SWIMMIN G

TO OUT DOOR
BEGI NN ER’ S GUIDE

ONE
PART
T H E M O N T H LY M AG A Z I N E OF O U T D O OR S W I M M I N G
S U B S C R I B E & S AV E !
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 WE LCOME

SIMON GRIFFITHS
Editor’s Letter
Founder and Publisher Welcome to the world of outdoor swimming! If
simon@outdoorswimmer.com you haven’t yet taken the plunge into swimming
outdoors, part one of our two-part guide will
ELLA FOOTE Editor introduce you to the joys of the open water as
JONATHAN COWIE Contributing Editor well as giving you practical advice on how to
KATE CROMWELL Design& Production start your swimming journey, where to swim and
OMIE DALE Gear Editor what kit you will need. Plus, we’ve got tips and
advice from all kinds of outdoor swimmers –
YVONNE TURNER Commercial Director whether you want to take your first dip or cross
yvonne@outdoorswimmer.com the English Channel. So take a deep breath and
ALI TURNER Advertising Sales dive in – the water’s lovely!
alistair@eightpr.co.uk Part two includes an introduction to cold water swimming, a training plan for your
KIRSTYN LUTON Marketing Manager first open water mile and tips to improve your stroke technique.
STUART CHURCHILL Operations
Happy swimming!

ON THE COVER
Swimmers: Almost Synchro
Photographer: Roger Taylor

SUBSCRIPTIONS Ella Foote, Editor

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West Street, Bourne, Lincs, PE10 9PH
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CO N T EN TS
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OUTDOOR SWIMMER is published by ZG

Publishing Ltd, 6 Maida Vale Business Centre, Mead
Road, Cheltenham, GL53 7ER 4 Why Swim Outdoors? 10  he Ancient Art of
T
Swimming outdoors offers Wild Swimming
OUTDOOR SWIMMER is printed and bound in so much more than the pool. Top tips for taking a swim on
the UK by Pensord Press Ltd. All paper used in the wild side.
this publication is sourced from well-managed,

10
sustainable forests and is fully recyclable. Please
consider the environment and recycle this magazine 16 Outdoor Swimming Kit
once you have finished with it. Everything you need to get
started.
18 Find your Tribe
Whether you’re into dipping,
distance or wild synchro, get

4
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Outdoor Swimmer 3
F EAT UR E

WHY SWIM
OUTDOORS?
Swimming outdoors offers so much more than the
pool, says Simon Griffiths

you can tolerate, and even thrive in, a wide

range of natural water temperatures.
Swimming in cool water is a whole-body
sensual experience. There’s an initial period
of discomfort followed by a spell of feeling
invigorated and energised.
Swimming in a pool can also be enjoyable
too, of course. There is something special
about being immersed in water. Perhaps
it’s because it’s the closest we can get
to flying. In open water you also get the
pleasure of being outside – immersed in

O
utdoor swimming is: an adventure, nature as well as in water.
a community, fitness, wellbeing, a Swimming outdoors also gives you more
race, a meditation, a way of life… opportunity to play. You can leap off rocks,
The rewards of swimming outdoors are swing from trees into the water and dive
many and varied and this guide is here to through waves. And it doesn’t matter if you
support you to take that first leap into the are nine or 99 years old.
big blue beyond… As well as enjoyment and fun there
For years, authorities have been warning are outdoor swimmers who take up the
us against swimming in open water. They sport for the challenges it offers and the
say it’s cold and dirty, that there are satisfaction that comes from achieving
hidden undercurrents and weeds that can things they previously thought of as
entangle you and drag you down, and if impossible.
you do happen to survive the initial swim, A first step for many new open water
you’ll probably get ill afterwards. Later we’ll swimmers is to sign up for a mass
bust these myths and show you how you participation swimming event. We like the
can swim outside safely, but firstly we want word ‘event’ rather than ‘race’ as often, for
to answer a more fundamental question: the majority, these swims are not about
why should you swim outside? racing but about overcoming a personal
Perhaps the main draw – plain and challenge and completing the distance. A
simple – is that it’s very enjoyable. If you typical beginner’s distance is a mile and
haven’t experienced outdoor swimming, there is a wide range of events in different
that can sound surprising. If you’re used to locations and types of water around
swimming pool temperatures for example, the world offering this. In the UK, many
entering open water can give you quite a swimmers will use a wetsuit for their first
shock (literally) but with a bit of practice open water race (some organisers make

