Skinny Dip Time Again!

Ice bucket challenge? Don’t make me larf……. 

Anyway, I’ve not mentioned this all that much this year, but Sunday is the third North East Skinny Dip in aid of Mind and the National Trust.

Apparently about two hundred people have signed up which could mean that with last-minute turn-ups (definitely nothing to do with trousers here) the numbers running screaming into the sea, and shivering uncontrollably back out again quite soon afterwards could  be around three hundred. For anatomical statisticians, that’s probably about four hundred thousand goose pimples.

The event starts at 5:30 am (yes folks, there’s two 5:30’s in a day nowadays) at Druridge bay in bonny Northumberland and the actual acts of madness  bravery will happen at exactly sunrise.

Apparently this year it’s being filmed as part of a feature in the programme Tales from Northumberland and there’s every chance that Robson Green’s bum will be featured hurtling into the foaming briny.

As for me, I did it last year and got sponsors and made nearly £400 for Mind and the National Trust.

This year I’m doing it again but with a few small strategic changes.

Firstly, I got the runaround big time last year by Co Durham’s rebuilding works at several important roundabouts and it took me ages to get there – and I walked four miles down the beach in the dark and four miles back again. Actually, this bit wasn’t so bad.

But this year, I’m setting off on Saturday with the basha and brewing-up equipment and will bivi somewhere close by this saving the stress of dealing with the Western bypass at 3:00 am when I should be in Kylieland and thus will enter the water fully refreshed and not suddenly awoken by the, frankly, freezing and shocking experience of some lass splashing me back with North Sea. (aaargh)

 

Readers may also recall that a visit to Druridge Bay with a cheapo football to chase, burst and shred was possibly the only successful bit about Bruno’s bucket list. I did a walk with Mick and his three little doglets and the dog in particular enjoyed the whole thing. (I can’t thank Mick enough for coming along with me on this jaunt by the way). I also had a visit to Druridge later in the year with Dawn during her walk up the Northumberland coast and I commented at the time that nobody should visit Druridge without a dog. Well, I’m not taking the new dog on this trip – too many distractions, and there’s no telling what kind of trouble he could get into. I’ll take him later…  But there’s little doubt that the wrinkles and wobbly bits of other dippers will likely be no distraction for me when I’m remembering Superdawg

 

And I haven’t done anything about sponsors as this doesn’t really fit in with my current policy of nowt for owt (still two medium t-shirts left by the way)

 

Sinister    (Left)                   Dexter (Right)

BUT, if anybody does feel like adding the odd spondoolie of their hard-earned (anything from just the one pound upwards), you can access my virgin money giving page by clicking the left buttock in the picture above.  All of the money going into this account goes to Mind by the way, only my entry fees (£10) are split between Mind and the National Trust. Actually, for the shy, clicking anywhere on the picture works, or, alternatively, there’s a couple of images of a cake (left and right) made to celebrate the progress of Arsenal football club. Unfortunately there wasn’t room on the cake for the full wording “Arsenal FC” to appear, but we did our best. OK, it’s an old picture….

Readers would, of course, be more than welcome to join in  in this slightly bizarre but enervating experience and you can register on the beach or on-line here  and there’s also details about where to go etc. 

More info on is on the Skinny dip facebook page which is here

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr