[Pete Roberts]

R. Weaver, Frodsham, Cheshire 16th May '12: 13C

Noticed water has changed subtly with less turbity from mud and a slight greenish tint no doubt down to increasing amounts of suspended algae.

Pete

[Pete Roberts]

R. Weaver, Frodsham, Cheshire 22th May '12: 16C

Pete

[Pete Roberts]

Irish Sea, Leasowe (N.Wirral), Sat 26th May '12: 17C

I took two readings at 400mm immersion and the water came up to my neck. The tide had come in across warm sandbanks.

Leasowe is situated on the Irish Sea coast of the Wirral Peninsula midway between New Brighton and Hoylake. Leasowe Lighthouse is the first brick-built lighthouse in the UK although technically the lighthouse is in Moreton.

http://www.visitwirr...ghthouse-p44212

Hot under a cloudless blue sky, I was expecting convergence when the sea breeze came up against the strong Easterly but it didn't happen. I thought a sea shot would be nice but without any detail it would be boring. I'm very wary nowadays of including strangers in any pics I post so my friends' daughter took one of me and friends. Just visible on the horizion is the Burbo Bank Offshore Wind Farm.

Pete

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This post has been edited by Pete Roberts: 27 May 2012 - 20:05

[Pete Roberts]

R.Weaver, Frodsham, Cheshire 29th May '12: 24C

Felt like swimming in warm pea soup. The water was covered with bubbles of oxygen but the culprit is garden and commen algae.

I took two readings, one at 400mm and another at the surface.

Pete

[Ed.]

Pretty amazing temps Pete, not least compared to last year i presume? anything above say 16C not least 20C! can't be that bad and considering ;-)

[BUTTERFLY]

Perhaps Pete (Roberts) could tell us what is the highest temperature he has measured in inland waters in Britain, when and where, and over how long a period he has been measuring water temperatures when swimming? I imagine summers such as 1995, 2003 and 2006 will have provided some very high readings. If his measurements have been confined to Northern England, etc, then presumably the temperatures would not be as high as in SE England, etc (although certainly, relative to average, the north and west of Britain has done particularly well in this current hot spell).

[Pete Roberts]

Ed Shrops, on 29 May 2012 - 22:12, said:

Pretty amazing temps Pete, not least compared to last year i presume? anything above say 16C not least 20C! can't be that bad and considering ;-)

In a typical May the R. Weaver should be around 18-20C, but the atrocious unseasonabley cold April and May has resulted in depressed water temperatures.

BUTTERFLY, on 30 May 2012 - 08:33, said:

Perhaps Pete (Roberts) could tell us what is the highest temperature he has measured in inland waters in Britain, when and where, and over how long a period he has been measuring water temperatures when swimming?

Since 2006 although I need to collate my data from 2009.

BUTTERFLY, on 30 May 2012 - 08:33, said:

I imagine summers such as 1995, 2003 and 2006 will have provided some very high readings.

1976 saw the overall highest water temperatures, both inland and coastal, but since I started keeping records (from 2006) the Weaver has reached 25C sometime in every summer.

BUTTERFLY, on 30 May 2012 - 08:33, said:

If his measurements have been confined to Northern England, etc, then presumably the temperatures would not be as high as in SE England, etc (although certainly, relative to average, the north and west of Britain has done particularly well in this current hot spell).

From experience Southern rivers are colder than in Cheshire presumably because Southern rivers tend to be chalk streams or other spring-fed rivers. Cheshire and Merseyside are sheltered with the main rivers (Mersey, Weaver and Dee) fed from surface water which tends to follow air temps. In Scotland, summer lowland temperatures seem to be around 16C - my swim in Loch Ness in September 2005 saw 18C. Winter water temps tend to be very similar to the UK as a whole - the coldest swims were in the R. Annan (Locherbie) in January and February in (if I can remember) 2007 when water temps were about 5C despite the river being swollen with snowmelt.

The attached shot was taken at Weaver Sailing Club, Frodsham, on Friday 1-6-12 and depicts something in short supply up to now in 2012: warm, settled and sunny weather. Compare with the pic taken during my Sport Relief swim at the same venue while the trees were bare.

Water temp was slightly down at 21.5C

Pete

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[Pete Roberts]

R. Weaver, Frodsham 19th June '12: 16.5C

Compare with the water temperature recorded in the previous post. I havn't been swimming for a couple of weeks, a combination of the unseasonably cold weather and my not being too good. I suspect that water temps had been even lower, while the river would have been almost in spate.

Today the river seemed slightly muddy although a closer view revealed the usual greenish colour and normal turbidity. Current was normal.

Pete

[Pete Roberts]

R. Weaver, Frodsham 25th June '12: 14.5C

It's bad enough for water temperatures to be several degrees below the norm for the time of year, but still falling while approaching what should be the hottest months.

Pete

[Ed.]