4 Outdoor Swimmer
 F EATUR E

wearing a wetsuit compulsory) but that’s

not the case for all races.
A mile equates to a little over 64
lengths of a standard 25m swimming pool
but it’s a totally different challenge in
open water. Firstly, the water temperature
will most likely be cooler than the pool
and while a wetsuit does offer some
protection you still feel the chill on your
face, hands and feet. A wetsuit can also
feel restricting so combined with the
shock of the cold this can cause some
people to panic. But don’t worry, you can
overcome this with a bit of practice.
Secondly, in a pool you have the
opportunity to rest at every turn. Not
so in a lake or the ocean. Even the push
off from the wall at each turn gives you a
second or two to rest your arms whereas
outside they are in constant motion.
Then, because you don’t have a black
line to follow, it’s much harder to swim
straight. These means an open water mile
is ‘longer’ than a pool mile and for most
people will be slower.
Other differences are limited visibility,
rough conditions, other swimmers in “Swimming outdoors also gives you
close proximity, depth, distance from the
shore and the possibility of encountering more opportunity to play. You can
wildlife or swimming through plants. It’s
no wonder people feel a huge sense of leap off rocks, swing from trees into
achievement after completing an open
water swim for the first time. On the
the water and dive through waves”
plus side, because you’re not changing
direction every 25m, swimming a mile
outside can, in some ways, feel easier You lose the warmth and buoyancy marathon swim in the world. Others
than in the pool. benefits. But it can be incredibly include the Cook Strait in New Zealand
liberating. Your arms and shoulders are no and the North Channel between Ireland
longer restricted and you sense the water and Scotland. All these swims offer
DISTANCE MATTERS over your entire body. different challenges in terms of currents,
Some swimmers like to push the barriers The pinnacle of marathon swimming water temperatures and possibly wildlife
through ever longer distances. If you’ve challenges is often considered to be encounters.
done a mile, why not try two miles or the English Channel. This 21-mile swim
five kilometres or ten kilometres – the can take anywhere from seven hours
swimming marathon. (the current world record, held by Trent
ICE BREAKERS
For the purists though, real marathon Grimsey, is 6:55) to 28 hours and 44 Another way outdoor swimmers
swimming is done without a wetsuit. Not minutes (the current slowest swim record challenge themselves is with temperature.
only do you have to train you body and held by Jackie Cobell). For the swim to Historically, a few swimmers have swum
mind to do the distance, you have to deal be recognised as ‘official’ you need to do year-round in locations such as Brighton,
with the cold and, in the sea, possibly it without a wetsuit and follow specific the Serpentine and Tooting Bec Lido,
jellyfish stings. Removing your wetsuit rules regarding your costume and swim even going so far as to break the ice to
and swimming outdoors without one for cap. get at the water. As autumn turns to
the first time can be very nerve-wracking. The English Channel is not the only winter and temperatures plunge these

Outdoor Swimmer 7
FE AT UR E

swims tend to get shorter – sometimes Swimming World Championships. harm. The benefits of swimming outside
as short as a minute or two– but fans of In brief then, outdoor swimming offers are many and varied and for some it
extreme cold water say they feel great hundreds of ways to enjoy and challenge becomes a life-long passion.
all day afterwards. Many also believe it yourself and it doesn’t matter if you’re Our aim in this introductory guide to
boosts their immunity against winter fast or slow, young or old. There’s space outdoor swimming is to show you some
colds. for everyone. As for the safety fears, you of the places swimming might take you if
In more recent years, as cold water can never make swimming totally risk free you free yourself from the confines of the
swimming has gained in popularity, but through a bit of planning, common pool, and how to get there.
winter swimming has been formalised sense and the right precautions you can
into events and there is even a Winter minimise the chances of coming to any

