Dunmow Atlantis Swimming Club members were lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel to Italy last week for long course swim training.

Staying at a beautiful country club near Piombino, the squad, a mixture of regional, county and masters swimmers, trained twice daily in the superb 50m pool, overlooking the Tuscan hills.

Not only did the swimmers improve their fitness and technique, completing over 50 km each over the nine two hour training sessions, the annual swim camp was also a chance to complete team building activities and enjoy some down time together.

Head coach Darren Tucker, assisted by Amanda Simmons and Heather McLaughlin, was highly impressed with his squad’s achievements.

He said: “I am so proud of them all, they tackled every swimming challenge I put in front of them and smashed it.

“It was great to spend time away from the pool as well, very well done to all.”

The extra training will stand the swimmers in good stead with Winter Regional, National and Essex County competitions, plus the National Arena League taking up much of the next few months.

Visit www.dunmowatlantis.co.uk for more information about the club.