Can't really call it winter swimming any more, when the spring is in full force, can we?
Although it's the end of April already, it only 6 degrees Celsius outside, the cold breeze is biting a chunk out of your face and the water is ice cold like in the Arctic. The water here in the Rummu quarry can't really be more than a few degrees.
So our cold water swimming season is still in full gear. And the miracles that swimming in ice cold water does to your body - first your body starts producing heat and quite soon you'll start feeling awesome. The rest of the day you'll probabable feel a bit euphoric, as your body relaxes, fixes itself of various ailments and toughens your immune system. Don't forget to warm up later and rest properly, to give yourself a long-lasting boost!
We first tried to approach the quarry lake from the spot where there are ruins in the water, sunken houses and spoil tip hills with million dollar views, but this dreaded virus has shut down all places where public mass-gatherings can occur. The beach on the other side of the lake is very popular, you can see for yourself why, here in one of my older posts, where we went canoeing on the lake with @raili.
Anyway, we didn't give up, since we're already here - after a more than half-hour drive, we want our payday! And after all, we don't care about masses and public beaches. We want cold water and beauty of nature!
We want cold water and beauty of nature!
Thus we circled around the lake towards the holiday center. The gravel road dwindled in the forest until it reached the quarry lake and the smell of cold water hit us. The smell of cold water feels like trees without leaves, leaving goosebumps and that adrenaline boost that you get right before the swim.
The blue water always looks inviting. One step and you're in water 4-5 meters deep. If you go to the other end of the lake and paddle a bit there, you'll see treetops under water and should you jump in for a swim, you might feel the treetops tickling and grabbing your toes. Crazy feeling! Visiting Estonia in the summer? This place is a must visit!
Even this place hasn't managed to escape the litterers - a lonely old tire was sitting in the grass by the quarry. Maybe it's something the fishermen use? I mean, you cannot even sit and rest your legs on it.
Someone had created a crazy old woman's face and hung it from the nearby tree. I don't know why, but this face looks creepy as hell something I'd expect to see in a horror movie. Annabelle, is that you? Well, better we saw it here than bump into it in the water.
Anyway, sightseeing time was over for us. We scouted a bit to find the best place to get in and out and settled for a nice tiny cliff right behind the small pine. Braver ones can jump in head first from here, alas - not me, I've never mastered diving head first from high places.
Whoaa, the water was cold, immediately pinching our limbs and pressing on our chests. But as seconds passed, our bodies started countering the coldness and by the time we climbed out, we could stand in the cold breeze with no problem. Smarter to dry yourself and dress up though, or you might find out later you can't move your neck or your voice is gone.
We dried ourselves, took a minute and did one more round. This place is beautiful and deserves longer visits, we just need more of the summer weather now. Coming back soon!
Brrrrrrrrr.... oh I'd love to do this. Where are you in world??
I'm in Europe, Estonia. I started with mildly cold showers a bit more than a year back, cranked the cold up more and more and eventually from the beginning of this year, once a week or sometimes more, find some cold water body to swim in. Water temperatures here don't warm up until June, so I guess we're covered until then. I feel healthier than ever before :)
Oh when I go back to Australia it will be winter, but I have to spend 2 weeks in a quarantine hotel so I'm going to have cold showers to build up to swimming in cold ocean!!!!
The cold showers might at first put you to sleep, if your body is not used to it. This happened to me so I switched my cold showers from morning to 1 hr before bedtime, I sleep like shot with an elephant tranquilizer since.
No way! that seems like an unexpected side effect! Perhaps it is the shock!
I really wanted to go to Estonia this year. A shame about this pandemic. that swimming spot looks amazing. May sun shine on you soon.
Sorry about your missed trips, may there be a thousand more in the coming years!
Harrastad talisuplust?
Kui saab veel talisupluseks nimetada... kevadsuplus arktilises vees!
Saunast suht timmis visata end mõnusasse jahedasse vette :)
Would love to spend a day in that place. And hey, great click by the way
Thanks and cheers!
Interesting sight.
Fo sho!
MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON
I take it you're a massive fan of cold water! 😃
see üli norm kui peale sauna viskad sisse ja siis kaotad teadvuse vms see tunne tekib
Jup, veresooned ahenevad ja katus hakkab sõitma. Mõned mehed on nii ka manalateed läinud 😐 Tuleb oma tervist tunnetada ja alustada vaikselt, siis on e-z