8 Outdoor Swimmer
E XP LO R E

THE ANCIENT
ART OF WILD
SWIMMING
Daniel Start, author of Wild Swimming, shares his tips
for taking the plunge

WHAT IS WILD understood this with their hot-cold plunge

pools, and so does Paula Radcliffe, who always
SWIMMING AND took a cold shower before a race. Second, after
WHY DO IT? regular swimming, a process known as cold
adaptation kicks in. Not only does this reduce
‘Wild Swimming’ is the ancient art of swimming your body’s sensation of coldness (making even
in natural waters such as rivers, lakes and the coldest water quite pleasant), it is clinically
waterfalls, as well as the sea – the sort of proven to boost mode, libido and the immune
places our great grandparents learnt to swim system – as shown in NASA experiments from
in and the only places before swimming pools the 1980s and more recent studies of year round
were invented in Victorian times. Today there swimmers imunnity from colds and flu. Finally, a
is something slightly naughty, a little bit cold dip also provides a psychological kick start.
adventurous and wonderfully invigorating about A powerful endorphin shot is released and this
wild swimming. Getting in, and out, is as much a natural high raises mood, elates the senses and
part of the ritual as the swim itself. Some like to creates an addictive urge to dive back in.
tiptoe, but I like to jump (if I have checked the So why has it taken so long for wild swimming
depth first) and it’s the sheer fun of a day spent to come back into vogue? The industrial decades
by the river that makes wild swimming a perfect of the 1950s and 1960s decimated our rivers
escape. with unimaginable pollution, however thanks
From Celtic enchanted pools to early Christian to European policy our rivers and lakes are
river baptisms, through to Wordsworth and cleaner now than they’ve been in living memory.
Coleridge frolicking in Lake District waterfalls, Hidden havens for wildlife once more, these
there has always been a strong tradition of secret corridors into forgotten corners of our
wild water swimming in Britain. The health and countryside are places to swim with kingfishers
psychological benefits of dipping in natural and otters. Bobbing along with a frog’s-eye view
waters have long been known – and our many of the world, wild swimming is the perfect way
spa towns are a testament to this. Florence to commune with nature, seek inspiration, and
Nightingale and Charles Dickens both claimed be humbled by the immensity and wonder of the
to have been cured by traditional forms of natural world.
‘hydrotherapy’. First, a one-off dunk, particularly
in cold water, creates intense vasodilation,
pumping out muscle lactates, and bringing fresh
HOW TO GET STARTED
blood to the extremities. The Turks and Romans If you want to get started you need very little

10 Outdoor Swimmer
 EX P LOR E

beyond some trunks, a small travel towel (or sarong), and ideally some cold water, enter the water gradually to see how your body reacts
lightweight aqua shoes (old trainers work fine). Plan a walk or run so – beware of ‘cold shock’ which can bring on hyperventilation. When
you arrive hot and sweaty, and with some practice you should be able you get out, it can take longer than you think to warm up, so have
to manage 20 minutes without a wetsuit. For a longer session, or if plenty of clothing ready, and ideally head straight off on another walk
you are heading into unknown territory – particularly the sea – you or run.
may need wetsuit. A swim cap will also conserve a huge amount of Other health hazards can include blue-green algae, sometimes
heat, and add to your visibility. Don’t forget a plastic bag in which found in lowland lakes in hot summers (best avoided as it can create
to bring wet kit back home again. You don’t need to be an athletic a rash), swimmer’s itch (if you spend a lot of time wading through
swimmer, but you should feel confident in the water, and happy to pond weed where snails breed) and, in extremely rare cases, Weil’s
swim underwater, ride with a current and battle with mud. disease. This latter illness is caught from rat urine, mostly around
urban waterways. It enters the skin through open cuts and wounds
(wear a waterproof plaster if you have a cut). It is easily treated with
STAYING SAFE antibiotics (see your doctor if you develop flu-like fever within a week
To stay safe, never swim alone and remember, if this is your first of wild swimming) but if left to develop, it can kill.
time, stay or swim close to the shore. Cold water will dramatically
decrease your range at first, count on being able to swim a tenth
of the distance you can in a warm pool, so practise in a safe zone
CURRENTS
and increase your range slowly. If it’s your first time swimming in Currents aren’t necessarily dangerous – you’re not going to be sucked

Outdoor Swimmer 11
E XP LO R E
much and it will give young tummies belly
ache and the runs.

