My swim hole not a pool

[geochuck]

My favorite place to swim was Emerald lake. It was originally called the Freelton Quarry. It was a lime stone quarry where they hit a spring and it filled up with water. It was 11 miles from my hometown Hamilton. When we were kids in the summer we rode our bikes there and stayed all day then ride home at night.

We would swim, dive off the cliffs, run all over the place play tag and of course have hot dogs, marshmallows toasted over a fire.

I really miss the place where we did this 55 years ago. Last summer I went there to see if it was still there and sure enough it was.

George Park www.swimdownhill.com

[londoner62]

BUt did you take marshmallows and hot dogs, swim and stay all day?

Paul

[geochuck]

When I went back some one had opened a hamburg stand there and they charged money to enter. I did manage to have a couple hot dogs. I stayed about an hour, had a swim, but that was it. I did not dive off the cliffs or play tag.

George

[londoner62]

One can never be too old to play tag! Kinda disapointed in you George!

[rogant stard]

Back in the early 1980's, more than two decades ago, I have hazy memories of cycling down to the Clifton Ings - part of York's River Ouse - with friends to spend large parts of my summer holidays.

Now that part of the river was where a lot of the local kids at the time 'hung out' to idle away the lazy, hot summer days. The star attraction was a sandy stretch of river bank that was often strewn with sharp needles and strange liquid filled balloons. Many a time we would wantonly abandon our velcro strapped trainers and go wading for the most amazing of items such as old wellington boots and old car tyres - we would marvel at the cornucopia of discarded items we had found and spend most of the day there, fuelling ourselves with 5p cola flavoured ice pops and chomping youthfully on strawberry hubba bubba.

I can recall bathing in the polluted water once and then being consigned to my bed for the rest of the week with severe poisoning, and also have vague recollections of attempting to catch fish with dogs biscuits attached to my dog Cindy's lead - with surprisingly no luck.

We used to stay there for hours each day and often sped home on our Raleigh Spiders (with tags from bread bags on the spokes) in order to get home before the curfew. Mums were stricter in those days. We wouldn't dream of arriving back late and risking the wrath of our parents - not like these days with your latch-key kids and their like.

I'm going back home next weekend for a couple of days and will check out the old haunts. No doubt things will have changed and there'll have been some development or other that will have blighted the natural beauty of the memories of my distant childhood but it will still be good to revisit those places from a bygone era.

I must be careful because I promised myself I wouldn't turn into one of those old folks who constantly harped on about the distant past and try to relate everything in the present to distant memories that really have no meaning or are of no interest to anyone in the present day. I thank you for allowing me to indulge myself on these forums.

Rogant

[geochuck]

Rogant... we had many a place similar to your swimming hole. Hamilton bay, and black bridge and I must say we are lucky to be alive after those experiances.

George

[geochuck]

[QUOTE=lane4]Not sure you quite got the gist of what rogant was saying there George. :rolleyes: ;) :devil:

I think he was saying in other words his spot was a place we should not swim. Hamilton Bay and to swim under Black Bridge was dangerous for your health was my reply. But I'm old and only understand what I think I read

George www.swimdownhill.com

[Bootie]

Not quite a favorite swimming hole, but in my youth the only place to be was the "bathing pools".
The Island was blessed with 3 "bathing pools" which were built around 1900 I think. There was the gents pool, ladies Pool and the childrens pool, all built on a stretch of coast close to the town centre.
The ladies pool was best as it had high boards to jump and dive off. All the town kids would excel in this activity until the late 80's when some health and safety bod decided it was dangerous and they cut the boards down.
Kids being kids they simply moved over to the harbour breakwater and jumped of that instead which was even higher thean the boards at the pools and was tidal! The tourists loved watching and would snap away at the daredevils!
Health and safety jumped in again and removed the ladder from the breakwater wall to stop kids climbing back up the breakwater.
Kids intuition being what it is, they simply moved to the end of the breakwater where there was a slipway and continued as they do today.
I know that health and safety have a job to do, but they will always be one step behind and probably make the situation worse in that kids will eventually find a spot so dangerous that somebody will get injured.

[ktcute]

I was spoiled for choice as a child for places to swim. We lived in Pool, I was born about 2 miles from the sea. In fact I think you could see it from the hospital I was born in.

