10. A SWIMMING ADVENTURE: Tidal Pools

I love swimming. And I particularly enjoy swimming outdoors, whether that's in a pool, a river, the sea, or the subject of this adventure, a tidal sea pool. In case you didn't know, tidal pools are open air seawater pools that are refilled by the tide every day. Each tide brings fresh seawater to the pool in much the same way as a rock pool. In fact, many of those that remain are little more than glorified or enhanced rock pools and the feeling of swimming in them is similar. They are cool (unless the sun has been beating down on it all day), sometimes murky but always an adventure.

Many tidal pools were created in the 19th and 20th centuries and would often have been the only safe place for people to learn to swim. Today these pools give us a wonderful half way house between a warm indoor pool and the sea and are brilliant places to take a chilly summer dip or train for triathlons. The pool near us, at Bude is a great example and is cherished by the community that supports it. It is maintained by the Friends of Bude Seapool, a local group who were formed to protect the pool after the local council withdrew their support for it. Have a look at the great work they do here.
We adore it. The picture above was taken in October this year on a sunny but chilly day. With wetsuits we can swim in the pool almost all year round.
There are pools at resorts all over the country including Aberdeen (brr) and I would urge anyone who likes to swim to get in their wetsuit (or not depending on how brave you are) and take a dip. If your local pool is under threat, like Bude's was, you may even want to get involved with keeping it swimworthy. They are worth saving. Even on days when the sea is raging a tidal pool will always offer calm and shelter.

Kate Rew talks about tidal pools in her brilliant book 'Wild Swim'. She has mapped many of them on her website. Take a look here.