NEWS

Record number turn out for Eastleigh Lake opening

Fifty-five men and women tested the waters at Eastleigh Lake near Southampton as the lake opened to open water swimmers for the season last Saturday.

Not only were the number of swimmers up, but also the temperature of water. Last year only eight swimmers braved the 8°C waters as opposed to this time around where the water was a warm 14°C.
The swimming sessions are organised by Try Tri Events, a triathlon events company based in Chandler’s Ford.
Try Tri Events Managing Director Chris Rees said: “It’s definitely a season highlight opening up at Eastleigh. It’s a sign that summer is on its way and with temperatures like we’ve got here today, that feel is definitely in the air.
“We welcome swimmers of all abilities and backgrounds and you can do as many or as few laps of the 300m circuit as you want.”
During previous seasons Eastleigh has had up to 150 swimmers take to the water in a session, although this is a new high for the first swim of the year.
The lake is shallow, meaning it heats up quickly and also it receives up to 18 hours of sunlight a day.
It is open for open water swimming Tuesdays 06:00am-08:30, Thursdays 18:00-21:00 and Saturdays 06:00—11:00. These sessions now continue to run until 3 October.
Eastleigh is just off the M27 and M3, providing easy access from Winchester, Southampton, Portsmouth and the New Forest.
Eastleigh Lakeside is currently undergoing a £2.5 million redevelopment, with permanent changing rooms, offices and storage. The new buildings are scheduled to open in spring 2016.
For more information contact events@trytri.co.uk or 02380 010864. 

Stay up to date with The Dip, our free weekly outdoor swimming newsletter.

I created Outdoor Swimmer in 2011 (initially as H2Open Magazine) as an outlet for my passion for swimming outdoors. I've been a swimmer and outdoor swimmer for as long as I remember. Swimming has made a huge difference to my life and I want to share its joys and benefits with as many people as possible. I am also the author of Swim Wild & Free: A Practical Guide to Swimming Outdoors 365 a Year and I provide one-to-one support to swimmers through Swim Mentoring.