Nicole Milligan recaps a frigid week in the West Country:

On the second day of 2009, the squad headed back to Wimbleball Lake to brave sub-zero conditions in the beautiful Exmoor countryside. We were there to hone our technical skills, rack up the miles, lay down some fast times, and have a good time too!

Our nutritionist Juliet was on hand to make sure we were properly fuelled and hydrated for training. We were also joined by Sarah Cornick and Linda Reynard who brought with them a wealth of experience. Under coach Alex's watchful eyes, we progressed through a tough schedule which included a couple sessions of speed order testing. A whole week in boats great & small and, unlike last year, not a single capsize – perhaps due to a healthy respect for the ice-infested water.

Training camp also involved some cross-training, with trips to Tiverton Pool and Woolacombe Beach for swimming, birthday bumps, sea-breeze running, dune-scampering and ring of doom fun. Each evening we headed back to the "toasty" digs in Dulverton to cook up some, well, interesting meals, and chill-out before hitting the pillows. The local pubs were visited on occasion and a certain gong would herald the end of the night…

By day eight we were utterly exhausted, happy to have consolidated our technique and moved our physiology on in harsh conditions. And so it was time to pack our bags & boats and bid farewell to the lake. Many thanks to the drivers for taking us safely home at the end of such an action-packed week!

Katherine LaFrance sizes up Wimbleball Lake:

With a solid Michaelmas term of training behind us, Christmas break was finally approaching. What better way to welcome the season than with three days in Exmoor, rowing on Wimbleball Lake!

On Friday 19 December, we were on the road before 6am, having loaded the trailer the night before. Our kit bags were artfully wrapped in bin liners and loaded in the back of “The Warrior,” driven by coach Cavell.

Making good time, we arrived chez Crewe hungry for breakfast – and were not disappointed by tea, fresh fruit, toast, homemade marmalade, and Lebkuchen. It was then onward to Exmoor to rig boats and fit in an outing before the early sunset.

Despite only having 2 ½ days for rowing, we managed to fit in a good deal of water time, making the trip worthwhile. Rowing on the open lake, with woods and hill trails rising up around us, we felt the satisfaction of connection with the water and our new surroundings. In pieces, steady state and technical rowing, we made the most of our weekend, while whetting our appetites for a longer training camp in January 2009.

We were pleased with the facilities at Wimbleball (a well-provisioned nature centre managed by the South West Lakes Trust), and had the large lake mostly to ourselves. A crew room with ergos, whiteboard, DVD player and tea also did not disappoint. Although the temperatures were not below freezing during the day (we would wait until January camp for this), it was still a welcome treat to come back to the warm crew room and clean, hot showers, before braving the more ascetic conditions at our hostel in Dulverton. (Three days was not quite enough time to heat up the entire house – but we warmed ourselves with jaunts to the local watering holes). A memorable Saturday evening included Secret Santa gifts and a festive meal at Dulverton’s famous Red Lion pub.

Back off the water from our last outing on Sunday afternoon, we moved the boats and trailer, energized by a soundtrack of festive tunes. After a few tries, we managed to fit all the boats into the garage at the top of a steep hill…and were soon back on the road towards families and holiday celebrations. In high spirits we made our way back to Oxford and beyond, ready for Christmas…and counting the days until our next trip to Wimbleball Lake.