Swimming the reservoirs and lochs of the Pentlands
Not an exhaustive list so send in your own reports. Most also have great run routes round about.
Anyone interested in open water swimming that currently isn’t a member of Carnethy Outdoor Swim Group on FaceBook, or in the email loop, then please get in touch with Mike Lynch
“‘Wild’ swimming is a great experience. I decided to do a circuit of each of the reservoirs and lochs in the local Pentland area. In other words, swim the shoreline all the way around for as much as is possible that is reed free or deep enough to swim. There is immense beauty to be seen around the edges. Similar to how the most boring part of a hill for plant and wildlife is the top with the real interest being in the corries, bowls and valleys; the middle of a body of water can also be the least interesting. The reservoirs and lochs are characterised by mosses, rocky outcrops, beaches, tree varieties, ferns, wild flowers, fabulous blossoms. Wildlife abounds with deer, sheep, rabbits, horses, cows, birds, wild fowl grazing or drinking – all seen close by. Under the water you see a whole new world of rocks, plant life, the odd fish, tadpoles, cliffs, holes, and sadly things disposed of, or lost.
It is fairly safe to do since you can stay in chest deep water and rarely get more than 10m from the shore which you can walk out to.
Note that the GPS signals can bounce off the sides hence the odd wiggle, which may also be me avoiding birdlife – like swans, ducks or fisherman. Swims are described in a roughly anticlockwise circuit of the largest waters starting from Torduff, the closest to Edinburgh.
Google map
For the keen eyed there are a few other reservoirs not yet done. These include Pressmennan Lake and Cobbinshaw plus lots of smaller reservoirs / ponds in East Lothian. Further south are St Marys Loch, Loch Skeen, Megget and Talla Reservoirs this side of the Forth. Over in Fife there are several others to do including Loch Ore and Loch Leven within easy reach.
SAFETY
On a serious note, be safe! Swim with others; don’t swim near any reservoir towers, don’t drink too much water. If starting out, build confidence by doing short swims back and forth along the dams or chest deep (avoiding towers and exit flows) so you can enter and exit easily. The Carnethy Outdoor Swim Group on FaceBook is a place to meet other swimmers and get advice, or look up The Wild Ones in Edinburgh. If a non-swimmer, get some lessons once Edinburgh Leisure open again, borrow or buy a wetsuit, goggles, ear plugs and cap.”
Mark Hartree