“As Much or As Little As You Like”:
ROSEMARY CHAMBERLIN WRITES ABOUT Finding Swim Bliss in Mathraki

It was the phrase “You can do as much or as little as you like” that clinched it for me. Well that and the fact that I love swimming, especially in the sea, that I’ve never been to Greece and that Mathraki looked gorgeous but “as much or as little as you like” – that’s for me!

I was never a fast swimmer but now I am pushing 80 I’m even slower and can’t do the same distances, so I loved being able to start on the boat and slip into the beautifully warm clear sea whenever I liked – or start with the group and climb aboard when I got tired.  And if I wanted an afternoon off?  I took it and had a walk, a dip (or a snooze).

Mathraki? A perfect spot for me. No long trek to the beach, no scrambling over slippery rocks or pebbles, just smooth sand a few yards in front of our small hotel.  The hotel staff were efficient and friendly and the food was plentiful and delicious, if a little repetitive. Still, when in Greece… eat tzatziki and feta.

Our guides, Bertie and Leah, were just what you want from swim guides – competent, reliable, knowledgeable and very good company.  Mathraki is a cash economy, so on day one we handed Bertie the money for all our meals in advance and then didn’t have to think about money until settling our Honesty Bar bill at the end.  So easy and well-organised, just like the transport arrangements to and from Corfu.  They also gave extra technique sessions for those who wanted it and Leah’s tuition really improved my crawl – well for about ten minutes until I reverted to the way I’ve been doing it for 70+ years, but at least I know now what to aim at.

One day I was feeling a little ‘unbalanced’ – probably due to bobbing around in the boat the previous day – so I decided to stay onshore while the others sailed across to Arillas Bay in Corfu.  I went for a walk, past the graveyard for dead cars and trucks (that’s always a problem for islands – what do you do with your rubbish?) and on through the countryside, counting types of butterflies, trying to identify wildflowers and just enjoying the peace.  Apparently there used to be lots of birds, too, but the ‘sport’ of shooting them as they migrated was so popular that now there aren’t so many. Who’d have guessed that would happen?  It’s easy enough to walk all round Mathraki in a couple of hours but I turned back after saying ‘hello’ to the mules.  I swam in the bay before meeting the others returning from Arillas, all excited at having done things you can’t do on Mathraki, like get money out of an ATM or buy a pair of flipflops.  Apparently the swims were gorgeous, too.

I’d expected wonderful weather but we were particularly fortunate – mainly beautifully sunny and calm in the mornings and beautifully sunny and a bit breezy in the afternoons – so our swims needed very little tweaking, just one change of direction to go with the wind instead of against it.  One day we swam about 3K between two small islands (I did about half). It’s funny how you can swim and swim and the island you’re making for never seems to get any bigger!  Half way there, I climbed onto one of the boats and became more aware of what care Bertie and Leah took of us.  During the swim there were between 7 and 10 swimmers spread out along 3K of sea, with currents we were hardly aware of when in the water but which took us away from the route we planned.  Our guides were in the two accompanying inflatable ribs, in touch with each other and watching the swimmers the whole time; counting us, checking we were OK, advising on directions to take to counter the currents and handing out water, jelly babies and encouragement. Oh, and hauling us onboard when we’d had enough. My technique did improve during the week but clambering on board was not a manoeuvre I could manage with dignity. Luckily no-one was taking videos.

One highlight (there were so many) was the trip out to the ‘deep blue’. What’s there to say? It was deep and it was so, so blue. We just got off the boats and swam about going ‘oooh’ and ‘aaah’ and ‘wow’ while Leah took underwater videos and photos of us.  Not to be missed.

Also not to be missed was the last morning’s Sunrise Swim. The photo of that is now the home screen on my PC and the first thing I see every morning when I turn on – a lovely reminder of a great holiday and a very friendly group of swimmers.  If you want fine wine go to Bordeaux or Tuscany, but for clear warm sea, beautiful surroundings, a comfortable hotel and a wonderful holiday as relaxing or energetic as you like, you can’t do better than Mathraki with SwimQuest.  I’m already planning to go back to celebrate my 80^th birthday (if, as my grandmother used to say “I’m spared”).

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