19 Jan 2020 by Sandy Hurton
Thursday, 16 January 2020 – in the dead of winter – 2°C forecast for Sunday…. Shelaugh saw that the sun would be out in full- meaning it was obviously time to get out the boards. In fairness, compared to the days of blasting 70 mile an hour wind and rain!! – she did have a point?
Well 10 (Ed, Alex, Val, Helen, Anya, Claire and a few more) of us thought so!! Woolly hats, extra layers and leggings instead of shorts – we decided the warmth of a crowd would warm us… and it worked!! Even using coffee as to defrost a frozen fin box!
Stunning day in the sun- we were off and running at 1040 👍🏼 from Basingstoke Canal Carpark, Odiham. Under a bridge, calm water, green pastures – not even feeling the cold – what could go wrong😂
Well a thatch could block the way- and it did! But we All navigated like champs and loved that we were on an adventure!
So, when the swinging bridge came 😂 we hardly flinched going onto our bellies to ford underneath- even with cars passing on top! And we were totally spurred on by the nicest locals along the way taken by our bravery. So, our puffed chests found King John/Henry III’s 13th Century Castle a place where we very much felt at home promenading about😃
Our way back seemed so easy and quick, I didn’t want to get out, so I went on a couple hundred yards further and decided to check out how the swimming was (I fell in😂) and I tell you what – I would do it again! Besides surprisingly not feeling any bit cold and Claire discovering that my the top of my board was leaking air from an apparent fault in materials- it was so heartwarming when I came back and all my comrades gathered round me and each other. What a magical day🌼🏄🏼♂🏄♀ 🌼
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