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Swimming the Eden L-r: Mike Field, Robbie Hudson, Jack Hudson, Calum Hudson and Mark Thurstan at Stanwix bridge. Mike and Mark were part of the Outdoor Swimming Society’s adventure swim The Eden Project series and won a ballot to join the Hudson brothers for the last two days, hence Brothers Calum, Jack and Robbie Hudson returned to the red caps their Cumbrian roots to become the first people to swim the 90-mile length of the River Eden. Cath Harris reports Swimming the Eden Swim route ‘The brothers endured hours of hree brothers have swum, slid and could do,’ he says. ‘It was a bit like Swallows River Eden: 90 miles in nine days cold and suffered bruises, cuts and, scrambled the entire length of and Amazons.’ Day 1 Saturday August 15 – Hell Gill to Kirkby one of England’s longest rivers, The 90-mile adventure was conceived by Stephen 11.5 miles in Calum’s case, the torment of a raising funds for swim teaching at Calum, 26, who wanted to ‘create something a Notable challenges: Hell Gill waterfall, scramble to the same time. Calum, Jack and little bit different and unique’. He sensed his the source will require overnight camping. Access: severe three-day ear ache’ Robbie Hudson completed their own stagnation in a London office job and will have to hike to the source, no kayaks required. mammoth challenge in the chilly mass-participation swims and triathlons were Pick-up: Bridge with river access. waters of the Solway Firth nine days after no longer sufficiently satisfying. ‘I was spinning Day 2 Sunday August 16 – Kirkby Stephen to Tplunging from the Eden River’s boggy source the globe and firing off ideas, then we thought Sandford 12.2 miles high on moorland on the Yorkshire-Cumbria about swimming the full length of a river.’ Notable challenges: Kirkby Stephen gorge/rapids, border. The men, the first to swim the river and They grew up in the Cumbrian village of Kirkby Stephen weir. Access: Bridge with parking. believed to be the first trio of brothers to Langwathby, beside England’s ninth longest Day 3 Monday August 17 – Sandford to Temple complete any wild swim, endured hours of cold river, the Eden. ‘Swimming in the river from an Sowerby 11.4 miles and suffered bruises, cuts, and for Calum, the early age, we always wanted to do something Access: bridge with parking; bridge on B6412 with torment of a severe three-day ear ache. big with it when we were older,’ says Jack. parking. ‘Swimming the length of a river is probably Calum adds: ‘We’d be dropped off by the bus the biggest thing that an amateur swimmer after school, then run home, quickly have Day 4 Tuesday August 18 – Temple Sowerby to Langwathby 8.6 miles Access: Langwathby Bridge with parking. Day 5 Wednesday August 19 – Langwathby to Armathwaite 11.1 miles Notable challenges: Lacy caves rapids, Armathwaite rapids, Armathwaite Weir, Nunnery rapids. Access: Armathwaite bridge with parking. L AL W Day 6 Thursday August 20 – Armathwaite to N’S RIA Warwick Bridge 10.8 miles AD H Notable challenges: Wetherall weir. Access: Warwick Rockcliffe bridge with space for parking. Solway Firth Carlisle Day 7 Friday August 21 – Warwick Bridge to Warwick Bridge Carlisle Bridge (Bridgewater Road) 9.7 miles Bridge dinner and meet our friends by the river. We of achieving their goal. But with Calum working at weekends, a timed mile on Mondays, then Notable challenges: Sand centre rapids. Access: used to play for hours and hours, jumping off in London, Jack in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and technical and intervals sessions on Tuesdays Carlisle bridge, parking near on left bank. V A L rocks and finding secret swimming spots. Our Robbie in Berlin, they could not train together. and Wednesdays. Friday would be a fun swim as CARLISLE E O F Day 8 Saturday August 22 – Carlisle Bridge to mother was never concerned, or at least she ‘Instead, we agreed distance and pace far and as fast as I felt like. I didn’t want to E D E N Rockcliffe 7.8 miles never showed it. That made us think it was fine milestones,’ Calum recalls. ‘I optimistically forget that I actually liked swimming.’ The Access: Parking bay in Rockliffe hamlet with easy to go.’ created an elaborate Excel spreadsheet setting Serpentine, Hampstead Heath ponds and the river access. out what we needed to do. But we’d miss days Thames near Oxford were among open water Armathwaite Day 9 Sunday August 23 – Rockcliffe to Solway Wild swimming or wake up too tired. I realise now that the options, together with trips to England’s south Firth and FINISH 6.9 miles After leaving home, all three brothers mental side of it is much more important – and south-west coasts. Robbie had several wild Notable challenges: sea tide, rip tide, sinking sand continued to swim. Robbie, 28, is an artist and having the willpower to actually do it.’ swimming lakes near his base in Berlin but for as estuary widens. May require a boat/local trawler even uses wild swimming, which he describes as Training progressed, nonetheless, initially in Jack, 23, the nearest swimmable open water for mid-stream pick up rather than land-based. ‘subtly subversive’, as inspiration for his work. the pool and then in open water. For Calum, that was the freezing North Sea at Tynemouth. They realised, though, that they would need a meant completing six different sessions each Alongside planned sessions, the brothers disciplined training regime to have any chance week. ‘I’d do a long pool swim and outdoor swim forced themselves to take ice baths and cold > Langwathby PENRITH Temple Sowerby The River Eden The Eden rises as Red Gill Beck on Sandford R TE limestone fells of Black Fell Moss, above WA LS Mallerstang Common south of Kirkby UL Stephen. From 670m, the stream trickles across peat bogs into Hell Gill Beck before crashing over 8m Hell Gill Force, Kirkby Stephen the highest and first of several waterfalls the Hudsons encountered. It then becomes the River Eden and is Opposite: map of the Eden and accompanied across east Cumbria by the N tributaries; top: the Hudson E D E spectacular Settle-Carlisle railway. West brothers; right: Robbie Hudson R E at Langwathaby on day 4; above: V of Carlisle, the river merges with the Esk I R the day 1 camp at Mallerstang close to the mouth of the Solway Firth. Hell Gill Force 58 Swimming Times November 2015 November 2015 Swimming Times 59 Swimming the Eden Left: Calum and Robbie at Armathwaite on day 4; above (top): l-r Robbie Hudson, kayaker Dave Ronton, Jack Hudson, kayaker James Silson and Calum Hudson at Warwick-on-Eden on day 7; above: Calum at Warwick Bridge complete with ear protection; right: James Silson (left) with Robbie, Calum and Jack at an adapted Port Carlisle fingerpost ‘Jack piled on the pounds and was much better in the cold. I First test and, on other days, in a nearby campsite.’ meant I had no distraction from the pain. I got wish I had put on The marshes and bogs of the river’s source, Red The brothers were regularly cheered by old antibiotics and painkillers but the doctor said it Gill Beck, posed the first test. The beck springs friends and schoolteachers. They passed their wouldn’t heal until I stopped swimming. Without another stone. The 670m above sea level on Mallerstang Common childhood home in Langwathby, which was the others, I might have packed it in. But there as ‘a huge six-foot-deep hole filled with ‘quite sad, knowing we might never go there was no way I would let them finish without me.’ concept of getting fit bubbling water,’ Calum says. ‘Jack sat in it and again,’ Calum says. The trio revelled in the Despite the discomforts, Calum, Jack and the water was over his head.’ For the first half- changing wildlife and geology along the river’s Robbie could appreciate their achievement. and getting fat at the mile, the brothers splashed through the course. ‘At one point, I looked left and saw Jack, ‘The river took on a personality of its own and stream’s narrow channels before coming to a then saw Robbie on the right, then, when I almost became the sixth member of the same time is weird’ succession of ravines. ‘We just went straight looked left again, I saw flashes of blue and expedition,’ Calum says. ‘It was willing us on by down. It was like gill scrambling which we had orange. A pair of kingfishers was flying flowing towards the sea. I thought we would feel done as children. It was pretty hairy.’ Within alongside us and followed us for about 30 amazing at the end but it was more relief that three hours of their start, Calum’s neoprene minutes. We saw the rocks change from deep we had actually pulled it off and sadness that it shoes were in tatters. ‘Fortunately I’d brought browns to sandstone and learnt how to was over. We had become a very tight unit and my fell running shoes but dad had to make an navigate rapids, boulders and eddies. built up a really close camaraderie. It became emergency trip to a sports shop to get some As we went on, we got more confident and more about the journey – from start to finish – new trainers for Robbie.’ ended up going down Superman style, head than a swim. It was an amazing experience.’ Aside from shoes, they carried very little: just first with feet raised so that we could see where tents, food, water and a change of clothes.