The swifts and swallows have been back in the deepest Yorkshire Dales for two weeks now. When I moved into my new house there was a sign on the coal shed door that read ‘Leave Open. Swallows Nesting’. So kept it open throughout the winter and now there are swallows flitting in and out even when I’m hanging washing up in the courtyard just outside.

The weather has been dry and sunny. Too dry for the farmers perhaps. There is a bit of worry in the dale and anxious eyes on the weather forecast for a decent spell of rain to get the grass growing again, and the River Swale is low. But it has been glorious weather for walking. On a recent walk up to the top of the dale I arrived at Kisdon Force, just near Keld, rather hot from the uphill stretch and in need of cooling down. It was still early and the gorge lines up with the morning sun very nicely. There was no-one about, so I spontaneously did what I’ve been gearing myself to doing ever since reading Bear’s wonderful blogs about wild swimming. I took my clothes off and plunged in.

Oh my goodness! It might have been hot and sunny outside, but it was definitely early May in the upland Yorkshire Dales as regards water temperature. On immersion I made that ‘chuff chuff chuff’ noise Bear mentioned in their descriptions of wild swimming in cold water. It’s not a learned experience, it’s instinctive. Our ancestors have probably being going ‘chuff chuff chuff’ for millions of years on contact with cold water.

I had no towel with me so dried myself with my T-shirt and then sat quietly for a while in the early morning sun watching a dipper bobbing along in the green water weeds along the lip of where the river dropped over a ledge into the pool below. In between feeding, the dipper flew in and out of what I like to think might have been their nest in the rocks underneath the waterfall. Closer to me a grey wagtail was also bobbing along at the edge of the pool where the river descends again to a second waterfall down the Kisdon Gorge.

I’ve been a bit depressed for the past few months, which I’ve put down to my normal cycle of high activity followed by a period of down time. In December and January I was rushing around moving house and now, even in the beauty and vibrance of Spring, am having trouble finding motivation. For example, in December I joined the local community gym and pay my subs every month, but haven’t used it since I first joined.

I’m hoping that my impetuous wild swimming plunge will provide enough of a shock to the system so that I can get back into chuff chuff chuffing with all the other things I want to do.

Do you have periods of intense activity followed by weeks, or even months, of not being motivated to do very much or follow up on all the things you’ve promised yourself to do? Do you have any ways of pulling yourself out of it, or do you just wait for it to pass?

Rowan on the Moor

A Moodscope member