Woman completes Bristol channel swim in mermaid's tail

Ms Cole said that the tide made it a 'demoralising' swim

A woman has successfully crossed the Bristol Channel in a mermaid's tail.

Lindsey Cole, from Bristol, swam 12 miles from Penarth to Clevedon in 6.5 hours on Wednesday morning, hoping to raise awareness of pollution.

"It was really hard," Ms Cole said. "The tide makes it quite a punishing swim."

She was greeted in Clevedon by her friends and the local swimming community.

Ms Cole said she treated herself to a massage and some takeaway afterwards

"The end was good, but the swim itself was quite demoralising," Ms Cole said.

"You have to swim in an S-shape due to the tide.

"But after the swim I got a Thai massage, some takeout and watched a film from the 1980s."

She added that she felt sore today but was happy about what she has achieved.

Ms Cole's children's book The Mermaid, the Otter and the Big Poo - written about a swim she did in 2022 - will be published in September.