ow swim Eastbourne area.

Where can I swim?

Needs to be within cycling distance of hailsham really. I know quite a few of you are local. Can I swim at exceat? Is the river ok or will I get run over?

Have you checked out the map on the Outdoor swimming society web site?  That would be my first place to look.  Lots of new locations have gone on over the last month.

not recently. I found the map a bit vague though.

It has changed recently and there is a lot more detail than there used to be.  Looks like there are a couple of lidos and a river to the west of you.  I have no idea about distances and whether you would be able to cycle that far.

You can even see who recommended the location and try to get in contact with them via the OSS facebook page, or by messaging them.

Yes, had a look. i know the Pells as have swum there a lot. didn't know about swimming in that particular river, was on one of my regular running routes in the past, is cyclable.

I was wondering about Cuckmere Haven. Is swimming in rivers permissable?

edit to rephrase.

Have you asked the locla tri clubs?

There is no law against swimming in rivers, but you can be accussed of trespassing if you cross private land to get to them.  For that reason it is best to access from a public footpath or other public area, or to obtain the permission of the land owner.

Imelda - sadly you will struggle to find any decent open water swimming spots bar the sea despite us having some cracking reservoirs locally like Arlington and Bewl, or even Darwell near Battle - they are just not open to swimming.

obviously you have a choice of pools in the area - my choice is the Uni pool in Eastbourne but you need to be a member and it has time restrictions due to Uni use.

I would't use Cuckmere Haven - the river there has a strong tidal flow in both directions and although less at low and high tides could still cause problems. very little water traffic bar canoes at times but still best to avoid imho. the banks are also extremely muddy so if you get into difficulties then you'd struggle to get out

Weirwood Reservoir near Forest Row is open to swimmers with East Grinstead tri club but it has time restrictions, is summer only, and at the mo has a very low water level. going further afield there are other venues near to Tonbridge and Ashford but they will be too far away for you without a car.

there are some other smaller lakes/ponds that are used for tris - Piddinghoe at Newhaven and Ashburnham Place near Battle but they are only used for events and aren't open for general swimming.

we've looked at swimming in a couple of other areas locally - the lake at Shinewater for instance and the large level that crosses the Marsh Road between Pevensey and Little Common (Wallers Haven), but haven't tried them. Shinewater is likely to be too shallow and muddy.

looks like it's the sea or nowt

The Cuckmere is tidal all the way up to Alfriston. Not much water in it when the tide is out and strong flows when it is on its way in. The dead river is full of weed and not very deep. Good for canoeing but not for swimming.

I used to sail at Piddinghoe pond. That might be a possibility - but don't know if swimming is allowed there.

Was hoping you'd be along soon FB, but poo news.  I will avoid Cuckmere haven then. it's a pity as I run out there quite often.

Pells closes in about a week so I'll stick to the sea then untiless it's too rough for me. I'm a wimp.

rough sea - good training!

but even we don't bother when it's too rough. I don't mind it for a short time but you do get fed up trying to breath in the middle of a wave...

sea temp is just under 18C at the mo - should be swimmable temperature wise into mid-October. but with the shite summer we've had it's about 2C lower than usual so it could drop quicker this year

Just been in the sea. It was warm. Still quite warm air temp as well.

I have a phobia of sharks.

I also worry in case the tide is very strong, I know it's not that bad, I've only ever swum with company exceopt once or twice at Cooden Beach on my way home from work.

I need to gain more experience in the sea really, I'm still not that comfortable with it.

Maybe doing widths at the indoor pool is more your thing

That's interesting FB.  The Solent is about 2° warmer than normal for this time of year, because of the nice spring that we had.  Last measured temperature was 21°C a couple of weeks ago.

It probably helps that the Solent is sheltered, whereas you would get the cold water from the ocean.