The exotic beautiful lakes of the UK
Swallows & Amazons - Lake District |
As you lovely readers know from previous
articles we here all adore the water, being on it, in it and round it. Part of
the reason we moved where we have is because we’re surrounded by the gorgeous
Arun on two sides and within easy distance of some beautiful lakes, rivers,
lagoons and of course the coast. If like me you’ve seen LOOK’s ‘What FloatsYour Boat’ campaign you might have also noticed their rather gorgeous article
on the most exotic sailing location on earth. They do look stunning and I’d
love to sail the Greek Isles one day but it missed off so many of my favourite
places which are perhaps a little more accessible, the river at Lerryn in
Cornwall where Wind in The Willows was set, the beautiful lakes of the Lake
District – the setting of Swallows & Amazons book and one of my favourite
places….A lagoon but perhaps not so exotic as those mentioned in the article
but none the less a beautiful escape from the citys and towns for an afternoon
of pleasure.
We’re a fairly outdoorsy family and both
of spent a lot of time outside in our youth. My husbands were whiled away in
the heat of South Africa but I have the fondest memories of going down to our
local river (more a stream) and wading up and down the river. I even head back
there with my boys when visiting my parents but just down the road from us
tucked away from the main roads is a beautiful lagoon probably only known to a
handful of youthful sailors and bird watchers.
Pagham Lagoon |
Pagham Lagoon. Not as exotic sounding as
perhaps Langkawi in the Andamans but gosh it has its own beautys. It’s where I
learnt to sail and is tucked just metres off the coast shore. The tide washes
through the banks and refreshes the water in the lagoon daily and also creates
a little miniature tide just perfect for beginners. I say this with a slightly
rueful smile as my first awareness of the tide was just after capsizing my boat
and breaking the rudder and freely jumping for freedom (no going down with boat
for me!) I swam and swam for what felt like hours (at least 5 minutes) and kept
being sent back towards my boat while everyone else gaily sailed by. I was
rescued very quickly by the lovely trainers who I think to this day are still
amazed that anyone could capsize an unsinkable small boat in a small lake, with
no breeze and in glorious sunshine and manage to break the rudder too. Sheer
skill my readers ;) however within in minutes I was back in a fresh boat
soaking up the sunshine and listening to the birds call to each other and the
gentle lapping of the water. The lagoon is an unbelievably perfect place to
learn to sail or just spend the afternoon watching others. If you don’t fancy
learning why not meander down the side of the lagoon and along the river and
watch the numerous wildlife dip and glide in and out of the water?
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