Courtesy of Mark Sheridan, Zoe Sadler, Janet Wilson, Windermere on behalf of the British Long Distance Swimming Association.

Zoe Sadler, the British Long Distance Swimming Association Honorary Recorder, provided a brief history and a comprehensive, authoritative list of successful 2 Way Windermere swimmers.

While swimming across Windermere has occurred for generations, the Windermere course changed in 1989 to the current 10.5-mile course between Fellfoot and Waterhead (Ambleside).* The previous 10.25-mile course was between Lakeside and Waterhead.

The first 2 Way Windermere Championship (2WW) organised by the British Long Distance Swimming Association on the 21-mile (33.7 km) course was held in 1996.

Prior to 1990, the 2 Way Windermere Championship was organised by Bradford Long Distance Swimming Club who transferred the running of this event to the BLDSA in 1990.

“The list below includes swimmers who have completed the 2WW course via the BLDSA course from Waterhead (Ambleside) to Fell Foot and back to Waterhead. The course can be done in either direction,” explains Sadler.

“The list contains swimmers who have completed the 2WW swim as part of the biennial BLDSA 2WW Championship event and swimmers who have swum the course as an individual challenge and have applied to have their swim recognised under the BLDSA Individual swim recognition route.”

The BLDSA understands that other organisations and individuals have separately completed 2WW swims, but these swimmers are not included in the BLDSA archives because the BLDSA did not received an application for individual swim recognition.

