Where is Penarth?
///joke.pines.music
Just a short 13-minute drive outside of Cardiff, you will find yourself at Penarth. Penarth is a lovely interesting town with quite a fascinating entrance to the Windsor Road Dingle. A little park with a Disney-esque entrance arch made up of blue buildings, a boat and a caravan which were alight in the dusk light as we made our way to the seafront. Our journey was made via a taxi, but if you use public transport, please check the timetables and allow at least 30 minutes. Cardiff to Penarth has both bus and train links, so you are good to go to meet the Dawn Stalkers.
Who are the Dawn Stalkers?
Dawn Stalkers, as the name suggests, are sea swimmers that venture to the sea at dawn. You need to be an early riser to enjoy this group. They have social channels and a website with all the information you will ever need to rock up and join in, like we did.
What you will find are super friendly people. If you want a helpful nudge, I recommend messaging their social channel and you will get a helpful response. Luckily Katrina and I had our Warmcor Tote bags with us, which gave us away and helped Grant come over to say hello. Grant set up Dawn Stalkers as a way to get a dopamine hit that was better than drinking at night. Four years later and @Dawnstalkers are swimming there every day of the year #SwimRise365
For more information about how cold water effects the body, check out our Benefits of Cold Water Swimming post.
How much does it cost and what are the facilities like?
Please keep in mind that you are dipping at dawn when most of society are still in their beds (sucks for them). This means that open facilities are somewhat thin on the ground, so take what you need. Sometimes there is a mobile coffee company that sets up camp for the early dippers. So don’t worry if you haven’t packed your thermos when you visit. Don't worry if you don't know all the details for the dip as Grant posts on Instagram stories with all the information about the following day’s dip.
How was the swimming at Penarth?
Swimming at Penarth was brilliant. The seafront is really pretty and the buildings are very interesting. No wonder Dr Who was spotted recently filming there. The place is magical, especially at dawn.
I implore those out there in the Cardiff area who want to give sea dipping a go, to get involved with the Dawnstalker group, drop them a message and then just turn up. Don’t wait for that person that you know to finally decide they will go with you. Be brave. Go for it. I doubt you will regret it. Just remember what Shoreshell of the Artic said in the video. Dawnstalkers had changed her life!
Whenever I am next down in Cardiff, a trip to Penarth will most certainly be on the cards.
