We’re joining the army of wild swimming lovers. It’s one of our favourite ways to be brave, get in touch with nature and reset. If you haven’t tried it yet, you really, really should. There’s nothing quite like it.
What is the difference between outdoor swimming, wild swimming and open water swimming? Not much! Typically, they’re all about swimming in natural waters – lakes, tarns, reservoirs, rivers and seas. No lanes. No ropes. No supervision.
The term “open water swimming” is most often used for competitive sports. But “outdoor” and “wild” swimming are used to describe leisurely dipping, floating, and swimming… Lovely.
In short? There are so many. The Wild Swimming Brothers even found 50 reasons to start wild swimming! But we thought we’d give you just a few:
Not all swims require kit lists. Some of the most memorable ones are those last-minute-skinny-dips. But if you fancy being more prepared, here's our checklist:
Whenever you want to! You can swim all year round. But if it’s your first foray into the world of wild swimming, easing yourself into a late summer is probably best. You need less kit and warming up after is less of a challenge.
The sea generally fluctuates less in temperature. It stays between 12°C and 17°C for most of the year. Water gets nice and toasty in September when it’s had all summer to warm up. On the other end of the spectrum, some water can get really cold. Like, really, really cold. Below 5°C is officially considered ice swimming!