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After swimming Hathersage, Diana and I were able to enjoy the wonderful gardens of Chatsworth House on our way to Matlock Bath. We had decided to swim this pool to support David Mitchell and the Friends of Matlock Bath even though it was not listed in Liquid Assets. David and his fellow enthusiasts had been instrumental in keeping the New Bath Hotel pool open to the public who are now able to use it on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the summer months. The pool itself is fed by natural spring water at around 20 degrees centigrade and is in a beautifully open and peaceful area surrounded by trees.

David greeted us at poolside and introduced us to a local press reporter who took a few photos of us before our swim. We managed to swim our mile in good time accompanied by a few swimmers from the “friends”. As we had no other pools to swim that day, we were able to relax and enjoy the peace and serenity of our surroundings.

David invited us back to his bookshop where we enjoyed a cup of coffee and a cake in the café there. What a fascinating place with over 40,000 new and 40,000 old and antiquarian books on offer, an Aladdin’s cave for any book enthusiast!

After our experiences earlier that morning, it was real pleasure to meet a real enthusiast for our challenge and for outdoor pools generally.

We are ready!