Serre-Ponçon Itinerary
Nature and the weather can be unpredictable, so your flexibility is important. All swims are planned with safety at their heart, and your guides will adapt the plan day by day to ensure the best possible experience. Want to sit out part of a swim? Just let the guides know and hop back on the boat – no problem at all.
Arrival
We will collect you from Gap train station at 5pm and take you to the chateau where you can check in, unpack, relax and get to know the other swimmers on the trip. Dinner will be served around 7pm and we recommend an early night to get that rest in
Acclimatisation day
After breakfast, the chateau owners will give you a tour of the chateau, then we’ll head off to the Museoscope for an interactive visit to discover the story behind the magnificent lake you are about to swim! We will then go through the finer detail of the organisation and timings so that you can prepare mentally for your challenge. Lunch will be in the chateau. After lunch we will go for a drive around the lake so you can visit the launch site and exit site and see the milestones to look out for so they are familiar to you when you do your swim. There will be an opportunity to go for a short acclimatisation swim this afternoon to test the water and get a feel for the lake. Dinner will be around 6pm to allow the Friday swimmers to get off to bed early.
Relay swimmers begin and a trip for solos
- For the relay swim teams swimming today, this is your big day. We will give you an early wake up call so you are ready to sett off for your swim at 4am. Night swimming is a very special and privileged experience with the lake beautifully calm, like glass, and the silence of the night enveloping you as you slide in off the pontoon. Your SwimQuest guide and sauveteur will be following behind you as you swim and they will feed and hydrate you every 30 minutes (unless you prefer a different régime). Then you have the full day ahead of you to enjoy the swim.
Our solo swimmers can have a more reasonable wake up time and breakfast. We will organise a transfer to Embrun late morning. Embrun is a pretty village and definitely worth a visit. There is also the plan d’eau which is a part of the main lake sectioned off for swimming and activities so you can go for a warm up swim there or just sunbathe by the water. You are welcome to join this trip and wander around the village and plan d’eau or stay at the chateau. Lunch will be a picnic lunch to either take with you or eat at the chateau. We will bring you back to the chateau at the end of the afternoon so you have time to relax and unwind before an early dinner ahead of your big day tomorrow. The other swimmers will be heading back at different times as they finish their swims so you’ll be able to hear their news as they come in.
Dinner will be early again at around 6pm for tomorrow’s swim team to prepare and get an early night and for today’s swimmers to stock up after their energy expenditure. Later arrivals will be able to eat later.
Breakfast and goodbyes
This morning, enjoy a leisurely breakfast before checking out of the chateau. We will make sure you are in Gap for 1pm so you can organise your onward journey.