Downstream

in the pub.’ He asks the
newbies to put up their hands;
nearly everyone in this wave
of around 200 people is doing
it for the first time. But one or
two have done all the Great
Swims this year; this is their
last and the warmest. The
man expertly mixes jokes
with information and
reassurance. He tells us about
the people in kayaks, the
lifeguards and volunteers. If
we have any problem at all,