Martyn's Ullswater Swim Adventure

Martyn's Ullswater Swim Adventure

By Karen Smith

June 4, 2019

Martyn Webster met us in the stunning Ullswater Lake for a potential 2 Way. Martyn, already a fantabulous marathon swimmer, had never experienced Ullswater, so he was in for a real treat. With the water temperatures in the Lakes generally being lower this time of year, we were very surprised that the temperature at the starting point Pooley Bridge was a mere 13 degrees.

The swim got underway and Martyn, in his usual motoring style, made great progress. Feeding fast and furious, he progressed down the Lake; however, the temperature was dropping every mile he swam. By the halfway point, the water temperature had dropped to 12 degrees—noticeably different for Martyn.

Ullswater is a quiet Lake, so for the group of scouts that were sailing on the Lake, the sight of a swimmer was a shock, but they cheered him on and clapped as he motored past them.

As the feeds progressed, Martyn continued to look subdued, mentioning the temperature at each feed. He is a seasoned open water swimmer with his own accurate thermostat which was saying, "this is cold now".

As we progressed to Glenridding and the end of the 1 Way, the temperature was recorded at 10.9 degrees. Touching the jetty, Martyn chose to leave the swim there—and rightly so.