WHERE TO WILD
SWIM
Some people like to drift downstream on a
river safari, others like to follow a mountain
brook dipping in every pool or waterfall as
they go. I like rope swings, river tubing and
places for jumping, while others would prefer
to take a canoe ride, and jump in for a swim
along the way. Whatever your style you
will find many places recommended in the
various wild swimming guidebooks, or if you
search the internet for wild swimming places
or maps.
To find your own places, all you need is
an Ordnance Survey map (ideally 1:25,000)
and some map reading skills or download
under – but they can be disorientating and given on wildswimming.co.uk). Or post on using the Viewranger app on a smartphone.
may take you out into deeper water or close the ‘Outdoor Swimming Society’ Facebook On smaller rivers look for old weirs (marked
to an obstruction. Even shallow water, if it’s group, where you can also find ‘socials’ by a straight line across the river) which
moving fast enough, can knock you over and and ‘adventure swims’ organised through create pools in rivers otherwise too shallow
carry you away. Always consider: if I do lose social media. Devon, Cornwall and the for swimming. On larger rivers, especially
my footing or get swept downstream, where Lake District are particularly active regions. those with locks and boats, it should be
will I get out? In rivers with a strong current, Outdoor Swimmer magazine publishes a deep enough to swim anywhere. Examine
keep an eye downstream, and always plan list of events each month, and these are the bends of rivers, where the inside often
your emergency exit in case you are carried growing in number every year. These can be creates a beach while the outside deepens
downstream. Currents can be especially a great place to meet people. Events such as into a deep pool. Bridges are often built
powerful directly under large waterfalls or the Dart 10k and Bantham Swoosh are very where the river naturally narrows into a
weirs – never jump directly into the tumult sociable. gorge, and these can make excellent plunge
below falling water. Also organise your own friends. Many pools for bridge jumping. Bridges, fords and
In the sea, don’t swim from headlands people don’t know how much they like wild riverside tracks indicate there will be few
unless you understand tidal currents, and swimming until they try. Lure your mates problems with access. In National Park areas
don’t swim in high surf conditions – offshore out a on a hot day. Suggest a pub walk, but much of the land will be marked orange or
rip currents can form around cove edges along a well-known swimming river with ‘access land’ with free right to roam. Lakes
and along sandy beaches, in between the good swimming spots (e.g. the Thames, Wey, and rivers in these areas are often wilder
surf breaks, and they can carry swimmers Wye, Ouse, Avon, Dart or Wharfe). Ensure and perfect for a dip, as you can get right up
out to behind the surf line (where they then everyone brings swimming costumes and a to the bank or shore. Waterfalls will also be
dissipate). If this happens, exit the current lightweight towel or sarong. Once people marked, and many have a plunge pool where
by swimming parallel to the shore, and come are hot and active they are more likely to the water has scoured out a bowl.
back in on the surf. The same is true if you take the plunge, and if you are lucky you will While mountain areas will often be
are caught in a fast river – swim to the shore find other people already enjoying the water, dramatic with waterfalls, gorges and tarns
or side where the water will be calmer. which will entice the group in. and the cleanest of waters, the water will
Children, particularly, love playing in be cold, good for short and exhilarating
water. Encourage their love of our outdoor plunges only. Lowland areas will have warmer
SWIMMING WITH waterholes but keep a constant eye on all winding rivers and lakes, better for a longer
FRIENDS children. Watch out for signs of hypothermia swim, but with a greater possibility of bugs
For safe swimming, never swim alone. Go (uncontrollable shivering is the first stage) and beasties. Check the ‘historic river water
with a friend, and always keep a lookout for as this can quickly cloud judgement and quality’ using the Environment Agency online
each other. Even better, go with a group. You lead to slips, trips and falls. If there is a lot maps.
can find like-minded people by searching of splashing and jumping going on, try to The following list offers some great places
Facebook for ‘wild swimming’ groups (a encourage kids to keep their mouth closed, for beginners to have a go.
wide range of regional groups and links are and avoid swallowing the water. Drink too

