‘You comin’ then?’ he said - and off we went. It’s 8am and we are heading 10 minutes down to Lake Buttermere from the dining room of the YHA. In the rain I might add - for a wild swim. (Manc) Ian is clearly on a mission to conquer as much open water as he can while staying at YHA Buttermere before he returns to Salford. We met the previous day and discussed our shared affinity for open water swimming with me tentatively agreeing to join him for a dip the following morning and here we are navigating the winding footpath down to a tree-lined opening to the lake. As the rain begins to slow we find the shelter of a tree along the bank to drop our bags. I get my camera ready. ‘A couple of shots with the dryrobe on before you get in’? I say to Ian. As the morning mist begins to clear he takes a plaque out of his pocket marked with the number 43 in marker pen. Lake Buttermere will be his 43rd swim this year.
