The RNLI have a lot to Answer For! I May Live to Regret Accepting That Freebie!

Our friends Ali, Nick and their 5 year old daughter Beth came to stay this weekend as Ali, Nick and I were due to take part in the Great North Swim, 1 mile open water swimming mass participation event in Windermere. Unfortunately due to the horrific weather on Saturday our swim was cancelled however we headed to watch others take part and cheer them on in the Sunday waves.

Donning our usual attire of head to toe in waterproofs we set off on a walk from Brockhole (the Lake District Parks Visitor Centre) to Low Wood where the Great North Swim was taking place. The cycle path provided a perfect surface for Ollie and Beth on the scooters, and once there they seemed excited with the large cameras and video cameras at the finish line and all the crowd cheering people as they completed their mile swim. They were so excited when Beth noticed that Helen Skelton from Blue Peter was there and stood right next to us doing interviews with swimmers and their supporters.

The kids also spent ages giggling while making a racket making noises with a special whistle/duck noise type contraptions donated by the RNLI people there, one of those items that is a source of great pleasure to children, and with repetition a great source of torture to a parent over time!. I'm sure these freebies will stick in their mind (and cause us headaches) long after the memories of watching the swimmers complete their challenges! It will be added as a new addition to our "adventure bag" though (I keep meaning to write a blog about our adventure bag of tricks.....)

After watching for a while we headed back along the path to Brockhole and the kids set up a picnic and played in the waters edge while Ali, Nick and I had a quick swim in Windermere. After our friends 4 hour journey up, a years worth of swim training for the event, and the disappointment of it being cancelled, it would be a shame to miss out having a short open water swim in Windermere. It was a bit chilly but great fun. I can’t wait until Ollie can join in with me swimming in the lakes, we're hoping with a full wetsuit on he may have a go this summer when the weather gets warmer. The kids enjoyed a play in the huge adventure playground before we headed home. It was very quiet in the car following another busy day of adventures, cheering, puddle and mud jumping, water playing, scooting, adventure play, and the essential (several) picnics.