12 Outdoor Swimmer
UK TOP 10
FOR BEGINNERS
1
HIGHER GLEN ETIVE POOLS
➜ A dramatic glen with many
wonderful pink-rock river
pools, easily accessible from
the road. Plunge into the first
set of pools or continue down

2
to find the deep gorge section.
Popular wild camping spot.
Turn left a mile after The Kings
House Hotel. 56.6252, -4.9052 GRANTCHESTER MEADOWS,

3
RIVER CAM, CAMBRIDGE
Over two miles of meadows
and swimming from Sheep’s
Green down to the Orchard
Tea Gardens in Grantchester.
Once a favourite wild swimming
SHARRAH POOL, R places of the Bloomsbury Group,
DART, DARTMOOR including Rupert Brooke and
The Rivert Dart has Virginia Woolfe. 20 mins walk
so many possibilities from the train station. 52.1907,
for swimming. Head 0.1046
upstream to Horseshoe
Falls and eventually
Sharrah pool. There are

4
4
some good chutes here
if you have an inner
tube. 50.5301, -3.8396

5
PORT MEADOW, RIVER THAMES,
WIMBORNE MINSTER, OXFORD
RIVER STOUR, Two miles of sandy beaches and
BOURNEMOUTH grassy meadows, though watch out
An old Roman ford, for cattle. The idyllic countryside
footbridge and popular river views with the church spires in
pool with little beach. Near the background provided much
the National Trust’s Kingston inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice in
Lacy estate and beech Wonderland. 51.7698, -1.2881
avenue. 50.8000, -2.0076
 7
FARLEIGH HUNGERFORD,
RIVER FROME, WILTSHIRE
England’s oldest surviving river
swimming club, founded in the
1930s, above a small weir with lawns, a
diving board and rope swings. There’s a
ruined castle nearby and a great riverside

6
campsite at Stowford Farm just upstream,

8
which serves delicious cream teas. This is a
wonderfully friendly and sociable place to
wild swim.

LOWER DDWLI FALLS, R FECHAN,

WATERFALL WOODS, SOUTH WALES
Part of a series of stunning ‘forest lidos’
FAERIE POOLS, GLEN BRITTLE,
ISLE OF SKYE, SCOTLAND
Embued with legend and fairy
tales, the famous ‘Allt Coir a
9
BLUE POOL, FRIOG, FAIRBOURNE
A very deep, green–blue rectangular pool
in a great quarry amphitheatre entered by
on beautiful trails through the ‘Waterfall Mhadaidh’ pools and waterfalls a spooky railway tunnel. Views of Cardigan
Woods’ in the Brecon Beacons. This are tinged with jade hues due Bay. 300m south of Fairbourne church,
fantastic pool sits under a wide, arced to the volcanic gabbro rocks turn left at telephone box and head up
cascade. Park at Pont Melin-fach car and the mystical peaks of the into the ruined mine area. 52.6891,
park, off the Ystradfellte road. 51.7826, Black Cuillin mountains tower -4.0413 16
-3.5853 overhead. 57.2497, -6.2554 T6

10 APPLETREEWICK, RIVER
WHARFE, YORKSHIRE
DALES
A pretty river pool with
a small island and rapids
upstream. There’s a
rope swing on the far
side, grassy banks and
field for picnics. This is a
great spot to while away
summer days. 54.0332,
-1.9213
GEAR

OUTDOOR SWIMMING KIT

You don't need a lot of kit to get started but a few choice items will help

SWIMMING HAT GOGGLES

EAR PLUGS

A bright coloured swimming hat to insulate your head and Again it’s all about comfort and fit – not all faces and Help protect your ears if they are susceptible to infection
make you visible to other water users. Silicone is more swimming environments are the same. Open water and many swimmers say it increases cold water tolerance.
comfortable than latex as and gives better insulation. goggles tend to have a wider lens than pool goggles. There is no need to wear them if you don’t want to.

