A mere refers to a lake that is shallow to its size, and on this occasion, it lived up to the Wind in its name!
Our meet-up point was Ambleside’s main car park at Miller Bridge Car Park (///cluttered.land.wage). Cash, card and app car park payments are available. It’s an ideal base and a great-sized car park.
From there we walked the short distance to Borran’s Park. Here there is a lovely stone-covered seating area conveniently located next to some steps into the water.
Windy-mere: Weather conditions
This dip was particularly blustery and the rain was coming down hard. And yet, despite all that, the temperature was quite mild for the time of year.
Now for a little reality check. If I had been on my own I would never have got in the water. At this point, the waves didn’t have the white horses forming, like the Guinness advert, but it was quite intense.
The positives of having a qualified swim guide
I had never been to that location and entry point before, so why did I go in when the conditions were rather wild? Simply put, it was because of Suzanna.
Being a qualified swim guide she had put in the training time to be a lifeguard. She had written up her risk assessment. She had been there the previous day to check out the location. She had looked at weather sources to see where the wind would be blowing and she had kept an eye on the forecasts leading up to the swim. She had been in before so she knew there was a big gap between the step and the ground. She told us to keep an eye on the swell and to be aware of debris from the wind and she gave me instructions of the limit of where I should swim. All this made me feel more confident and willing to get into the water.
In the end, I pretended I was doing a sea dip, keeping in my depth and close to shore, I had a great time jumping up and enjoying the exhilaration of the wind and waves. I felt alive from it. A brilliant way to start my day!
The Wateredge Inn
After our swim, we had a very short walk to The Wateredge Inn for breakfast. Having recently been refurbished you will be greeted by a well-presented pub. What is nice about this place is that they operate a walk-in-only service so no pre-planning is required.
To extend your visit, why not get your walking boots on and take up the scenery with a multitude of different walks around Windermere? From short to long walks you are sure to find something to get the blood pumping and warm you up.
