Where the Wild Things Swim.

Image by: Tomorrow Never Knows

Swimming as we all know is good for us, it is low impact and a great vascular work out. But, for many the thought of doing lengths in a pool is not their idea of fun. There is a growing group of people who are turning to wild swimming to keep them selves fit, enjoy a bit of nature and return to simpler times. Perhaps the most publicised wild swimming to date was that of David Walliams who swam 140 miles from Lechdale in Gloucestershire to Westminster in London over eight days. Helping to raise over 1.1 million pounds in the process.

So wild swimming is good for you and can be amazing for charity fundraising but where about can you get involved? Well anywhere is the basic answer. This is the beauty of wild swimming, the UK has some fantastic rivers that are perfect for swimming in as well as stunning coast land that can be enjoyed. I thought it would be interesting to highlight some better known places up and down the country where you can head out and swim in nature.

Starting up North on the Isle of Skye, the fairy pools are a well known swimming spot that is fairly remote and reportedly has the clearest water in Britian. Remember it will be cold!

Throughout Scotland there are many lochs and rivers that are great spots to swim, see some nature and a bit of history too!

If we move south to the lake district there are so many places to swim that you are spoiled for choice. With Wordsworth ringing in your ears there is a broad range of lakes, pools and jumps to be enjoyed.

The lake district is arguably some of the most beautiful countryside in the country and while it is there to be enjoyed we must ensure that we treat it with respect and leave it the way we found it. This can be said for any of the wild swimming pools, they should be there to be enjoyed by people for years to come.

If we look further South to the Devon and Somerset regions there are many spots being supplied by the high moors of Dartmoor and Exmoor. This video shows and excellent tidal area swimming that is peaceful with a weak current.

As we slowly start to creep out of winter hibernation and into warmer climes of Spring and Summer wild swimming should be on your mind. It is a perfect day out, fresh air, exercise with beautiful scenery. For those of you with a more competitive edge there are wild swimming races that you can enter, again a great way to help charities and keep your self active.

I created a list with a few more location suggestions and some really nice images that you can check out here. I hope that you will take the time to go out exploring the countryside in the summer and make sure to keep your eyes peeled for any pools for a quick dip.

 

Weird and Wonderful Family Car Stickers

Fancy sticking a caricature of your family on the back of your car? It seems to be a bit of a trend at the moment in the US, but it is too soon to tell whether it will migrate over here.

I am of course talking about family car stickers, those cute little cartoons that American people have started to put on the back of their SUVs.

They can be quite cute, but there are some that are just a little bit odd. Here are some of our favourite examples:

Star Wars

Image via Geekologie

These are great for families that want to show off their nerdy side. Now all we need is a Star Trek variety…

Indiana Jones

Image via Geekologie

Of course, if you prefer your adventures to be on planet Earth, then why not go for Indiana Jones? You can have each member of the family displaying the family stickers on their respective cars, although I can imagine being chased by rolling boulders will have an effect on your multi car insurance…

Zombies

Image via BoingBoing

So THAT’s why you’re a slow driver! I get it now.

Sticking to the undead theme…

Twilight

Image via G4TV

Must be a pretty cool Mum who’s willing to put this on the back of her car.

WAIT?! You’re team Jacob, you say?!

Image via G4TV

Problem solved.

Monster Family

Image via Neatoshop

Because we all know a family that has a dog with three heads.

Mario

Image via Kelly Creation Decals

Okay, is it bad that I really want these?

If goombas aren’t your thing, there are lots of other characters available, including Toad, Baby Yoshi and the question mark box. Awesomeness.

That’s our favourite family car stickers, but have any others caught your eye? Give us a heads up in the comments section below! 

Big Cats In The UK.

Over the past months there was huge speculation that there was a big cats roaming around the English countryside. With the latest sighting taking place in January in Gloucestershire when a walker came across the carcass of a deer that appeared to have been attacked and consumed by a large predator. There have been many sightings in the past but this one was taken very seriously and the carcass was taken for testing to see if any DNA could be found to prove that it was a big cat that had attacked. In this case the tests proved that it was not a big cat that had attacked the deer but with so many sightings over the years we thought it would be interesting to look at past tales and ask the question, could there be big cats in the UK?

This video would suggest yes.

Within the UK there is a large focus on countryside conservation which has led to many areas being protected creating beautiful countryside spaces for people to enjoy. These untouched forests and pastures are perfect habitat that could support a larger predator. The majority of sightings within the UK have leaned towards the big cats being panthers and pumas. The largest question has to be where they came from? They could have escaped from wildlife parks or possibly from private collections. Although the Dangerous Wild Animals Act of 1976 requires anyone looking to own these animals would require to have a license.

image by: LaggedOnUser

One of the more famous reports is the Beast Of Exmoor. First reports began in the late 70′s with sightings of a large cat like animal with a long tail standing low to the ground with dark grey to black fur, sized roughly between four to six feet in length. These reports all vary with people claiming that the animal has brown fur. One report also claims that the animal has green eyes after it ran out in front of a car while crossing the road. Reports continued to come in as we entered the 80′s with reports of around 80 sheep being slaughtered by a cat like animal which left behind confusing tracks and marks. Some researchers believed that the animal was a cross between a puma that had mated with a leopard. In 1988 the royal marines were called into do a massive sweep in search of the animal, they found nothing. After further research it was believed that it was in fact a fox that had killed the sheep. Despite this conclusion more reports of big cats continued to come in and further testing in the mid 90′s revealed that indigenous animals could have carried out the killing. This does not prove that there are big cats but it suggests that there could be.

With so many reported sightings it is hard to believe that there is nothing behind them. And that so many people could be mistaking an overgrown house cat for a panther or puma. If you find your self spotting or coming face to face with a large cat there are steps that can be taken to manage the situation and hopefully have you both leaving unharmed.

• Keep Calm – Panicking will aggravate the animal and may be seen as threatening behaviour.
  
• Walk slowly away while facing the animal – Don’t run, this may lead to the animal giving chase and you will not be faster.
  
• No sudden noises or movements – This will not scare the animal away and again may be seen as threatening.
  

So are there big cats prowling around the UK? I think we have to go with inconclusive, there are so many reported sightings that it can’t be dismissed as nothing but without the proof or an actual decent image or video there is still an air of legend about the big cats that might be in the UK. We put together a bundle of images and news reports with regards to the latest sighting in Gloucestershire and a a look at which big cats people think might be out roaming the countryside.

They might well be here.