Loch Lubnaig, swimming in the rain.

The rain was stinging,

Raw skin was pinging

My world stopped spinning,

My arms a flinging,

The ears stopped ringing,

My face was grinning,

Ahhhhhhh…..this swimming!

Laugh, laugh and laugh some more! Some say that when it rains we should get out and dance in the puddles, soak in the drops and see what feeling the elements bring to our psyche. We tested that out this morning and returned from our swim in the rain and wind, rejuvenated, refreshed and ready……ready to face the over stimulation of the world we now find ourselves living in. There are not many friends who would share these types of swims, but Debbie and i had arranged to meet at Loch Lubnaig for a swim and no amount of “weather” was going to scupper that.

The car park was pretty empty, not surprisingly really, a wet Wednesday in October! Debbie was delighted to see me as I arrived in the camper-van; which makes our post swim cuppa and catch up so much easier when the weather brings in the wind and rain. The plan was leave everything in the van; with the heater on, make a dash to the Loch and wade straight in, I’m not sure why we feel the need to dash when we are just going to end up wet anyway! Off we went, luckily at Lubnaig it’s not far from the car park to Loch. We did get a few strange looks, hardly surprising considering two middle aged women were wandering across to the Loch in swimsuits and bobble hats in the horizontal rain that was blowing in. It didn’t take long to get in today, it was cold in and cold out, so best just to get under the water as quickly as possible really!

It was just fun, not much swimming could be done, the waves bounced us about though, like being in a big pool wave machine with the most awesome backdrop. Rain kept blowing in, mist hung in the trees and coated the hillsides, it all felt a little bit bonkers, but we couldn’t stop laughing. Two Rabbies tour coaches arrived into the car park and I’m pretty sure they must have been highly entertained by the sight of two people bobbing about in the waters of the loch, I’m pretty sure we’ll be featuring in a few holiday snaps! After about twenty minutes we tried to get out, stood up just as the wind started driving the rain a little harder, the drops stinging our skin like little needles; back under the waves for a second til it calmed. Then it was a quick dash back to the van, although a few tourists wanted to chat “how cold is it?” “was that nice?”. Chilly and yes, quick answers and I need to get dry now!

Once dry the cabin café takeaway provides fabulous cakes and rolls, they are open all year round and are just some of the friendliest people you could wish for, they think we are mad, but they see plenty come and go over the year. Mine was a bacon and egg roll, Debbie the banana loaf (warm with butter) yummy, then plenty of our own warm drinks and a good blether. The world is put to rights; well our little corner of it is, and that’s us set until the next time.

Some think us mad, I say we’d be mad not to!