WATERPROOF SUN CREAM CHANGING ROBE COSTUME

You can still get burnt while you Comfort and fit are key. Board shorts for men
are swimming! will seriously hamper your swimming and are not
recommended for anything except dipping.

TOWEL
CROCS

Pre and post swim footwear helps The freedom of being an outdoor swimmer may mean that Whatever you like! We like big fluffy ones to wrap up in
navigate pebbly riverbanks your swim location doesn’t have a changing room. A changing after a chilly swim, but lightweight travel ones are great
and beaches. robe keeps you warm and dry and saves your blushes. if space or weight is an issue.

Visit the Outdoor Swimmer

Shop to find the best brands
for all your outdoor swimming
adventures. The Outdoor
Swimmer Shop ships world-
wide and has ranges for every
age and swim ability!

16 Outdoor Swimmer
 GEA R

1 2 3
TOW
FLOAT

Stay visible to other water users with a tow float –

choose form a simple buoy or dry bags to carry kit with
you on your swim.

NEOPRENE HAT, GLOVES

AND BOOTS

How to
4 5
put on a
These can all help keep out the cold and extend
wetsuit
your time in the water. Particularly useful
in colder temperatures.

WETSUIT Dan Bullock

explains how
to squeeze
into neoprene
STAGE ONE
Roll the upper body down,
exposing the openings to the
legs and gently push in your
feet. Work on the very lowest
sections to start with and do lower section of the torso STAGE FIVE
not move up the leg until the part of the suit up and over Avoid pulling on the cord to
suit fully fits over the ankles, your hips. Pull the suit higher close the zip as this stresses
onto the calves and up to the up the chest and carefully the stitching in the suit. It’s
knees. insert one arm. Work the usually easier to ask someone
hands all the way through the else to close your zip. Seal
STAGE TWO sleeves. the join around the neck with
If there is loose material in the the Velcro once the zip has
legs, the suit will end up tight STAGE FOUR been fastened and make you
around the torso. It’s better Once the hands are free, start sensitive neck skin isn’t in
to pull the suit into your the trickier process of sliding contact with any rough edges
crotch and expose your ankles the arm material up towards or fastenings.
rather than vice versa. the shoulders. A small amount
of bunching around the
STAGE THREE shoulders is acceptable as this
A wetsuit is not essential but the buoyancy and warmth
Once you are happy with the leaves room for the arms to
that it provides means it can be a good option for when fit under the crotch, ease the manoeuvre.
you’re starting out in open water.

Outdoor Swimmer 17
 FFEAT
EATUR
UREE
Image: Roger Taylor Photography

18 Outdoor Swimmer | MAY 2022

 FEAT UR E

FIND YOUR
TRIBE
Whether you’re into dipping, distance or wild synchro, get
ready to take the plunge! By Ella Foote and Jonathan Cowie

