Dover Harbour

My first time to Dover Harbour and I swim for c 45 minutes in c 10.4C water. 

Approaching Dover is quite something - industrial piers jut outward forming a protected zone for swimmers and rowers but not blocking incoming waves. In the background there are busy ferries going to Ireland, France and other places. The beach is hard-pebbled and nasty to walk on bare-footed. I scramble down to the water's edge (tide is out) and wade in - within minutes I am numb and watching the shoreline from afar. The other direction, unending sea.
Here, the ultra-swimmers train from May to September when the water temp's will rise to 20C. A 'lap' connects two fat jetties or c 2,000 meters.

Beforehand, Sonnet, the dog and I spend the night in charming Chatham to break the two hours drive to Dover.