My grandparents lived in Ferndown, which is just up the road. We spent some time at the beach as a family, but I just about remember my gran taking me to the beach, when my mum was working as a supply teacher. There are some beautiful beaches there, Branksome Chine, others I can't really remember the name of, I just have distant but quite clear memories of long walks down tarmac paths to the opening out of the sea in front of me, with the yellow sun, and the glistening blue water. The excitement and dissapointment of red and yellow flags. The thrill of a bucket and spade, and the knowledge I was going to dig another hole in the beach deep enough to bury my father, and enough for any passing victim to break their legs when they fell in it!

We moved when I was just 6, and had just learned to swim! Typical. I haven't been back much, seeing the sea again makes me homesick for it.

[Bootie]

Favourite beach must be "Petit Port"

Climb down about 200 steps on the cliffs and there it is!

Not much at high tide, but at low tide there is just acres of flat golden sand, ideal for all those ball games that kids just love. Rock pools to fish in rocks to scramble over sand for sand castles and the swimming is excellent, clear crystal water, absouletly no pollution, just heaven!

[rogant stard]

You were right Lane 4 - they really did not 'get' my post. :shocking:

[geochuck]

I must be careful because I promised myself I wouldn't turn into one of those old folks who constantly harped on about the distant past and try to relate everything in the present to distant memories that really have no meaning or are of no interest to anyone in the present day. I thank you for allowing me to indulge myself on these forums.

Rogant

Oh yes we understood but really did not want to say we did.

I take it that everyone older than you should shrivel up and fade away. You could care less about any thing from the past. If it had not been for swimmers from the past you would still be swimming dog paddle.

George Park www.swimdownhill.com

[rubber ducky]

Favourite beach must be "Petit Port"

Climb down about 200 steps on the cliffs and there it is!

Not much at high tide, but at low tide there is just acres of flat golden sand, ideal for all those ball games that kids just love. Rock pools to fish in rocks to scramble over sand for sand castles and the swimming is excellent, clear crystal water, absouletly no pollution, just heaven!

There was an amazing beach like that in Hartland in Devon....you had to go down nearly 400 steps down the cliff to the beach. It was really beautiful, rock pools, clear blue sea and soft sand.

However I talk about this beach in the past tense. The steps erroded and became too dangerous to walk down therefore access to the beach was gone! :cry:

Still we had fun while we could get to it, not many other people knew about this beach....we discovered it by accident! Therefore it was also nice and quite. :)

[lane4]

Oh yes we understood but really did not want to say we did.
I take it that everyone older than you should shrivel up and fade away. You could care less about any thing from the past. If it had not been for swimmers from the past you would still be swimming dog paddle. George Park www.swimdownhill.com (http://www.swimdownhill.com/)I think what rogant meant, and certainly what I would like to know, is can you make a post on this forum without a historical account of some event from your distant past, events that nobody here is interested in?

;) :p :devil:

[Bootie]

I think what rogant meant, and certainly what I would like to know, is can you make a post on this forum without a historical account of some event from your distant past, events that nobody here is interested in?

;) :p :devil:

So you asked everybody then? as it happens, I am very interested in what George has to say, take a look at his website and learn something. Whatever the man has to say is definitely worth listening to, he may not have age on his side, but his practical experience is second to none.

Keep it up George.

[geochuck]

I think what rogant meant, and certainly what I would like to know, is can you make a post on this forum without a historical account of some event from your distant past, events that nobody here is interested in?

;) :p :devil:

Probally not if you don't like what I say don't read it young fellow.

George Park www.swimdownhill.com

[Wilbs]

George I am not a swimmer, just an active parent. I for one feel your comments to be extremely interesting and worthwhile. It's a shame some of our more northerly colleagues are so serious about every comment and feel the need to dissect each phrase. As Bootie just mentioned, I have visited your website and found it useful, informative and above all positive in the message you are trying to portray. Perhaps us younger contributors can still learn a thing or two from what seems an eventful life you have enjoyed.

Don't let them grind you down!

:cheers:

[swimmer]

I aggee Wilbs, sometimes you jus gota ignore lane 4, we do :devil: ;) and i'm sure he ignores some of my blabbering aswell :angel:

[lane4]

and i'm sure he ignores some of my blabbering aswell :angel:
If only you knew how much swimmer! ;) :)

[swimmer]

:speechles :joker:

[ktcute]

if you don't like what I say don't read it young fellow.

If you only knew! Lane4 has a hard time ignoring things, he is on a mission to put the world to rights.

It is nice to see someone with a little more maturity and life experience tell him though. Geo, you do it so beautifully.

[geochuck]

You are right he does seem to go off on tangents.