G
etting started with anything new to plunging into cold water. As a beginner, start with fair-weather
is often the hardest part but • Make sure you’re visible in the water. swimming. Wild swimming is subject to
with little kit and some basic Wear a brightly coloured cap and all that nature can throw at it! That is
knowledge you can start your outdoor consider using a tow-float part of the appeal – sometimes it’s fun,
swimming journey. Whether you want to • If someone gets in trouble, don’t put but you have to know the parameters
take your first dip on the wild side, swim yourself at risk but call for help – of safety. If conditions aren’t safe for
an event or train for a long distance dial 999 or 112 If you find yourself in swimming, then don’t enter the water.
challenge, there are venues and groups difficulty. The risk isn’t worth it.
up and down the country (and around • Check the weather forecast – wind
the world) to help and support you as will make you feel cooler even on a
you take to the water. Get ready to take
WEATHER, TIDES, warm day, rain will make changing
the plunge! CURRENTS AND and drying harder.
• If sea swimming check tide times,
CONDITIONS swell and wind. These can all impact
HOW SAFE IS IT?
Any outdoor activity comes with
some risk and outdoor swimming is no
different. It can be a safe and enjoyable
sport or hobby. Understanding some of
the risk is the first step to being safe.
• Sounds obvious but ensure you can
swim at a basic level. Can you tread
water, float on your back and swim
confidently back to your depth if
required?
• Think before you swim. Check your
entry and exit points and consider
currents, direction of flow and tides
depending on where you plan to
swim.
• Don’t mix swimming and alcohol.
• Swim with other people – ideally
Image: Rivers Trust

that know the area and have swum in

open water before, or with someone
on dryland who could seek help if
needed.
• Don’t jump in. Enter the water slowly
but consistently to prevent ‘cold
water shock’ – that gasping reaction Wild swimming at Warleigh Weir

Outdoor Swimmer 19
F EAT UR E

the quality and safety of a swim.

• With river swimming, ensure you
know the direction of flow and
consider the area catchment, flash
floods and flow can happen in
mountain rivers when there is heavy
rain upstream.
• Have a basic understanding of the
body of water you want to swim in
and how you will enter and exit the
water.

WATER QUALITY
Natural bodies of water will never be
guaranteed to be free of pathogens, but
some simple advice can avoid issues.
• Don’t swim after heavy rainfall. There
will be more debris and water quality
will be reduced.
• Cover any open wounds, cuts, or
grazes. Wash hands when you get
out, especially before eating.
• Check your technique – you
shouldn’t take on too much water
while swimming!
• Use the Rivers Trust map or Surfers
Against Sewage to check up-to-date
reports on poor water quality.

SWIM WITH OTHERS

There are a number of outdoor swimming
groups across the UK and world that you
can join for free at any time. Search for
‘swimming’ and your area across social
channels and you will easily find a group.
Communities like the Bluetits and OSS
are also a great place to start. Other
places you can swim with support are:
• Lidos and outdoor pools, there are
more than you think! The Lido Guide
guidebook will help you find one
local to you. These offer lifeguards
and facilities.
• Supervised venues – offer lifeguards,
in-water support, and facilities.
Swimming event distances generally
• Lifeguarded beaches – in the UK
lifeguards only operate in late spring
start with a mile and go up to
and summer seasons. But you can 10k, with 2 mile and 5k also being
find your nearest on the RNLI
website. popular distances

