaming spray, I felt totally alive. We'd been warned that 'Sammy the Seal' was in evidence, but there was no sign of him.

Raid on secret pool

It was low tide at Burgh Island, and we decided to swim round for an illicit guerilla raid on the Mermaid Pool, the hotel's private tidal lagoon. We felt rather Bond-like as we swam through gulleys and then scaled the rocks to the top of the block wall - complete with 'private' sign - before jumping into the pool on the other side. The water was beautifully green and clear. We did a few leaps off the diving platform in the middle, and started to draw the attention of hotel guests who came to their windows to watch. At that point it was time for a sharp exit.

Island adventure

Swimming around Burgh Island with a huge hangover is not a particularly good idea. Still, it never stopped me before and it didn't today. We were a large group, as we were joined by the Outdoor Swimming Society. The waves were, ahem, challenging, and although most of the group made it round, I took advantage of a kind offer by the lifeguards of a lift in their boat towards the end. Note to self; future circumnavigation of the Island requires both a flat sea and a clear head.