Well, I finally did it! Yesterday I completed a 11.3km swim along the Gower Coast from Foxhole Beach (Southgate) to Horton Beach in memory of the lovely Rob Brandon who very sadly died earlier this year, and also to support his family’s chosen cause (Asylum Seekers and Refugees) the Welsh Refugee Council and my chosen charity Cancer Research.

I completed it in 4hrs 10 min, totally exhausted and feeling pretty rubbish if I’m honest! I can’t say that I enjoyed the experience, although the first 5km was a breeze with beautiful weather, calm seas and stunning coastline between Foxhole and Crawley. That soon changed…. the cold set in, the seas became more challenging and my mental fight began. Oxwich Point was like being in a washing machine (although the out-going tide initially helped me round it) and the last 3 km from the point into Horton were a nightmare, taking over 1.5hrs fighting the strong counter tidal currents with my arms and back almost giving out. I threw up several times (not easy whilst treading water), I think, due to sea sickness and exhaustion. Once I hit 10km on my GPS, I was ready to bail and get on Bernie’s paddle board as I felt my job was done (he had guided and supported me the whole distance), however he handed me some fins and persuaded me to finish off my swim the rest of the way to the beach. I wasn’t fully convinced at the time, but now I am glad I did finish it off.

I was initially gutted that the originally planned 10km swim in Lake Windermere was cancelled (due to bad weather), but actually, now that I have completed my swim, this swim turned out to be much more interesting and challenging….and more of a personal achievement! Job done!

Thank you to all you wonderful people that have donated to either (or both) of my two charities (Welsh Refugee Council and Cancer Research). Your support has meant so much to me and helped get me through those last few tough kilometres!
If anyone was thinking about donating but hasn’t gotten round to it yet, I would really appreciate your support. You can donate by following the justgiving link; this will take you to my team page where you can choose which charity to donate to.
Once again many many thanks! Bec 😉

Chosen Charity:

With 25 years of experience, the Welsh Refugee Council is committed to protecting the human rights of asylum seekers and refugees in Wales. 

Asylum seekers and refugees arrive in Wales fleeing persecution, conflict, torture, rape and abuse from across the Globe. Their work at the Welsh Refugee Council relies on a specialist approach, where one-to-one contact is provided, where the improvement of the lives of those seeking sanctuary is a priority and where the drive to influence policy and best practice is unfailing.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.