Swim 38: Frogmill Spinney to Higginson Park (Marlow)

This, the last swim of the year before winter set in, was a distance of approximately 4.5km.  We met in the car park in Marlow adjacent to Higginson Park:

http://goo.gl/maps/6QsyR

Parking in Marlow costs £1.50 for 3 hours, £2 for 4 hours or £4 for up to 6 hours.  This car park gets very busy, especially on a nice day, so make sure you get an early start.  We then shuttled as few cars as possible to the small free car park in Hurley, or you could walk up to the start:

http://goo.gl/maps/lhE9a

We then walked up to the small slipway that is the starting point:

http://goo.gl/maps/bCe8k

We then swam back down towards Hurley lock.

CAUTION:  Stay to the right after the start as the weirs before Hurley lock make the river narrow.  This section is dangerous in a strong flow.

There is, apparently, a bye-law forbidding swimming in the lock cut at Hurley lock so the lock keeper suggested that we should get out by the footbridge just before the lock (there is a ladder about 20m past the bridge on the left) and then cut across the island and get straight back into the backwater and swim around. 

After Hurley lock keep to the left side of the river as you will soon be at Temple lock.  This is a simple out-and-in lock.  After the lock we swam down to the exit point just before the man-made quay at Higginson Park:

http://goo.gl/maps/0Yy6T