2 Way Windermere Swimmers:
1. Mark King 12 hours 17 minutes 40 seconds on September 3rd 1990
2. Chris Stockdale 16 hours 7 minutes 24 seconds on July 16th 1995
3. Paul Tew 15 hours 0 minute 35 seconds on August 4th 1995
4. Alan Turk 12 hours 18 minutes 0 second on August 17th 1995
5. Rachel Godburn 9 hours 33 minutes 23 seconds at its Championship on July 20th 1997
6. Dee Llewellyn 9 hours 46 minutes 48 seconds at its Championship 20/07/1997
7. Michaela Yates 10 hours 25 minutes 7 seconds at its Championship on July 20th
8. Paul Hogg 11 hours 30 minutes 44 seconds at its Championship on July 20th 1997
9. Lindsay Dunn 11 hours 44 minutes 44 seconds at its Championship on July 20th 1997
10. Ed Spooner 12 hours 21 minutes 10 seconds at its Championship on July 20th
11. Colleen Blair 12 hours 26 minutes 27 seconds at its Championship on July 20th 1997
12. Gill Stables 22 hours 0 minute 56 seconds at its Championship on July 20th [Breaststroke]
13. Pamela Ashton 16 hours 28 minutes 16 seconds on July 30th 1998
Dee Llewellyn 9 hours 15 minutes 1 second at its Championship on August 22nd 1999
Alan Turk 14 hours 30 minutes 52 seconds at its Championship on August 22nd 1999
14. Vicki Thompson 16 hours 6 minutes 30 seconds at its Championship on August 22nd 1999
15. Debbie Hurwitt 16 hours 7 minutes 18 seconds at its Championship on August 22nd 1999
Dee Llewellyn 9 hours 24 minutes 17 seconds at its Championship on August 5th 2001
16. Liane Llewellyn 10 hours 22 minutes 11 seconds at its Championship on August 5th 2001
17. Andy Wright 11 hours 57 minutes 11 seconds at its Championship on August 5th 2001
18. David Feakes 12 hours 18 minutes 16 seconds at its Championship on August 5th 2001
19. Mark Blewitt 14 hours 22 minutes 8 seconds at its Championship on August 5th 2001
20. Simon Lee 9 hours 57 minutes 39 seconds at its Championship on August 17th 2003
21. Darron Corden 10 hours 51 minutes 35 seconds Championship 17/08/2003
22. Olly White 11 hours 18 minutes 3 seconds at its Championship on August 17th 2003
23. Jo Weeden 11 hours 28 minutes 21 seconds at its Championship on August 17th 2003
24. Laura Colette 11 hours 40 minutes 54 seconds at its Championship on August 17th 2003
25. David Pantling 11 hours 56 minutes 34 seconds at its Championship on August 17th 2003
Mark Blewitt 16 hours 8 minutes 26 seconds at its Championship on August 17th 2003 [Men’s Breaststroke Record]
26. Sue Aitken 16 hours 28 minutes 14 seconds at its Championship on August 17th 2003
27. Lesley Feakes 16 hours 37 minutes 50 seconds at its Championship on August 17th 2003 [Ladies Breaststroke Record]
Gill Stables 17 hours 17 minutes 43 seconds at its Championship on August 17th 2003
28. Susan Edgar 19 hours 53 minutes 0 seconds in 2004 [Breaststroke]
29. Rebecca Lewis 8 hours 47 minutes 6 seconds Championship 21/08/2005
Simon Lee 10 hours 14 minutes 33 seconds at its Championship on August 21st 2005
30. Jane McCormick 12 hours 6 minutes 11 seconds at its Championship on August 21st 2005
31. Geoff Taylor 12 hours 47 minutes 3 seconds at its Championship on August 21st 2005
32. Andrea Gellan 12 hours 33 minutes 34 seconds at its Championship on August 21st 2005
Mark Blewitt 14 hours 17 minutes 34 seconds at its Championship on August 21st 2005
33. Mark Westaway 11 hours 6 minutes 2 seconds on July 29th 2006
34. David Cech 8 hours 44 minutes 1 seconds at its Championship on August 12th 2007 [Men’s Record]
Dee Llewellyn 9 hours 59 minutes 7 seconds at its Championship on August 12th 2007
35. Nuala Muir Cochrane 10 hours 38 minutes 9 seconds at its Championship on August 12th 2007
Liane Llewellyn 10 hours 50 minutes 34 seconds at its Championship on August 12th 2007
36. Robert Hodgson 14 hours 59 minutes 39 seconds at its Championship on August 12th 2007
37. Oliver Wilkinson 9 hours 4 minutes 54 seconds at its Championship on August 9th 2009
38. Benjamin Pennington 10 hours 5 minutes 15 seconds at its Championship on August 9th 2009
39. Giles Mayer 10 hours 23 minutes 8 seconds at its Championship on August 9th 2009
40. Colin Hill 10 hours 30 minutes 43 seconds at its Championship on August 9th 2009
Simon Lee 10 hours 59 minutes 15 seconds at its Championship on August 9th 2009
41. Justin Daubney 12 hours 9 minutes 25 seconds at its Championship on August 9th 2009
42. Claire Bennison 13 hours 20 minutes 6 seconds at its Championship on August 9th 2009
43. Michael Helps 13 hours 53 minutes 33 seconds at its Championship on August 9th 2009
44. Alister Stocks 17 hours 11 minutes 26 seconds at its Championship on August 9th 2009
45. Matthew Jones 17 hours 13 minutes 28 seconds at its Championship on August 9th 2009
46. Thomas Noblett 17 hours 58 minutes 23 seconds at its Championship on August 9th 2009
47. Anna Wardley 19 hours 6 minutes 23 seconds at its Championship on August 9th 2009
48. Tara Dudley 12 hours 15 minutes 39 seconds on August 4th 2010
Rebecca Lewis 9 hours 4 minutes 17 seconds at its Championship on August 14th 2011
49. Nicola Fraser 9 hours 31 minutes 40 seconds at its Championship on August 14th 2011
50. Adam Walker 10 hours 31 minutes 40 seconds at its Championship on August 14th 2011
51. Chris Sheppard 11 hours 38 minutes 26 seconds at its Championship on August 14th 2011
52. Amy Mellor 11 hours 51 minutes 30 seconds at its Championship on August 14th 2011
53. Jamie Page 11 hours 57 minutes 39 seconds at its Championship on August 14th 2011
54. Rob Farrow 12 hours 23 minutes 20 seconds at its Championship on August 14th 2011
55. Jo Norton-Barker 14 hours 1 minute 7 seconds at its Championship on August 14th 2011
Vicki Thompson 14 hours 53 minutes 21 seconds at its Championship on August 14th 2011
56. Caroline Lewis 15 hours 15 minutes 59 seconds at its Championship on August 14th 2011
57. Barry O’Doherty 15 hours 33 minutes 29 seconds at its Championship on August 14th 2011
58. Christine Pitman 17 hours 54 minutes 23 seconds at its Championship on August 14th 2011
59. Paul Caunce 18 hours 50 minutes 26 seconds at its Championship on August 14th 2011
60. Helen Beveridge 14 hours 20 minutes 21 seconds on August 6th 2013
61. Nicola Fraser 9 hours 58 minutes 34 seconds at its Championship on August 10th 2013
62. Pawel Nowak 10 hours 28 minutes 4 seconds at its Championship on August 10th 2013
63. Alexandra Christie 10 hours 52 minutes 8 seconds at its Championship on August 10th 2013
64. Mark Sheridan 13 hours 29 minutes 55 seconds at its Championship on August 10th 2013
Jo Norton-Barker 15 hours 7 minutes 13 seconds at its Championship on August 10th 2013
65. Kate Robarts 14 hours 47 minutes 55 seconds on August 14th 2013
66. Zoe Sadler 13 hours 0 minute 40 seconds on August 20th 2013
67. Amanda Bell 13 hours 42 minutes 13 seconds on August 22nd 2013
Rebecca Lewis 8 hours 33 minutes 18 seconds Championship August 2nd 2015 Ladies Record
68. Sabrina Wiedmer 10 hours 18 minutes 11 seconds Championship August 2nd 2015
69. Jai Evans 11 hours 38 minutes 15 seconds Championship August 2nd 2015
70. André Roberts 11 hours 45 minutes 45 seconds Championship August 2nd 2015
71. Wendy Figures 12 hours 2 minutes 30 seconds Championship August 2nd 2015
72. Erin Hope 14 hours 22 minutes 37 seconds Championship August 2nd 2015
73. Debbie Taylor 14 hours 46 minutes 31 seconds Championship August 2nd 2015
74. Tors Hamilton 15 hours 22 minutes 48 seconds Championship August 2nd 2015
75. Jo Blackburn 15 hours 50 minutes 27 seconds Championship August 2nd 2015
76. Jane Bell 16 hours 6 minutes 34 seconds Championship August 2nd 2015

* Start Point: Standing between the Fell Foot National Park cafe and the lake, facing the lake, swimmers will see immediately in front of the cafe two stone jetties one on the north side of the cafe and one on the south. The start line is from behind a line level with the south stone jetty or touching this jetty. No other starting point will be accepted.

The End Point is exactly the same as it always has been: by crossing a line between the last (northernmost) jetty on Ambleside beach and the jetty from the grounds of the Waterhead hotel.

The reverse north-south course has the above start and finish points reversed; the two-way swim uses these two points as the start and turn points whichever way the swim is made.

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