Hardy Networkers take to the open water.

Having accomplished the Sub 24hour 3 peaks challenge last year, NWFS members looked for a new, and somewhat wetter, challenge.

Sara Hall, firefighter from West Midlands, came up with idea of taking part in the Great North Swim, a 1 mile open water swim around Lake Windermere.

A team of four swimmers and three support crew headed off to Ambleside in the Lake District on 12 September. Mother Nature was kind, the weather was warm, sunny, no wind, all was calm, until 6,000 deranged people took to the water.

The team stayed one night in Ambelside youth hostel, and the second on the floor of Ambleside Fire Station, thank goodness there were no shouts that night. Celebrities, such as Steve McFadden, and other famous people who ought to know better, also donned the wetsuit, anti-chaf stick, goggles, & nose clip to take the plunge into the icy depths.

Sara took just 32 minutes, Adele and Sian 40 minutes, and Anne doggy paddled in at 50 minutes (coming a very respectable 3,600th).

It was a great experience, and has paved the way for next year's challenge. Kirkby Lonsdale provided a scenic stop on the way back down south. The weary bunch, revived by a hearty Sunday lunch headed home to plot the next exciting adventure....