Lord Byron’s greatest swims across Europe’s iconic waterways

Posted On June 3, 2024June 3, 2024

Romantic poet George Gordon Byron, commonly known as Lord Byron, was famous for many things in his day. His epic poems alluded to mythological heroism—and to himself, of course.

Among his many feats, Byron was also the first person to create what might be considered the earliest diss track, a work that was squarely aimed at fellow poet John Keats. He was a radical supporter of the working-class political movement, Luddism. Scandalous rumours swirled about his relationship with his half-sister, Augusta. He travelled extensively across Europe. And finally, he died heroically at the age of just 36, fighting for Greece’s independence from the Ottoman Empire.

One other lesser-known but often celebrated aspect of Byron’s life is his athletic abilities. Despite being born with a club foot, he was a prodigious athlete with a particular penchant for boxing, fencing, shooting, horse riding and rowing.

One other sport impassioned him above any other, though. Lord Byron was a superb swimmer. If he were alive today, he might have been able to compete at a professional level in long-distance swimming races. In fact, the longer the distance, the more he seemed to relish the challenge.

“The more violent the fatigue, the better my spirits for the rest of the day,” Byron once wrote. Apparently, he was ahead of his time in having a keen understanding of the link between exercise and mental health.

Hellespont hero and victorious in Venice

During a lengthy tour of Europe with his friend John Hobhouse, Byron took his love of lengthy swims to the next level. In 1810, aged just 22, he swam three miles across the Hellespont, the strait of water now known as the Dardanelles that separate continental Europe from Asia. Even more impressively, for a swim amid strong currents, he did so in “an hour and 10 minutes”, according to Hobhouse.

Byron’s swim was inspired by the Classical Greek myth of Hero and Leander, who would swim across the Hellespont to meet each other for nights of lovemaking.

Later, in 1816, Byron challenged Italian nobleman Angelo Mengaldo to a swimming race in Venice. Mengaldo had been boasting about his own swimming achievements, and Byron was never one to accept his abilities being overshadowed by another.

The two raced from the Lido of Venice to the Grand Canal, and down the canal itself to a finishing point in the centre of the city. Not only did Byron trounce Mengaldo in the race, he also left swimming partner Alexander Scott trailing in his wake, and insisted on continuing past the finish line down the entire length of the Grand Canal.

Towards the end of his life, the poet remarked, “It is true from early habit, one must make love mechanically as one swims.” He was fairly prodigious at both activities, by all accounts. “I was once very fond of both,” he added, “but now as I never swim unless I tumble into the water, I don’t make love till almost obliged.”

It’s hardly surprising that after such extensive exertions, he fell out of love with swimming extensively. But not before making history, becoming the first person on historical record to swim the width of the Hellespont and the length of Venice’s Grand Canal.

Byron’s great swims were arguably the most eulogised on record. That is, until the miraculous heroism of Syrian child refugees Sarah and Yusra Mardini, which was showcased in the brilliant 2022 film The Swimmers.

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