Every April somebody asks at breakfast whether the sea is warm enough yet. The honest answer is no, and you should swim anyway.
How cold it is
In early April the water in the cove is about fifteen degrees. By the end of May it is nineteen, and in August it reaches twenty-five, which is warm enough to stay in for an hour without noticing.
Why April is worth it
The water is never clearer than in spring. The sun has not yet warmed the shallows, the boats have not stirred the sand, and you can see the bottom from the end of the deck at six metres.
Go in at noon, when the sun is on the cove. Walk in slowly, count to thirty, and the cold becomes the best part.
Where to swim
From the deck at the foot of the steps the water is deep at once. For children, the pebble beach to the left shelves gently. Swim out to the flat rock and back and you have done four hundred metres.
Afterwards
There are towels and robes at the boathouse, and the steam room opens at nine. Most of our April swimmers end up there, and then at breakfast, looking very pleased with themselves.
