[OSS Oxon] OSSOxon Digest, Vol 13, Issue 4

Mon Jun 6 12:39:05 BST 2011

I've done a few Swimtreks & highly recommend them for reasons given here by
others. Egypt has been my favourite, we've done it twice, sea life is
amazing which makes it a great trip to take your time swimming on, so no
need to worry if you're slow - hubby & I were both at the back the whole
time first trip and loved it!  A word on Strel's co, he's aping much of
Swimtrek, & I'd always go with the originator & most experienced if you
catch my drift J
Janetta

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Message: 1
Date: Sun, 5 Jun 2011 17:56:31 +0100
From: "Liz Holliss" <lizholliss at btconnect.com>
To: "James Lowe" <James.Lowe at datacore.com>,     "Ben Waters"
        <ben.waters2 at gmail.com>, <OSSOxon at earth.li>
Subject: Re: [OSS Oxon] Swimming in warm places
Message-ID:
        <070B7523EFAB734EA8EA8FCED18FF09D0579E19A at HEMV1DUKER.he.local>
Content-Type: text/plain;       charset="us-ascii"

 Quite agree, also, if you go to Gozo/Egypt etc you might like to tag a
bit on at the beginning or end, and do some diving?  The sort of people
who go on Swimtrek holidays are usually pretty sociable/mad types (you
have to be, to do what we do).  Finally got wet in the Thames this
morning, and it wasn't nearly as cold as the sea in Cornwall last week.
So no more excuses....!

Cheers,
Liz

-----Original Message-----
From: ossoxon-bounces at earth.li [mailto:ossoxon-bounces at earth.li] On
Behalf Of James Lowe
Sent: 02 June 2011 08:44
To: Ben Waters; OSSOxon at earth.li
Subject: Re: [OSS Oxon] Swimming in warm places

Ben,

Give Swimtrek a go, I've been on half a dozen of their trips and they
are a lot of fun. They are always well organized and having the guide
boats with you the whole time means you are not obligated to swimming
the whole day. The average swim length varies on each trip - you can
find out more details on their website for each one - but I've been on
trips where relative beginners (only ever swam 500m in a pool types) to
national champions (10Km in 2.5 hours) have all swam on the same trip
and the way they organize the disparity of speeds means you are never on
your own or struggling to keep up.

I really enjoyed Croatia - calm seas, warm weather. Sardinia was fun to
(a bit windy at times) but very varied in the type of swim - island to
island, boat to boat, round the island. I haven't done greece - what put
me off was the constant changing of hotels, some people like that, but I
find that a chore. However that does mean you get a lot of variety. I
have a freind who has done the British Virgin Islands 4 times now! That
one is a bit pricey for me (and a lot of flying) but she says it is the
best one. I'd also consider the one-off hellespont race and tag a long
weekend in Istanbul. That;s a great experience (again you can do it if
you can swim 2km) and as it is very hard to get invited into what is
effectively a race - but also more of a gathering - Swimtrek is the only
way to experience that.

James

PS I don't work for them ;)

________________________________________
From: ossoxon-bounces at earth.li [ossoxon-bounces at earth.li] on behalf of
Ben Waters [ben.waters2 at gmail.com]
Sent: 31 May 2011 23:35
To: OSSOxon at earth.li
Subject: [OSS Oxon] Swimming in warm places

Dear swimmers, i am fairly new to this list and enjoy reading what you
do here, swim all over places. I moved from NW Canada for work and would
like to go around Europe while here in UK. I've seen you also do
swimming trips to many EU destinations and i wonder if someone could
recommend where to go (warm places). I am not a great swimmer but i can
swim a km or two in one Go. I see firms swim trek and strels are
offering trips down in croatia, italy, greece. Any advise on this would
be greatly appreciated. Hope to join you in the water soon. Thank you,
Ben

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Please note that OSS Oxon exists to put swimmers in touch with other
swimmers, not to organise swim events or in any way suggest that outdoor
swimming is a safe activity or that you should go swimming. If you
choose to swim you do so entirely at your own risk and on your own
initiative, and any plans you make are your own responsibility.

------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Sun, 5 Jun 2011 23:07:35 +0100
From: Sefryn Penrose <sefryn at gmail.com>
To: OSSOxon at earth.li
Subject: [OSS Oxon] Swim 4 & 5 of Swim the Thames Hannington Bridge to
        Buscott Lock
Message-ID: <BANLkTimDJ63WyAwSYzA9--ovKXey721L2w at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Herewith, deets for this weekend at Lechlade. Let me or Jeremy know if you
have questions, and please let me know as soon as pos if you are intending
to camp.

Swim #4 and Swim #5 of OSS Swim the Thames
Weekend of 11/12 June

If you are intending to camp - meet at 10.30am on Saturday 11th at the
Trout, Lechlade, for to pitch the tents:

http://thetroutinn.com/

*http://tinyurl.com/6b3et96*

If you are intending just to swim on Saturday, meet at:

Meet 12pm at Riverside Park carpark, Lechlade.

*http://tinyurl.com/69etyzy*

We will then shuttle to Hannington Bridge where we left off at the end of
Swim #3 and swim downriver to Inglesham, via an extended stop on the way for
lunch/warm up drinks/a rest (yet to be determined due to a lack of obvious
access points). This is a distance of 5.7km, equivalent to swim 8 in Michael
Worthington's book *I Love the Thames. *The Thames path does not follow the
river for the duration of this swim so if you want to get out before the
end, this may require a bit of field hopping and navigation. Don't forget to
bring lunch for the pit(beach?)-stop.

We expect to finish by 4pm. We will then pick up cars and go to the campsite
at the Trout, by St John's Bridge, Lechlade.

Handily there is a pub on site for anyone requiring warm up snifters, and
weather permitting we will put up the barbecue and refuel for an evening
(unnumbered) swim for those that want it. Bring food and drink for
yourself/and/or to share.

On Sunday, we will shuttle back to Riverside Park (if you're just coming to
this one, meet at 10.30am at Riverside Park), having left a couple of cars
at the finish point, to restart for Swim #5 and swim past Lechlade, over the
lock, into the navigable Thames and around to Buscott Lock, a distance of
3.9km, equivalent to swims 9 & 10 from *I Love the Thames*. We will then
return to the Trout for a well-earned pub lunch.

Both these swims are reasonably long and we expect more swimming than
wading, so bring wetsuits and rubber feet (and socks and gloves if you get
cold). There will be breaks at predetermined points.

*If you would like to camp, please let me (Sef) know by reply asap so that I
can tell the Trout how many of us to expect. The cost will be ?10 per
tent/van/etc, with up to 6 people in each, so buddy up and get cosy!*
**
*If you are not keen on the camping bit but would like to come overnight,
there is more accommodation a short walk away in Lechlade. There is also
space for caravans there, or a more equipped touring park next to Riverside
Park, Bridge House, also walkable:*
**
http://www.caravancampingsites.co.uk/gloucestershire/bridgehouse.htm

If you have not yet managed to make any of the Thames swims, please come
along anyway if you fancy it - the more the merrier.

By attending you confirm that you are a member of the OSS and have read and
accepted the OSS swim responsibility statement:
http://www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com/index.php?p=swimming_tips
<http://www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com/index.php?p=swimming_tips&s=responsib
ility> &s=responsibility

Jeremy & Sef and the ticklable trouts of Team Thames
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