Part 1

Tuesday 8th December, 2009
Robson Green starts his wild swimming adventure in the river that dominated the area where he was raised – the Tyne. He says: "If I'm going to swim around Britain I want to start at home."

But his attempt ends abruptly when he gets into difficulties and has to be rescued by a lifeboat. He says: "Well it wasn't the best of starts. My body shut down after 200 metres. The temperature saps you. I asked the lifeboat guys when was the last time anyone swam in here. He said, 'Friday night, but they were absolutely off their heads!' No one of sane mind has swum the Tyne in the past 50 years. But it's woken me up and now I'm ready."

Robson returns to the place he had his first wild swim - Seaton Burn, the watery playground of his childhood, which he describes as "a beautiful little river, with bulrushes, swans and water hens." The river was just yards from Robson's childhood home but on his return he discovers that the idyllic stream is now neglected and overgrown.

Robson visits a place that has emotional memories for him: Seaton Sluice on the North coast, where his father taught him to swim, or, as Robson recalls, "where he hurled me into the North Sea." He says of his father: "He was a big, big powerful man my dad, and involved in the most dangerous occupation in the world. Worked down the mine – worked down a black hole for 42 years. That sort of job moulds a certain type of man and my dad was that man. He was one hell of a swimmer – he could swim for miles in ten degree water – in his swimming trunks! I lost dad recently and I think that's why I'm doing this journey – reclaiming identity and family."

Robson's experience in the River Tyne has made him realise that he needs to start his wild swimming adventure in a gentler fashion. He starts his journey at Plymouth's Tinside Lido, where he meets lido enthusiasts Bob and Dave of the East Dorset Open Water Swimming Club. Such is their love of Britain's lidos they have swum a mile in a hundred of them. They tell Robson that their next plan is to go around Britain's coastline swimming in the coastal tidal pools.

Robson with Bob Holman and Dave Pratten

This gives Robson the idea for his next wild swim and he finds the perfect tidal pool at Porthtowan in Cornwall. After his swim in the pool that he describes as "paradise" Robson moves on to choppier waters. He travels to Burgh Island in Devon, where, with a group of tri-athletes, he swims the one mile circumference of the island. Halfway through the swim he comments: "Once you get over the fear of being splattered onto the rocks and ending up like strawberry jam... I'm starting to enjoy it. I'm at one with the ocean."

Robson's next swim is at the Henleaze Swimming Club where he takes part in their long swim event. As he prepares for the race at this exclusive private club he asks the lifeguard for advice on the correct swimming attire – should it be shorts, speedos or the 'budgie smugglers'* that were a gift from his wife? (*Australian slang term for men's tight-fitting Speedo-style swimwear. The 'lump in the front' apparently resembles a budgie when it is stuffed down the front of someone's shorts!)

Robson then meets Kate Rew the founder of the Outdoor Swimming Society and author of the book Wild Swim. The motto of the Association is: "We have been held in chlorine captivity for too long, we need to strip and dip whenever the mood takes us." Robson joins Kate and fellow wild swimmers for a moonlit swim – followed by a dip in their portable wood-fired hot tub!

After the warmth of the hot tub Robson faces a much colder challenge. He heads for Wales and Britain's coldest lake, Llynn LLydaw, in the Snowdonia National Park. The lake is the training camp for extreme cold water swimmer Lewis Pugh who swam at the North Pole in 2007 to highlight the effects of global warming. Robson is hoping that Lewis will be able to prepare him for his Holy Island swim.

Lewis tells Robson that the water in the lake at 7º is only 2º warmer than the waters the Titanic went down in. Robson asks Lewis how painful the North Pole swim was. Lewis tells him:. "It was extremely painful. When I got out of the water I remember looking down at my hands and my fingers were like sausages, because we are made of water and when water freezes it expands so the actual cells in my fingers had frozen and expanded and burst. I was absolute agony and I couldn't feel them again for four months."

As the water is so cold Lewis suggests that Robson wears a wet suit for his swim across the lake. Lewis also tells an apprehensive Robson the importance of keeping his mind clear and focused. With Lewis running along the bank shouting encouragement, Robson completes his swim, but Lewis then wants him to do it again – without a wetsuit. He says: "I'm going to give you a bit of time to recover and I'm going to psych you up properly."

Robson is shocked and says he can't do it saying, "I only lasted five minutes in the Tyne." Lewis replies: "Trust me on this and I'll do it with you." Robson agrees to take the plunge, and with Lewis swimming alongside him he sets off across the lake. He describes how he felt during the swim: "My body was on fire and telling me to give up but something inside was saying, 'Carry on.' Every time I looked up there was Lewis. He reminded me of my dad - my dad just pushed me along when I was young."

He tells the programme that all he could remember as he came out of the water was 'the valley spinning, the ground started to morph, started to stretch and then I felt incredibly nauseous, I wanted to be sick.' Lewis tells the programme: "I think what he's trying to achieve by swimming to Holy Island is a great thing to do. For an untrained swimmer to do this is absolutely magnificent. To swim all the way there for his father, I take my hat off. I think it's a great thing."

Robson reflects on the experience of his swim with Lewis and says: "He will be there with me at Holy Island. I think that's what shapes us. They'll all be there with me – all the people I've met on this journey."

 

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