Pete, water temps sure do look way below ave, as i can only go by your reckoning and past reports etc. - yes indeed it must be a little frustrating even for a hardened swimmer, perhaps not being able to enjoy a more comfortable dip for a change?


I like to sometimes say, that you can't have the rough without the smooth? although less of the rough would be nice for at least a few weeks, just to balance things out..

[Pete Roberts]

North Sea, Aberdeen, 5th July 12: 13.5C

As far as I know that's about right for the location, my previous experience of the bracing North Sea was 16C at Amble, over 200 miles to the south. On the 400+ mile journey to Aberdeen I had my first experience of the "Simmer Dim", with twilight taking the place of true night.

Much of Scotland seemed to be affected by mist or even quite thick fog. The Grampians' coast was particularly affected by another phenomenon new to me - North Sea haar. When we arrived in the early morning Aberdeen was living up to its reputation of Granite City but as we preparing to start home the leaden skies relented and the sun got his hat on. I was going for a swim at Aberdeen's Queen's Links (the stretch of beach between the R.Dee and R.Dons' mouths) but there wasn't much chance of photography because of the haar. It was so thick that despite my being only a couple of hundred yards from the prom I was completely disoriented. The tide was coming in and with a strengthening of the onshore Easterly the haar suddenly closed in with clearly visible tendrils of vapour speeding past. I really felt like I was experiencing something from "The Fog" It was only when I returned to the prom that I could hear traffic and other "city sounds". Strange.

I've made no changes to the pics attached so hopefully the wisps of haar are apparent.

Pete

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[Pete Roberts]

R, Weaver, Frodsham, Cheshire, 22nd July '12: 18C

That temperature is just about respectable - at this time of the year the Weaver should be 20-21C. I'm still recovering from what turned out to be mild pneumonia and the long pedal home uphill (with motor assistance ) took a lot out of me. I'm still knackered now.

Pete

[Pete Roberts]

Hatchmere, Delamere Forest, Cheshire 7the Aug '12: 20C

This is about right for the time of the year. Water looks like cold tea which indicates tannins have been washed out of the forest by the almost non-stop rain of recent weeks.

Pete

[Ed.]

I think i could withstand 20C Pete, as for the North Sea?..nah R.Weaver for me wins every time ;-)

Temp aside also interesting to note water colour/condition etc., and after all the wet-stuff of late, no doubt making a pretty sig difference

This post has been edited by Ed.: 08 August 2012 - 10:30

[Pete Roberts]

Ed., on 08 August 2012 - 10:29, said:

I think i could withstand 20C Pete, as for the North Sea?..nah R.Weaver for me wins every time ;-)

Temp aside also interesting to note water colour/condition etc., and after all the wet-stuff of late, no doubt making a pretty sig difference

Hatchmere is a lake not too far from the Weaver, fed mostly by ground seepage from the nearby forest. The tannin-based water chemistry is hostile to waterborne pathogens.

R. Weaver, Frodsham 9th Aug '12: 21C

Flow actually almost ceased so the catchment must be drying out.

Pete

[Pete Roberts]

R. Weaver, Frodsham 16th Aug '12: 21C

Water slightly turbid after Wed's heavy rain with a quite brisk current.

Pete

[Pete Roberts]

R. Weaver, Frodsham, Ches. 26th Aug '12: 20C

Brisk current after the night's rain, but water was its usually slight green colour without any turbidity.

[Pete Roberts]

R. Weaver, Frodsham, 15th Sept '12: 17C

River had a very Autumnal aspect with not much of an algal tint.

Edit: slack current

Pete

This post has been edited by Pete Roberts: 15 September 2012 - 18:32

[Pete Roberts]

If no-one mines if I give a an personal update.

My last "proper" swim last Aderbeen was marred by chills that marred, - chills that affected my swimming even my local 20C R.Weaver and Hathcmere. In fact I stopped eventually swimming although my local indoor pool was despite the nearly 30C.

Some reason my health has declined until Dec. during I was admitted into hospital in a cardiac unit. However no-one knew happened, and I suspected my stroke had been some sort of trigger. "Experts" claim that there is no connection between strokes and cardiovascular problems but section of medical practitioners are thinking opposite.

Meanwhile my speech has degraded, as my numeracy - in fact after my stroke I was left with dysphasia (for those interested, receptive) but I had no use of "speech" and I regained my drawing skills, and I found that my science and engineering were unaffected and my intellect OK. Unfortunately my previously technical grammar skills have been reduced to secondary school level.

So as it stands. I hope that my cardiovascular system will improve in 2013, but this year I've also looking out my Speedos and towel (indoors just for now) as my health improves.

Late Happy Christmas and new '13.

Pete

[Pete Roberts]

Ops, sorry, not to give the wrong impression, "receptive" dysphasia is one of the versions of the condition.

I wasn't trying to be "funny"

Pete