Swim Long - Eton Dorney

A very well organised and friendly event, incredibly clean water, I could actually see all the bouy ropes under the water so it was easy to follow a line on the straights (my swim sighting is dodgy sometimes!) The changing, finish tent and registration areas are all under cover and there is a bag drop and places to get warm drinks thereafter if you have hideous weather as this year's was (but you can't control the weather). The boating lake restaurant is open but not to dogs. (The rest of the area is dog friendly for those spectating with a picnic.) Plenty of places for the spectators to hide from the rain - very helpful as a 6 mile swim takes a while! The mass start makes it easy to go off and it's non stressful, and as the boating lake is soooo long and not a weird shape it's a great course, just be careful when creating the 'M' at the end of each lap for the 6 mile as it's tough to see the middle orange bouy lying down, and you have to cross all the boat ropes, maybe more kayaks to show the way would help, but its a minor point and once 1 x lap was done you know what youre doing, so personally I'd walk up there and familarise yourself with the 'M' part before the race. (Just get there early for that if so as it's a long way up.) Be warned the postcode in the race pack is TOTALLY wrong, 5 miles out so don't follow this, make your own way to Dorney lake on your sat nav instead. Parking is a good 10 min walk to registartion so allow time to do so, but registaration is a 5 minute process so nice and easy. I would definatley do this event again and it's much better priced than the likes of swim serp (which in my opinion is way too busy with non swimmers and expensive these days to do the longer 6 mile swim). So on the whole - superb, just please amend the postcode!

Post code didn't lead precisely to the place we had to be. Remedy: put up signage to the Rowing Club. Enough toilets and much better than the horrible portaloo one normally has to use. Registration quick. Glad there was a place to leave bag. Tagging the bags&swimmers with wristbands as is done at Dock2Dock would be good. Pre-swim I was a bit lost as to where to be. Pre-swim briefing good. Well-organised, good pre-event email comms, water clean, felt safe, felt challenged by the cold (18 degrees) and the breeze on the 1 200m return stretch (skins swimmer), which made it all the more rewarding when I finished my 2.5km swim. Thank you for the cake and cola. It felt stingy to pay £3.50 for a medal at the finish. I know medals are probably built into entry fees at other events, but it is nice to get a medal. Compared to Dock2Dock: both are good venues, clean water, well organised, plenty of safety crew. Dock2Dock medals and a gift for all finishers. Swim Long had showers: what a treat! And it is a good venue for family and friends as there is a viewing deck and places along the course where they can watch the swimmers. I would like to do this event or one like it, organised by VOTWO, again.