Swimming the Gulf of Corryvreckan
I’ll never be able to listen to the shipping forecast again without being overcome by nostalgia for the Hebridean waters I spent a week swimming in last month. Choppy seas, a force 9 gale, erratic tides and even the infamous whirlpool in the Gulf of Corryvreckan didn’t stop us swim-hopping our way from Jura to the Scottish mainland, via the islands of Scarba, Isla, Shuna and Luing on Swimtrek’s Scottish swimming adventure. Seals became our regular companions on those daily bracing swims, while kittiwakes, gannets and razorbills wheeled overhead and the sun sparkled occasionally from behind heavy clouds. In between swims, we ate for England, sampled local whiskies and climbed into our sleeping bags to warm up. We pitched our tents on remote headlands, and hiked across bracken and heather-clad crags, seeing red deer, wild goats and buzzards along the way - but not a single person. If you like your water cold, your camping no-frills and your holidays adventurous, check out SwimTrek holidays. You can read the full account of my Hebridean odyssey in the November issue of Health & Fitness magazine.