Going swimming in the UK usually involves a trip to the leisure centre, making sure you have change for the locker, and a mad dash getting dry in the changing room afterwards.
There are, however, a growing number of swimmers who never come close to a chlorine-infested pool. Wild swimming, which involves taking a dip in Britain’s rivers, lakes and waterfalls, is soaring in popularity. Over the past three years, the number of organised outdoor swimming events has increased dramatically. However, apparently the urge to take the plunge into natural water is nothing new. For many of us, it would have been how our grandparents and great-grandparents learnt to swim. There were many little river swimming clubs where locals would go to teach their children to swim and go to swim in the summer.
Thankfully this phenomenon has been ‘refound’. People are realising more and more that getting back out into nature is a fantastic way to de-stress and also to reconnect with something that feels meaningful and a world away from the usual 9-to-5.
Not only is wild swimming good exercise, the cold water is thought to improve your immune system. It’s been shown that people who swim in cold water regularly through the year get far fewer colds. With so many advantages to wild swimming, there is only one thing standing in its way – the British weather.
However, sometimes it’s good to be brave and take the plunge..
5 of the best spots in Britain for wild swimming
- River Waveney, Outney Common, Suffolk
- Faerie Pools, Glen Brittle, Isle of Skye
- River Wharfe, Appletreewick, Yorkshire
- River Test, Houghton, Hampshire
- Sharrah Pool, River Dart, Dartmoor, Devon
Brit Backpacker 