The Outdoor Swimmers' Handbook: Collected Wisdom on the Art, Sport and Science of Outdoor Swimming

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The United Kingdom is not renowned for its sunny weather, which means that outdoor swimmers are going to be immersing themselves in cold water for most of the year. Wild swimming is a good practice ground for controlling your thoughts and anxieties - we all have them.

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A friend has the ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’ approach, she just makes a decision and sticks her head in.The Outdoor Swimming Society provides a space within which a community of independent spirits can share the joy and adventure of swimming outdoors.

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Learn how to handle the fear of deep water Many swimmers have a "fear of the deep", especially on dull days.It will stay with me, as will the finish party we organised for adventurer Ross Edgley after he swam around the coast of Britain in 2018. Dive into the wonders of the popular nature-meets-wellbeing sport with Kate as she brings together the art, sport and science of being an outdoor swimmer and shares everything you need to know to enjoy swims in the wild. The Outdoor Swimmers Handbook is a really important, inspiring book, written by someone at the heart of the outdoor swimming movement that –– over the last fifteen years –– has encouraged millions of people to experience the wonders and friendships of Britain’s rivers, lakes and seas. There's adventure swims, where you might be planning A to B swims; there's people that just lie around meditating, or those who love to go night swimming,” Kate says. This was a time when outdoor swimming was largely thought to be a dirty, dangerous and illegal activity, and there was fear of being sued.

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If you’re going between multiple bodies of water, the best advice is to clean your swimsuit before going into another body of water so you’re not taking any small parasites or things between them. It really does depend on your biology, the exact temperature of the water, the air temperature,” Kate says. There were days when we cancelled or aborted swims for fear of sewage or blue-green algae, when in retrospect we were just unfamiliar with tree pollen, and the occasions when whimsical swim plans (‘Let’s swim down a tributary into the Thames!The rock-art figures – whose creation is dated by the British Museum to about 6,000 to 9,000 years ago – carry with them all the happiness of a river float: arms up, bellies and spirits buoyant. Neoprene boots are useful, a brightly coloured swim hat if swimming anywhere with boat traffic or other people around – it states that you want to be in the water, which is relaxing for spectators.

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There is this statistic of only 3% of inland water being legally accessible, which is a bit questionable. I would never swim into the middle of it, but then you learn that it’s okay away from the infrastructure: the dam wall, the spillway, the tower, and any inlets and outlets. and along the way learnt a lot about water, and set up some of the most iconic swim events in the country (the Dart10k, the Bantham Swoosh and the Hurly Burly). How to find a place to swim is also covered, which is particularly useful in a climate of fraught access rights, where many swim spots feel like closely guarded secrets.

I am proud that in 2010 we ran the first ten-kilometre swim aimed at the public, the Dart 10k, and a ten-mile swim followed soon after. We are a society of people who don’t follow, a tribe of non-joiners, but one thing many of us share alongside a love of water is the desire to share our finds, questions and experiences. The Great North Swim was established in 2008 and the rest is zeitgeist: swimming has gone from being a relatively niche activity to being popular again, with millions of people all over the world leaping in. It covers how to conduct a DIY risk assessment, including restrictions on timing (due to tides), where you’ll enter and exit the water, and notes on ability levels within your group. I like to get in, put my hands in, dab water on my cheeks, my chest, and all the places that might make me gasp, then one big exhale and the path is set: I’m getting in.