Thoughts and thanks
UKDIVING
Chris Kean and Lydia Walker at Loch Long
Lucy Ridgeway , Lydia Walker , Claire Brown and Kirsten Richards , the Dive Divas at Loch Long
“ Ullswater makes Dozzie look absolutely amazing .” ‘ Dozzie ’ being Dosthill , our friendly local Midlands dive site . So , you can ’ t please all the people , but we all had fun ( sort of ) and ticked another dive in the logbook .
Our biggest fear at this site was the famously busy car park . Thankfully , I had roped in Penrith Divers to meet us there , and they had saved us a spot through some car park magic . The Myth : Penrith Divers suggested this location . Ullswater bears a legend that one of the knights of the round table , Sir Tristram , was buried at Tristamont , beside the lake .
Dive 3 : Llyn Ogwen
The Dive : Our final dive was another 160 miles south at Llyn Ogwen in Snowdonia National Park . This dive came with low expectations from most .
Timed for the early evening , this dive was only shallow , but the underwater visibility was excellent . The water was a balmy 20 ° C , with arcs of sunlight streaming across the site ; it made for very pleasant pootle through the plants .
Llyn Ogwen is reputed to be the final resting place of Excalibur but sadly we didn ’ t find it , nor did some mythical bejewelled hand offer us any vintage weaponry .
All the same , we had done it ... the challenge was complete in just 12 hours !
We arranged ourselves for one last photo to prove it with beer in hand and the Lady of the Lake finally put in an appearance , albeit on a paddleboard .
With smiles and a collective sigh of relief , we drove to our digs for the night , to relax at the Height Bunkhouse in Llanberis . The Myth : With its Arthurian connections , this Llyn [ Welsh for a lake or pool ] was a must . Legend has it that after the battle of Camlann , King Arthur ’ s final battle , Sir Bedivere cast the sword Excalibur into Llyn Ogwen , where it was caught by the Lady of the Lake . That really would be one for the logbook .
All smiles above Ullswater
Excalibur reborn at Llyn Ogwen
Thoughts and thanks
It had proven a challenge to plan and organise , but it was something we hadn ’ t attempted as a club previously . It was good to push ourselves . The scenery was stunning and fortunately so was the weather ; it would have been such a different experience in driving rain .
It was a great trip diving some unusual places with a great group of people and raising money for a great cause . This challenge was just a taster session for the dive sites ; we ’ d all like to return to Loch Long and explore it more .
A big thank you to Underwater Ross and Penrith Divers for coming out and supporting us , and to Don Walker and for driving up to film us with his drone .
Thanks also to everyone who has donated so far . We have raised over £ 3,000 to date , and still the bar is rising . We are keeping our Go Fund Me page open a little longer , raising money for British Divers Marine Life Rescue . �
Cheque presentation with BDMLR
33