Help with sea currents around Britain

Sea sections

davidej said:
I looked at his website - I didn't realise the map showed his intended swimming route - I assumed it was his previous cycling trip.

Why the h**l is he asking about sea currents?
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Yes a lot of my route is in canals but I still have Lands End to Bristol, Blackpool to Oban in Scotland, and Inverness to JOG which is about 650 miles of sea.

Cheers for all the tips
 
Unless you have special dispensation, it is illegal to swim in canals and there were British Waterways bylaws in place regarding swimming making it illegal.

The bylaws are carried through to the Canal & Waterways Trust and there is a very valid reason for this which has nothing to do with being 'run down' by passing boats, although this could be a problem and hurt? :mad:

One of the main reasons is that canal water is very brackish and foul and does not get aerated or flushed to clear any bacteria. It might look clear but Weil's Disease (Leptospirosis) is one of the biggest problems from rat urine. If the authorities allowed you to swim in the canals, there would be nothing to stop litigation against the canal owners for not maintaining clean water in their canals. :(

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptospirosis
 
Frankly I think this idea is totally daft. But you certainly didn't ask for my opinion, nor do you need anyone's permission to try

And just occasionally a daft idea like this actually comes off and somebody achieves something everyone else says is impossible - so good luck!

But before you go ANY further, you need to plan EVERY INCH of tidal water. Nearly all of it has currents which move a great deal faster than the 1.5mph you reckon you can maintain. If you try swimming at the wrong state of tide you will end up going the wrong way. Ask any yachtsman! Oh - you have...!

Seriously though: Tides rarely run for more than six or so hours in the 'right' direction in any 12 hour tidal cycle (i.e HW to the next HW). Swim with them and you will get a free lift which will quite regularly more than double or even treble your mileage in the time. Miss the tide, and you will be swimming backwards, fast! And not necessarily in the direction you came from! Also there ARE places where the currents run for longer one way than the other, and you need to plan these in or out of your route.

Admiralty Tidal Atlas is going to be your 'bible' in this, and will dictate absolutely almost to the minute when and where you will go on each leg.

Ignore it and you really will NEVER get there. Even us in our boats travelling five times your speed or more, are in many places on your route COMPLETELY dependent on having a fair tide.
 
I thought he was going try to circumnavigate the uk..dont know why
anyway so your going to try to swim from top o Scotland to lands end entirely by water?
 
Looking at the big picture, UK is influenced by the North Atlantic Drift/gulf Stream which flows from- roughly- Lands end, up the west coast, round the top then down the north sea. The predominant wind is South Westerly. Clearly it will be essential to work the tides as already advised. Advantage of east coast north to south is that you are more likely to get wind off the land (but not always!). Driving factor might well be availability of staging posts about 20 miles apart where you can both get ashore and also get to by road. Gut feeling without research suggests east coast might be better.
 
Conseanway said:
Hello Everyone

This is not necessarily boat related but I figured you guys would be the best people to ask.

Next year I am attempting to become the first person ever to swim the length of Britain. The 1000 miles swim will take me two months and I'll be doing the equivalent of the channel every day.

My question is how can I find out which way the main currents flow. South to North or North to South? Should I start at Lands End and head up or John O'Groats and head down?
If I keep quite close to the shore will the currents effect me as much?

Any tips on this would be great and if there is anything else you think I might need to know then I'm all ears.

Cheers.

You might have saved people here some grief if you had pointed out straight away that VERY little of your planned route will actually involve the sea. From your website it is clear that you intend to go using mainly fresh-water.

I think you may have great difficulty in getting permission to swim in man-made canals.

If there are sections where you take to the sea, then yes, you will have to study and use the tides. Best info from Admiralty Tidal Stream Atlas, or a Nautical Almanac. I'm sure the same information will be available on line.

Your whole trip requires a huge amount of planning. Good luck with it.
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Cheers. Yeah I know. The reason that I asked is that I might not be able to swim in canals so will then have to do the ocean bit.

Thanks for all the advice. Its been invaluable.

Regards,

Sean
 
Conseanway said:
Cheers. Yeah I know. The reason that I asked is that I might not be able to swim in canals so will then have to do the ocean bit. . . . . .
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Sean, that is a good decision. There are not many on here who know about the tides in the British canal system but there are quite a few who can advise on the tidal streams along the west coast of the UK. ;)

So go for it. :D



.
 
Conseanway said:
Cheers. Yeah I know. The reason that I asked is that I might not be able to swim in canals so will then have to do the ocean bit.

Thanks for all the advice. Its been invaluable.

Regards,

Sean
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Let's assume that you can not use fresh(ish) water for this project. With very careful study of the Admiralty tidal stream atlas you will come to the realization that you will end up with two 5 or 6 hour slots per 24 hours when the tidal stream is taking you with it. 1 of these will invariably be at night with a whole new set of complications not least of which will be the strain on the support boat (not canoe) crew. Add to that that a decent sea state will limit continuity in a daily schedule, you may find that sea slopes uphill regardless of which direction you decide to swim. I don't envy you your ambition but will keep watching! Good luck.
 
There was a chap who paddled solo from Largs to Stornoway last summer it might be worth finding his blogg and contacting him.
 
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