Watch: I was taught how to skim stones by father and daughter champions

When Shrewsbury stone-skimmer Emily Bailey phoned me last week to let me know of her and her dad's successes at an international competition in Germany, there was only one question on my mind: "Can you teach me?"

Thankfully, an enthusiastic reply came from the 22-year-old and a plan was formed.

A few days later I was standing on the banks of the River Severn with Emily and her father, 52-year-old stone skimming extraordinaire, Gary Bailey.

Gary's list of accolades is impressive: He won the British title twice in 2016 and 2023, this year his team, The Backwall Boys, won the world championships in 2024 and just three weeks ago he took first place at the Berlin Masters.

The titles are impressive, sure, but they don't do this man's talents any justice.

I'm the kind of person who measures furniture by lying down next to it, so I can't tell you with any accuracy how far he skimmed the stones on that cool October day - but it was so far that it broke the rules I had made up in my head of how far a stone could be skimmed.

I had, until this point, measured stone skimming by how many bounces I got. I still remember my own dad throwing an impressive 12 on Coniston when I was a teenager.

But Gary's stones provided no discernible bounces to count, once they hit the water they appeared to skate across the surface until they travelled almost out of sight.

After a couple of throws from Gary, a small crowd had gathered on a nearby bridge, with on-lookers running from one side to the other - pooh sticks style - to watch as his stones danced beneath.

"Every time we come out people stop to watch," said Emily, smiling at the crowd's cheers and proudly watching her father. She turned to me: "No pressure!"

Trying not to be deterred by the crowd, I rifled through the bag of stones the pair had brought for our lesson.

"The right stone is important," Gary told me. "Smooth and flat on the bottom, doesn't matter too much on the top.

"The perfect stone is something that feels really comfortable in your hand, most people think a circular one is best, but in my experience, it isn't because it's hard to get somewhere to get a grip on.

"Square ones, oblong, rectangular, octagonal, they're easier to get a grip on. You want to be able to spin it as quickly as you can when you throw it, so you want that angle."

As well as spending countless hours on shorelines picking the perfect stones with his family, Gary makes his own at home out of cement and sand in what his family have dubbed "the stone shed".

These man-made stones resemble more hockey pucks than pebbles, with a diameter of around four inches and a little groove carved out of the circumference for the tip of his finger to sit in.

Trying not to be deterred by the crowd and feigning confidence in my choice of stone, I stepped up to the end of the pier.

"Legs apart, lowish to the water and bring your arm back," said Gary. I threw the stone - skip, skip, sink. A two. How embarrassing. While I went to collect another stone, Emily stepped up.

The 22-year-old carer has been throwing stones with her dad for much of her life and began partaking in competitions as a teenager.

This year, she followed in Gary's footsteps and took first place in the women's competition at the Berlin Masters.

Proud dad Gary said: "It's great to have them doing something you're really passionate about. It's great that they come away with me for those long weekends, it's not just about the stone skimming, it's a lovely way to spend time together."

Like-father-like-daughter, there was little point trying to count Emily's bounces as her stones slid gracefully across the surface of the Severn.

After an hour on the river with Emily and Gary, my arm had improved a little (I don't want to brag but one time, I got a seven) but Gary's words were lingering - it really was a lovely way to spend time together.

On my way home after work that day I drove home via the river and parked up, got out my phone and messaged a couple of my friends: 'Want to come and skim some stones?'