While the rest of Scotland basked in warm sunshine, on the day of our Findhorn GBSD the beach was shrouded in a cool haar, writes organiser Alan Ellison. This didn’t deter 31 dippers from taking part in the second GBSD here. The air temperature of 15°C and water temperature 13°C meant that many only dipped briefly and got dressed promptly afterwards. Others lost track of the time while chatting in the water and stayed in a bit longer than they should but were quickly revived by a hot drink and a piece of millionaire shortbread!
A wider range of publicity this time - an article in the Press & Journal, a post in the “Forres Local” FaceBook page and a mention on Greatest Hits Radio breakfast show - resulted in a diverse group, ranging from 20s to 70s, many of whom had only recently found out about the event and one who joined in spontaneously as she was passing. Some were a bit late so they don’t feature in the line-up but they promise to get there on time next year!
We weren’t joined by dolphins or seals but a Basking shark was spotted feeding a little further out to sea. The event raised £190 for the Findhorn Dunes Trust, a local charity which looks after the fragile environment surrounding the dip location.
A week beforehand, I put up a sign next to the car park to let people know about the event, inviting them to join us or cheer. One member of the public contacted the local police to question the legality of the sign, and the event. It was reassuring that the police responded that they had been informed of the event, and that it was legal so no action needed to be taken. I had to replace the sign five times in the week leading up to the event as it was removed by person(s) unknown, presumably because they objected. Most feedback on the Forres Local Facebook page was positive, but one person thought it was “disgusting” so I assume they stayed away!
I’ll set the date for the next event early next year after I get hold of the tide timetables, likely to be early September again. Haar is a rare thing around here and surely it can’t happen again next time!