Rediscovering A SWIMMING MOJO in the Arctic Circle

After completing the Channel, swimmer Jacque finds healing, connection, and magic on a SwimQuest adventure in Norway’s Lofoten Islands

After a decade of training leading up to my successful Channel swim in 2024, I declared that I would take a year off – not from swimming, but from the rigid training regimen, the strenuous mental preparation and the logistical nightmare that is part of the sport of long-distance swimming.

Swimming in the Arctic Circle had been on forever my bucket list. Already knowing SwimQuest from a Channel & cold-water training camp, I was delighted to discover they offered a trip to the Lofoten Islands – and so it began.

Arriving on the airport in Svolvær I immediately felt a very strong connection to the Islands; it was like coming home, although I had never been here before. The hotel was a former fishing village and we lived in the coziest houses, partly resting on stilts in the sea. They also were thoughtfully equipped with a small kitchen for tea or a hot chocolate after our adventures and a drying cabinet and shoe-dryers, that would help to dry whatever wet mess we dragged home with us during the week. The hotel staff was most friendly and helpful, and the food provided plentiful and extra good.

After the introductory dinner and the usual acclimatization swim in the bay near the hotel, this holiday went on to become one of the most amazing weeks of my life. While some of us snook in a pre-breakfast-dip, we mostly met at breakfast, eating and chatting along, till it was time to meet at our boats. We then drove to beautiful stretches of the coast line or secluded bays or remote islands in the sea to start our swims of the day, only interrupted by a refueling and restful lunch break. Sometimes there was a sauna waiting after a swim, and one day we took a big-rib-excursion to see the famous sea eagles and the Trollfjord. For Dinner, the guides drove us to nearby villages and towns, so we got to see the beautiful Lofoten not only from water, but also from land. If one was up at night, there was the added bonus of the aftermath of the midnight sun to discover, a magical blue light.

The swimming in the crystal-clear waters of the Arctic Sea was gorgeous. There was lots of underwater life to see, and the stunning landscape with all the mountains around us was just breathtaking. The water wasn’t as cold as expected, mostly around 15-16°C. Most of the group had brought their wetsuits and other neoprene kit, while some of us preferred to swim without. Everyone decided, how short or long they wished to swim, and we swam together, sometimes as a pod, sometimes with a swim buddy, sometimes exploring solo – but always under the watchful eyes of our guides. I am still surprised, how well this works for everyone. Despite the wide range of swimming speed, experience in open water and adaption to the cold, it was designed to cater to everyone’s needs and wishes and worked out perfectly.

Same goes for the group dynamic – there seems to be something about these kinds of trips, that after just one swim immediately transforms a group of mostly solo travelling strangers into a pod of swimmers, that watch out for each other while swimming and have – sometimes deep and sometimes just hilarious – conversations in between the swims. The hustle of our everyday lives just disappeared and we settled into the comforting daily structure of swim – eat – sleep – repeat.

Our guides, Dewi and Sarah, were just amazing. I can’t even imagine how much it must take to make a trip like this to run so absolutely smoothly, while considering all aspects of safety, fast changing weather conditions and the myriads of spontaneous suggestions from the group. The guides were the heart of the trip; not only did they adhere to the highest standards to keep everyone safe, but they did it while they were also always encouraging, always watching out for us and always smiling and happy to chat.

For me, the most amazing thing that happened during the trip, was rediscovering the joy of swimming, the joy of purely being in and around the water. After a much-needed rest and nursing some injuries in the aftermaths of my Channel swim, I wasn’t too sure about where my swimming path would take me in the future. I certainly didn’t expect it to happen in the far north corner of the world, that I finally got my swim mojo back. There was something magical about the sea, about the light, about the human connections throughout the week, that not only dissolved the layers of stress accumulated over the last year, but also lead me to see clearly, that I am not done with the big swims yet.

After all, a huge THANK YOU goes to our guides Dewi & Sarah and the SwimQuest-team back at the office for offering, planning and flawlessly executing a really magical trip to swim in the Arctic Circle.

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Inspired? Check out our Lofoten trip at www.swimquest.uk.com/lofoten