The Old Man of Storr

The Old Man of Storr is a rock on the Isle of Skye. I saw a photo of it and knew I had to go there. I don't like long hikes, so it was perfect that I found a short tour on www.walkhighlands.co.uk.
We drove up from Portree and parked just off the A855 at the small carpark. The Old Man of Storr is famous and you will have company ;-) 

At the start ou pass through a small wood (if they didn't cut it by now...) and walk steady up. Once you are above the trees, turn around and look over the Sound of Raasay! The way up takes only about 1 hour, so take it slowly! Enjoy the view, sit down, take pictures and feel the way up is already part of the delightful swim on top...

The last part is very steep, but you see the Old Man, which is so impressive!

We were there in August and the weather was brilliant. The way up in tshirt and shorts was warm and also on top when you sit on the grass. You can walk even farer up and then you will notice at some point or around some corner a blast when the wind hits you. One step more into the wind, we all grabbed our jackets and hats! 

A meters down we could sit in the sun and enjoy a small picknick. I walked to the small lake to see how could the water was.

(is it a lake? it is small? what do you call it? A pond?)

I was warm again from the sun and the water was inviting. I took off my jacket, shorts and shoes and walked in. It was fresh, but nice and clear. I floated a little and enjoyed the feeling. Thinking about, that I had to change cloth anyway, I decided top strip in the water and skinny dip :-)
My sister had a small towel ready when I got out. It was chilly in the wind, but once dry and dressed I felt happy and pleased.
After sharing some Pick-up cookies we slowly started the descend.

You never regret a swim!

Isle of Skye, Scotland
The Old Man of Storr (off the A855)

Just have a look at google maps, it's amazing!The Old Man has it's own Facebook site with really nice photos. 

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Cologne heart

I posted that photo on instragram without a swim, just because I liked it. It was an spontaneous shot with my iphone.

There is a small story behind it of course.... otherwise how realistic is it to stand SPONTANEOUSLY at the rhine river at sunset with a heart balloon?!

My friend Laura visited for a friday night in Cologne. Instead of going to the Center we stayed in Porz. The annual Porzer Inselfest was on with a fleamarket, foodmarket and live music. We strolled around the market and had a few Kölsch (beer). For some reason Laura wanted to play "pull the cactus" at one of the booth, which brought us two purple plastic aliens to carry around as a price...
Speaking of which, perhaps you would have liked that picture even more ;-)
Or that picture after we coaxed the guy at the piglet-train to let us have a ride...

We finished another few beers and noticed that we still hadn't bought a present for Lauras boyfriend who was coming back from his USA trip. The booth with the balloons was still open and we bought a heart with Cologne city flag on it.

We strolled further down to the river bank and Laura stood on the ferry jetty. I took the first photo as a snapshot and then we tried some more poses with the sunset background.

I didn't have my DSLR-camera with me and the iphone has it's limits with little light, but I like the way the photo was taken.

Sometimes an evening with your best friend is as much as you need.

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Kerrera to Oban

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...

You never regret a swim!

A pub to make plans and a hostel with a view:
http://www.markiedans.co.uk/

http://corranhouseoban.co.uk/

The place to have your after swim hot choclate:

http://obanchocolate.co.uk/

http://thelornebaroban.co.uk/

Best fresh mussels:

Next to the ferry terminal there is a small hut, very busy with People coming off the Ferry. For a reason! Great mussels!

A very nice dinner:

http://waterfrontfishouse.co.uk/

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Rhein river splash

Normally I don't like going by bike, but yesterday a friend of mine suggested a small bike tour along Rhine river.
I live on the southern edge of Cologne in the district of Porz-Zündorf and the Rhine river is just a 2 minute walk.

Yesterday it was a 1 minute ride by bike ;-)

We headed along the river to the south, but didn't get far.

I saw a small "beach"  (if you want to call it beach... it is really just a bit of sand on the river bank between two groynes, so it looks like a small bay...) where children were playing in the water.

So we stopped for the first picknick at the beach and watched the action in the water. The kids were splashing about and two boys even dived. So I thought "challenge accepted" and walked into the river to find out that it was freezing cold.
It was 22 degrees outside, but the water had only 15 degrees  (I looked up the water temperatur online). Nevertheless I was already in the mood to make a quick splash. I went further in and the two boys came up to ask, if I believed that they even had their heads under water and dared me to sit down. It tooked some time, but I went in splashing and swimming for a few seconds.

You never regret a swim!

I changed into my jeans and we continued the bike tour, me being already very happy with the adventure of the day.

In the evening we found a small open air cafe with deck chairs. You can either sit on the "beach" Patio or at the river bank with your feet in the water.

Spots:

51143 Köln Porz Langel

the next street is "In der Aue"

just walk along the foodpath next

to the river to find the "beach"

Mondi Beach http://www.rheingold-hotel.com/7.html

Please notice, that swimming in the Rhine river can be dangerous! Swimming is at your own risk! Wildswimstories expresses personal experience and gives no advise on the safety of the swim spots.                                

                                                                       

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Swimming for charity

As you will discover soon, I took part in some "great swims". 

The great swim series is popular within the UK and many people swim for a charity. 

This year my sister will join me in the Great East Swim and the Great London Swim. She decided to use both the swims and the training to collect money for a small german charity. 

The charity "4 Pfoten für sie" acts as agent for special trained dogs that can help people with dementia. Read more about it on 

http://www.littletigersblog.de/2016/03/schwimmen-fur-den-guten-zweck.html

You nerver regret a charity swim!

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needful? stuff

You see, I have the catergorie STUFF on my blog. But the truth is, I don't like swimming gear. 

When I started freediving, I was excited about all the gadgets and gear. I like to brwose the internet and shop some stuff. Special things you "need" when freediving. 

But my idea about freediving was, that I didn't like to carry all that diving gear you normally need. 

So after buying some stuff, I realized, that I didn't want to carry things with me. I didn't want to remember what I "need" to take with me on a trip...

Yes, so generally I don't like stuff ;-)

There is always a BUT and so there is the catergorie STUFF, 

where I will write about some things that I still find useful and worth taking...

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Getting started

Wow, here I am, starting my own blog. 

Since 2012 I am telling my sisters, I will write my own wild swim book. Well, I never did, but this is the start to share my outdoor swim experiences with you. 

Since a was kid, I saw lakes, pools and rivers as a place I need to get into. Driving through Scotland just brought that feeling back. I drove past many lochs and needed to get into them. 

And I did. 

Coming back a year later with my sisters and friends, I needed to get into the waters again. 

And "Anne does a swim" became a phrase. There is no real translation of "a swim" in German, so that's the word...

" which is the right place for a swim "

Later a friend asked how I knew, which is the right place for a swim. You just know. Come across a lake, have a look at the water and you know. 

I read some wild swim books and searched for places on the internet. There will be a link-list soon. 

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You never regret a swim

Nothing more than a motto. A phrase I liked. 

But thinking about it, I really can't remember a swim, that a regret. 

There were days, when I didn't want to get in the water, when I was cold or just grumpy. 

Remembering these days I am not cold or grumpy anymore but happy about the experiences. 

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TEASER underwater photos

Hi!

Starting a blog is some work. I have many ideas and stories and photos!

Where to start? 

Which story to tell first?

This is just a teaser for you ;-) 

One of my favorite underwater photos. 

There will be more about the free dive event, more about the camera and more about how to take special photos aswell...

Are you waiting for it?

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