Wild swimming is very popular these days, although it’s important to find safe areas and follow expert advice. Find good regions and tips at Wild Swimming website. There are many wild swimming clubs, including those daft people who go out on freezing Christmas mornings for a dip, then head back to a beach hut for cake, only in England! Read How to Wild Swim which shows how to have fun but still stay safe, plus find short short wild swims and weekend breaks or off-grid wild swim holidays. Also read of the greenest choices for swimming costumes.
how to keep safe when wild swimming
Check weather and tide times (and dog beach bans if they’re coming with you). RNLI has free tips include swimming with a buddy (not under 15°C) and entering water slowly (in a wetsuit). Keep within reach of an exit point.
- Never swim in canals, urban rivers, reedy shallows or stagnant lakes. Nor swim in flood water, during droughts or in polluted rivers.
- Always check depth of water and look for obstructions and an easy exit route. And look out for boats!
- If you have cuts or wounds, cover with plastic-free plasters.
If caught in a rip current, wade (don’t swim) parallel to the shore, raise hand and shout for help. A tow float can help, as can a bright swim hat. Carry a whistle and phone in a waterproof pouch (if out of range, emergency calls to 999 and 112 divert to a signal). Download RYA SafeTrx app (with an Irish version) to alert contacts, if you fail to return on time.
Although quick sea swim (rinse saltwater off with lukewarm water and dry with towel is fine, wild swims for dogs are complicated. Dogs can be attacked by seals or jellyfish), and will follow you, even if tired. Other dangers are seaweed (expands in the stomach as it dries) and blue-green algae. If you take them, go with friends and have someone ‘dog-sit’ nearby.
The Ripple Effect is a celebration of whacky wild swimming communities. From student dippers to menopausal mermaids to addiction recovery and male mental health groups, learn what makes wild swim groups tick and why people join pods of other wild swimmers.
The ultimate ‘wild swim’ is of course swimming the channel. No longer are people smothered in goose fat, but times are getting shorter, as people get fitter. It is however pretty dangerous crossing the world’s busiest shipping route. And you still need your passport (carried by boats monitoring) when you arrive!
exploring wild swimming walks in England
Wild Swimming Walks: Exmoor & North Devon (2024) is the latest in a series of popular books. The book features 28 one-day walks from 4 to 8 miles, perfect for anyone who’s feeling a bit adventurous. Sophie Pierce is author of the book Green Hill, on how wild swims helped her cope with grief, after the sudden death of her 20-year old son. Co-author Matt has swam from the mainland to the Isle of Wight and from Sicily to mainland Italy.
Other wild swim walk books cover:
how to build a natural swimming pool
Free from chlorine, natural swimming pools are sometimes built by people with big gardens and funds to do so. These use plants to naturally clean the algae and support local pollinators (know toxic plants to avoid near pets and remember that blue-green algae is very poisonous so be aware of this).
Keep all swimming pools covered when not in use, to prevent drowning accidents. Dogs can usually swim but can still cramp (talk to your vet regarding suitable lifejackets, some are not comfortable).
To keep wildlife safe near pools, use FrogLog (a ladder to let small critters escape) and Critter Skimmer (rescues trapped creatures – get both as they do different things). How many you need, depends on pool size (see each site for info). Dogs can usually swim but can still cramp (talk to your vet regarding suitable lifejackets, some are not comfortable).
The Island Swimmer is a the big-hearted debut novel from Lorraine Kelly, who proves she can write as well as she giggles! The story of a woman who returns home to Orkney’s wild landscape, when her father falls ill. She meets her estranged sister (the relationship broken after a childhood trauma).
Yet as Evie clears out her father’s house, she finds herself drawn to a group of cold-water swimmers, who find calmness beneath the waves. And together they help her face up to mistakes of the past, unlocking a treasure of truths that will reverberate through the community, and shake her family to its core.