20 Outdoor Swimmer
 FEAT UR E

access. There are a number of places SWIMMING FOR

where swimming is accepted and the
battle for access continues. Some simple BETTER MENTAL
access rules: HEALTH
• You can swim freely in the sea.
• Rivers with public navigation for If the pandemic has taught us
boats is considered as public right to anything, it is that it is ok to talk about
swim – just watch out for boats! mental health – and that there is a
• If there is a footpath or public wild swimmer lurking around every
highway that runs alongside or across corner! As we came out of lockdown,
water, you can enter the water from thousands of new swimmers realised
it too. Just watch out for water that that swimming outdoors was beneficial
flows through private land. Although for their mental health: there is now a
the landowner only owns the banks growing body of research that states
and river bed, not the water, it can that the combination of being outside
lead to frustrating arguments while in green and blue spaces, cold water
swimming, so better to avoid. and community is great for making us
• Some reservoirs, not all, allow feel better about ourselves. With their
swimming. They are usually owned motto of “dips not distance”, Mental
by water companies and most have Health Swims is a national network of
a ‘no swimming’ rule, some for good peer-supported swims with the aim of
reason, so find somewhere else. improving our mental health. Free to
• Inland bathing areas like Frensham join, simply sign up online to your local
Pond, River Wharfe at Ilkley and Port swim group.
Meadow in Oxford are accepted Another thing that became apparent
swimming spots. after lockdown is that in the UK outdoor
• There are many wild swimming swimming is a female-dominated
guidebooks available – see box below pastime. It is also an unfortunate fact
for a selection of our favourites. that men feel less able to talk about
their mental health. There is now a
growing network of groups in the UK
WHAT YOU WILL NEED swimming for better mental health for
• Swimsuit, goggles, bright swim hat men. Outdoor Swimmer contributing
and towel for after. Simple and basic. editor Jonathan Cowie set up Blue Mind
Especially on warm day. Men in the Lake District as an inclusive
• Water shoe or sock, protect feet from group where men can swim together and
cuts and abrasions. Also swim socks talk about their mental health. “Cold
can keep toes and feet a bit warmer. water swimming has helped my mental
• Wetsuit – great piece of kit for wellbeing hugely over the years, yet I
getting started. It will keep you was always surprised how few men I saw
warmer and more buoyant in the at the lake shore,” says Jonathan. “Blue
water. Mind Men was formed out of a desire to
• Tow float – good for visibility in spread the word about cold water and
the water, carrying dry clothes or its benefits but also to create a space
WHERE TO SWIM emergency items like mobile phone. where it was ok to talk openly about
If you want a more wild experience lidos • Warm clothes and hat for after, even how you are feeling.” There are similar
and supervised venues might not be in summer. Getting dry and dressed groups up and down the country, from
what you are looking for. But are you in layers can help you warm up after Cornwall to Edinburgh.
allowed to swim anywhere? The rules a period of time in the water.
for public right to roam in England and • Changing robe – not essential, a
Wales is very different to Scotland, variety on the market – can help
DISTANCE NOT DIPS!
where swimmers have the right to swim for getting changed after swimming, While dipping for mental health has
as part of their right to responsible many wind and rain proof too. undergone massive growth due to the

Outdoor Swimmer 21
 F EAT UR E
FINALLY… HAVE FUN!
Don’t rush your outdoor swimming
journey. Build up your experiences
slowly, each time you go to the water do
a little bit more and challenge yourself
sensibly. There is a whole world of watery
adventure waiting for you, be it wild
synchro swimming or ice dipping. See part
two of The Beginner’s Guide to Outdoor
Swimming for more information on cold
water swimming, entering events and a
training plan for your first open water mile.
Image: Ian Wood Photography

Resources
Water Quality
Rivers Trust
Surfers Against Sewage

Books
The Lido Guide
The Art of Wild Swimming
Swim Wild & Free
There is now a growing network of
groups in the UK swimming for better Groups

mental health for men Bluetits

Outdoor Swimming Society
Mental Health Swims
Blue Mind Men

pandemic and its after-effects, there As well as the English Channel, there Blue Balls Cornwall
are also plenty of opportunities for long are many other marathon swimming Edinburgh Blue Balls
distance swim challenges and events. challenges to whet your appetite. Swim
Ice Guys North East
Swimming event distances generally around Manhattan, across the Catalina
start with a mile and go up to 10k, Channel, the strait of Gibraltar, the
with 2 mile and 5k also being popular North Channel between Ireland and Kit
distances. With a training programme Scotland. If you are really keen, the
you can soon progress up the distance Oceans Seven is the seven toughest Outdoor Swimmer Shop
ladder! Channel crossings in the world. In the
Beyond the buoyed courses of UK, there are classic lake crossings such
Events and Venues
organised events there are a multitude as Windermere and Loch Ness.
of long-distance challenges to aim for, But of course, swim challenges can See outdoorswimmer.com for up to
whether solo or relay. Classic long- also be personal challenges too: swim date event and venue listings
distance swims like the English Channel the length of your local river in stages,
are now booked up years in advance dip in all the tarns in the Lake District,
English Channel
– see the Channel Swimming & Piloting swim around as many small islands
Federation and Channel Swimming as you can... When it comes to swim Channel Swimming & Piloting
Association websites for details on how adventures, you are only constrained by Federation
to start your English Channel journey. your imagination! Channel Swimming Association

22 Outdoor Swimmer