With the UK experiencing an extended period of warm weather, if you’re not used to swimming or taking a dip in open water, don’t be tempted to dive straight in (if you’ll pardon the pun) without taking the proper precautions. This article looks at some simple tips that are worthy of your consideration before taking the plunge: 1.      If you’re new to the open water, stick to paddling initially. Even walking in knee deep water will help cool you down – there’s no need to venture further 2.      If you are considering a swim, stay within your de ..read more

We've posted before about wetsuits but with the weather getting colder it's definitely something you might want to consider if you've been swimming 'skins' and want to continue swimming for longer into the colder weather. A wetsuit will allow you to stay in the water for longer. Also bear in mind that wetsuits for swimming add to buoyancy in the water. This means that they will generally cause your legs to float higher in the water than they would when you’re swimming without one. This is fine if swimming front crawl but if you’re swimming breast stroke (where the leg position is lower) then t ..read more

Blue-green algae seems to be everywhere just now. Also known as cyanobacteria, it can occur in freshwater environments mostly in late spring to early autumn. It’s most prevalent when water temperatures are higher. You’re also more likely to come across it in stagnant or slow moving water. Excess nutrients in the water, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, play a significant role in the development of blue-green algae blooms. Runoff from agricultural areas, wastewater discharge, and other human activities can introduce these nutrients leading to blue-green algae. Blue-green algae can have a range ..read more

Scotland has lots of amazing open water swimming spots that are worth exploring. Some of the best ones are: Loch Lomond: The largest freshwater lake in Great Britain offers great opportunities for open water swimming with stunning scenery. Loch Morlich: This freshwater lake is located in the Cairngorms National Park and is surrounded by beautiful pine forests and snow-capped mountains. Loch Tay: Situated in the heart of Scotland, this freshwater loch is a popular destination for open water swimming enthusiasts. River Spey: This fast-flowing river is a challenging open water swimming sp ..read more

One of the best things about our wild swimming journey has been finding/building a community of like minded souls and being able to introduce friends to the cold water. One such friend is Neil Dickson, who has been doing cold water immersion since January. In this blog, Neil tells us about his recent trip to the Campsie Fells waterfall and shares his thoughts on how ‘dooking’ outdoors has positively impacted his life. Over to Neil… “I first heard about Wim Hof and cold water immersion from Chris (one of the Wild Swimming husbands) on one of our bi-weekly lockdown walks during which we would ..read more

What is so good about swimming outdoors? Swimming outdoors can offer many benefits over swimming indoors, such as: Natural setting: Swimming outdoors allows you to enjoy the natural surroundings such as the sun, fresh air, and scenery. This can create a more enjoyable and relaxing experience compared to swimming in an indoor pool. Health benefits: Exposure to sunlight while swimming outdoors can help increase vitamin D levels, which can have a positive impact on bone health, immune function, and mental health. Variety: Swimming outdoors provides a change of scenery and a different experi ..read more

Lauren Rickson - Swim Coast and Calm For those of you who live in the Brighton area, you may already be familiar with sea swimmer, STA Level 2 Open Water Coach and RLSS qualified lifeguard Lauren Rickson swimming and coaching on your local beaches. Lauren has swum all her life and was a lifeguard for many years but her open water journey actually started when she was participating in triathlons. She soon realized that she didn't actually like the bike or running part and that swimming was much more fun! She then started swimming regularly in the sea and got totally addicted! She runs Swim Coa ..read more

While autumn brings us colder weather and water and darker nights, it also gives us something else…the chance to have moonlit swims without having to stay up long past our bedtime! Night swims bring a whole new dimension to our swims and to the swimming spots we’re so familiar with in the day time. They bring up a whole lot of additional safety concerns that we need to consider in our risk assessments. Last autumn we attempted what we thought would be a lovely, and very simple, night swim at Abies Loch in Mugdock Country Park. It’s a place we’re really familiar with so we thought we’d manage i ..read more

A fantastic start to our visit to the Cairngorms with an early morning river swim. The river was flowing quite slowly due to the lack of rain but it was pretty windy! The little wild swimming women were delighted to find a rope swing ..read more

With our movements being so restricted in recent months, we count ourselves really lucky  to have some amazing swimming spots right on our door steps. Regular trips to Barcraigs Reservoir and Abies Loch have kept up our enthusiasm for swimming outdoors. As well as a husband, we have introduced a number of local friends to the joys of cold water. As we (hopefully) move closer to having our freedom fully restored and being able to travel further afield, we decided to take advantage of the calm waters and positively tropical temperatures (9 degrees today) and swim back out to the island clo ..read more