wild swim stories: crossing

Eilen Donan Castle is on elf the most photographed buildings in Scotland. And it is easy to see why. The old castle, on a loch, hills around and there is only one stone bridge to enter it. Only one bridge ... or is there a swimming option?

Of course there is no official swimming option, but that is just the thing I see, when I stand on the side of a loch.

We arrived late in the small village of Dornie and the castle stood proud and illuminated in the night. After dinner in the local pub we walked to our B&B, which was located across a small bridge in the village of Ardelve. Standing on the bridge at night made me think about a small swim to cross the waterway between Loch Long and Loch Duich.

The next morning our friendly B&B host heard about my plan, said that it was possible, but also warned me of a current which changes depending on the tide. Loch Long is connected to Loch Duich and Loch Alsh, which goes to the sea on the Scottish west Coast. I wanted at least to go in the water and give it a try. My friends dropped me off at the bridge and drove on to visit the castle.

It wasn't the nicest weather but it gave the crossing towards the castle an even more dramatic effect.

I swam towards the castle and stopped after a third to make some photos. That's where I noticed the mentioned current. It was going out so it carried me southbound towards the caste. What a nice floating experience!

The light southbound current was nice, but you have to make sure to cross the waterway before the current carries you to far into the next loch. It wasn't that strong and I kept on swimming towards the castle and around it.

From the water I could see my friends waiting for me.

And they took a picture from the other point of view

I flooded around some more, enjoying the view and the looks of the tourist and decided then to look for a good point to exit. Not having paid the entrance fee to the castle, I swam towards the carpark. That was rather muddy and swampy in the end. Wearing a wetsuit I felt like an alien climbing up to the carpark with all the "normal" people...

Eilen Donan Castle, Dornie, Kyle of Lochalsh IV40 8DX, Vereinigtes Königreich

My first island crossing was not planned at all.

When swimming I like to have somekind of a finish line. That's not possible in the pool, but outdoors. Of course I do like the quick dips and splashes whenever there is the oppurtunity! When you read my blog more often, you will know, that it is not about the longest swim or other superlatives. It is about spotting a nice place and going into the water.

I also like the feeling of going somewhere, even if "going" means "swimming".To swim across where other people need to walk around, is special to me. Standing at a river or at a loch I always ask my self "how far is it to the other side? is it possible?".
And that is what happend when I was standing in Oban and looked over to the small island. I hadn't planned anything. It was just a holiday with friends. I had been in some lochs along the way and was quite content with my swims and I thought I had had enough water for the holiday...

We arrived in Oban to have three relaxing days with cafes, bookshops, fresh fish and pubs. The first day my friends and I walked along the promenade and I pointed towards Kerrera, saying "you know, it is not that far... ".

They started shaking their heads before I had seriously thought about it! So I forgot about it - for the evening...
Our hostel was next to the promenade and I could see the small island from the breakfast table. The whole day I kept looking towards Kerrera. In the evening over pub dinner, I made the decision to do the swim. I think a pub is always a good place to make plans :-)

The next day I drove with one of my friends to the small ferry landing stage. Here I changed into my wetsuit and a red swimming hat. I took excatly 2 Pound 50 change and walked barefoot to the ferry. The ferryman grinned at me when I said "one way only please".

When swimming outdoors it is important to talk to local people to get special tips or learn about risks in the water. You can argue, that talking to the ferryman is a bit late and you are right.
Nevertheless I was lucky to meet Ian the ferryman and ask him about the crossing. He normally works on the big calmac ferries and was just helping out for the day. More interesting than that was, that Ian is a lifeguard and took part in the anual Kerrara to Oban swimming event. I am looking Forward to go back and do that swim event, too!

Ian told me, that you would normally need a safety kayak to accompany the swimmer. Big ferrys enter the Sound of Kerrare from both sides on their way to the Oban harbour. It is essential to know the schedule. I was lucky, that Ian told me, if I really wanted to do the swim, he would watch out for me. Of course I took that offer and we agreed on some signs.

I went into the water next to the ferry and started swimming. The waves were only about 20 centimters high, but that is high enough, that you can't see the other side all the time. The water was salty and felt rough and I felt adventurous! There was a small current, only strong enough to drift me slightly to the north. I was happy when I reached a point which I estimated was halfway. That is the point, where turning around doesn't make sense anymore. Also I saw Ian casting off. In the water the sound of Kerrera looked bigger and I was happy, that someone with a boat was watching out for me. It was a 800m swim to the other side. Ian passed with the ferry in a wide arch around me and landed well before I came towards the shore.

The last third of the swim was the part I injoyed most. I could see the shore, could see that I would get there without any problems and so I took the time to injoy the feeling of being in the water and finishing an adventure.

Ian and my friend Alex were there to great me. I was extremly proud to climb out of the water as a Kerrera to Oban finisher!

Afterwards we met the rest of the group for a hot choclate in a very very nice cafe. We were lucky and could sit down in the big comfy sofas looking out over the Sound of Kerrera...