A pristine various to the Channel: long-distance swimming in Croatia | Swimming holidays

On 24 August 1875, Captain Matthew Webb turned the primary individual to swim the Channel, slathered in animal fats to fend off the chilly. At the time, it was heralded as a feat of near-superhuman endurance. One hundred and fifty years later, I signed up for a contemporary tackle the 33.3km (21-mile) swim (the shortest distance throughout the Channel, though Webb was blown off track and ended up swimming one thing like 63km). This Croatian adaptation includes swimming between islands off the Dalmatian coast, is cut up throughout 4 days and features a welcoming resort (the three-star Places Hvar by Valamar) to recuperate in on the finish of every day. And fortunately, neoprene has changed tallow.

The journey is run by UltraSwim 33.3, a new firm named after the Channel stretch, providing multiday swim challenges in spectacular places – Croatia, Montenegro, Greece and Switzerland – with an emphasis on consolation and help.

“The Channel is the Everest of swims,” says Mark Turner, UltraSwim 33.3’s co-founder. “But the window to do it is short, it’s expensive, and – let’s be honest – not a particularly appetising stretch of water. With us, you get the same distance in beautiful surroundings, without having to rough it.”

I’ve been on swimming holidays earlier than with firms comparable to SwimTrek and Strel Swimming Adventures, and I’ve swum as much as 5km a day, however with breaks for drinks, lunch and absorbing the solar. UltraSwim takes a extra structured, challenge-oriented method. Each day begins early – we’re within the water by 8am, earlier than boat site visitors picks up – and swimmers go as much as 12km with out pausing for greater than a fast pit cease.

An in depth coaching plan landed in my inbox after I’d signed up and I rapidly realised I wasn’t match sufficient, or maybe was mentally unprepared, for the complete 33.3km swim. Thankfully, there have been two shorter choices out there: the 11.1km “Discovery” and the 22.2km “Build” packages, each nodding to the Channel problem.

On the primary day, we set off from a jetty near the resort and, inside minutes, I spot an octopus waving lazily from its underwater backyard. I’d like to linger, however time and tide watch for no swimmer. Several kilometres later, I stumble out of the water on to the seaside at Uvala Veli Dolac, exhausted however elated. We are greeted by a variety of high-energy snacks and numerous speak about carb loading – a far cry from Webb’s fuelling technique of beer, brandy and beef tea.

According to the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation, Webb’s swim has now been repeated 3,250 instances. The endurance development is seen in different areas, too, from ultramarathons and multiday biking excursions to open-water relays. Increasingly, it appears, individuals need to return from vacation not rested however with a way of accomplishment.

On days two and three, we sort out some correct “Channel” swims throughout 2-3km stretches of open water, from the Kabal headland to Stiniva seaside, and Cape Pelegrin to Palmižana. On the map these are marked as ferry routes, however the views I loved from the deck after I arrived in Hvar – all pine-studded islands and turquoise waters – really feel very completely different when within the water: a distant headland to goal for, uneven seas and the occasional jellyfish.

I’ve by no means tried something fairly like this earlier than, and it’s not a problem I relish. But I put my head down and take a look at not to consider how far I’m from dry land. There’s a GPS tracker in my tow float, kayakers on both facet, and a transparent course to comply with – fortunately extra simple than the one Webb swam, the place robust tides dragged him approach off track, turning a 21-mile crossing right into a 39-mile slog.

As I swim for simply over two hours, I discover it laborious to fathom how he saved going for almost 22. I distract myself by recalling snapshots from the journey: the Sixteenth-century Tvrdalj Castle in Stari Grad, the place the poet Petar Hektorović as soon as lived; and the Diocletian’s Palace in Split, the place I spent a relaxed day exploring its golden alleyways and a number of layers of historical past, from the Roman and Venetian empires to Yugoslavia and the previous 30 years of an impartial Croatia.

Once we full the open-water channels, we circle again into gentler waters across the Pakleni archipelago, lined with the pine, wild rosemary and lavender that flavours the native honey. The title “Pakleni” comes from paklina, a pine resin as soon as used for boat constructing.

Our 160-strong group is made up of swimmers from throughout the globe, from as far and huge as Brazil, Dubai and Australia. There are nearly equal numbers of women and men, with ages starting from 20 to 73. Some are coaching for an precise Channel crossing, others simply desire a problem.

“It’s type-two fun,” Joe from Dublin tells me. “The kind that’s only fun after it’s over.” I feel I’m extra of a type-one (having fun with issues on the time) individual, however I do get pleasure from swimming throughout the sun-dappled kelp forests, the calm rhythm of stroke after stroke, and the quiet delight of ending every day’s swim.

“We find that people surprise themselves,” says Turner. “The way we structure it with pacing and support, swimmers who’ve never gone beyond a few kilometres leave feeling they’ve done something extraordinary.”

Non-swimming companions aren’t not noted. They can comply with by boat, cheer from the shore or discover Stari Grad and Hvar. One non-swimmer advised me he’d racked up a good few kilometres on an ebike, visiting lavender farms, vineyards and sleepy fishing villages. “Other than a brief dip, swimming’s not really my thing,” he shrugged. “But my girlfriend loves it, so we’re both happy.”

On the ultimate day, we goal for the bell tower of St Stephen’s Cathedral and swim the previous couple of kilometres into Hvar’s harbour, rising beside the Venetian arsenal to a glass of champagne, handed to us after we go the ending posts, to bemused stares from common vacationers.

A number of hours later, after a soothing therapeutic massage in a spa resort, I’m wandering Hvar’s labyrinthine streets, stopping to get pleasure from recent fish and Croatian wine, with no extra discuss of carb loading. I didn’t win something. I didn’t swim the complete 33.3km. But I accomplished the 11.1km course and tasted one thing akin to what Captain Webb will need to have felt: the sluggish, regular triumph of physique over distance, albeit with out the freezing water of the Channel, or the meat tea. And, as a substitute of the pale gray cliffs of Cap Gris-Nez to sign the top, the golden limestone of Hvar.

The journey was offered by UltraSwim 33.3. Packages from €1,800pp for 4 nights (in a group of 4, the fourth swimmer goes half-price), together with resort lodging, breakfasts, post-swim lunches and guided swims. The subsequent Croatia dates are in 2026 however locations can be found this yr on journeys to Montenegro, Greece and Switzerland