For whom the bell tolls

Photo: sunset over Ben Lomond- view from 9th hole of Bridge of Allan golf club.
 
You are never too old… enrolled today for a set of swim lessons to improve my swimming at Stirling University.
 
Stepping inside their Olympic size pool is, to say the least, intimidating. There are all these elite swimmers thrashing through the water in one half of the pool while we “improvers” have a section to ourselves.
 
Everyone looks super fit.
Oh yes, the changing room. Nobody warns me it's unisex so I get a surprise when a man pops out of the cubicle next to me.
 
As for the lesson, I am surprised and delighted to find I can   keep up and moreover I don't run out of puff. So much so I stay on for the aqua aerobics class afterwards and have now taken out community membership of the pool.
 
Met Mary, a woman in her mid 70s, who tells me she  learnt to swim after a lifetime of being terrified to even get in the water.
I watch her do the crawl and it inspires me to one-day master this stroke.
 
Here are first class facilities on my doorstep. Why had I never investigated it before? The answer is that I found it all too intimidating but in fact the staff are very welcoming, and there are a sprinkling of older swimmers too beating out lengths.
 
I shall be back. Every week.
 
For a glimpse of the pool click to see a drone fly- through video of campus facilities.