TEN thousand swimmers are packing their wetsuits and goggles for this weekend's 2017 Great North Swim.

The popular aquatic event is celebrating its 10th anniversary at Windermere with an action-packed three-day schedule, designed to test the mettle of experienced long-distance swimmers as well as encourage new or nervous bathers into England's largest lake.

Once again the Great North Swim is expected to give a major economic boost to hotels, B&Bs, cafes, pubs and restaurants, with participants, their families and friends having booked their accommodation months in advance.

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Alex Jackson, director of the Great Swim Series, told the Gazette that organisers were excited about the variety of events in this year's programme, including the epic 10km swims that 400 people have signed up for.

"They will be in the water around four hours. It's at the top end of the open water swimming bracket, so that's very exciting," he said.

The route comprises six laps of the Great North Swim course and will feature a small, deep-water pontoon where swimmers can fuel up on Jelly Babies and bottled water.

Alongside the flagship one-mile swims, there will also be half-mile, two-mile and 5km courses, as well as the new Great Swim250 open to adults and children aged eight and upwards. "We are trying to encourage a new generation of open water swimmers," said Alex, "and we have over 250 entrants."

Meanwhile, the new Great North SwimRun trails will see teams of two embarking on Saturday morning for what is described as an "off-road, open-water island-hopping adventure", with distances of 10.6km, 21.3km and 36.5km. "The concept of the SwimRun is that you swim in what you run in, and you run in what you swim in," explained Alex, adding that the first finishers are expected to return to Low Wood Bay around midday.

As thousands of people prepare to descend on Windermere, organisers have been "working hard" to streamline traffic and travel plans. "We are doing 'no parking' at the event site," said Alex. "There will be park-and-sail at Bowness, and Windermere Lake Cruises are putting on a special offer for participants and their friends and family up to Brockhole, then it's a short walk to the venue." Stagecoach are also laying on buses from across the Lakes direct to Low Wood Bay.

Compulsory wetsuits for warmth and buoyancy are part of a "belt and braces" approach to event safety, and Windermere's water temperature is expected to hover around 18°C - "ideal conditions", said Alex. "It's very exciting and we've been a long time in planning this event. We are really looking forward to a cracking weekend this year."

- For more, visit www.greatrun.org

- For the latest lake temperature reading, visit englishlakes.co.uk/weather

Are you taking part in the swim? Send your pictures to rachel.kitchen@nqnw.co.uk