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Song about Durdle Door

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Rick Pearson has composed this lovely new folk song, inspired by a swim at Durdle Door.

Here he tells us a little about the inspiration..

“Swimming at Durdle Door in November?” scoffed my dad. “You two are
mad.” Perhaps we were. But back in November 2011, that’s exactly where
my friend and I were headed. I’d been given the Wild Swimming book as
birthday present and was longing to get out of London and into the sea –
however cold the water might be.

We rattled down to Dorset in a beat-up old car with a faulty CD player, getting
wildly lost in the process. Somehow, we eventually ended up at the cliff-top
car park that overlooks Durdle Door. What with it being late November, hardly
anyone else was around: just a couple of dog walkers and a photography
student.

Perhaps it’s the feeling of space, but looking out across the sea has always
made me feel philosophical. True to form, I remember announcing – rather
grandly – that this was more than just a swim: it was a milestone moment, a
cleansing process. I was coming back to shore, I decided, a new man.

The swim itself was over in a matter of minutes. But the sea was glorious:
cold, certainly, but also incredibly clear and invigorating. Back on shore, we
vowed through chattering teeth to be back – same time, same place ­ next
year.

A week or so later, I picked up the guitar and started playing around with a
little chord pattern. It had been knocking around for months, but I’d never
found any lyrics to go with it. Then I started singing some lines about Durdle
Door, and suddenly the song poured out. It tells our story: two friends headed
down to the coast for the simple joys of outdoor swimming.

I hope you enjoy listening to the song. And if you’re ever near Durdle Door in
November, do yourself a favour: jump in.

You can visit Rick’s webiste at www.rickpearson.co.uk or listen to the track directly on Sound Cloud

Arts & Culture Magazine