‘I love it!’
IT MAY BE one of those things – like quinoa or hot-desking – you can’t wait to start hearing less about, and which will never in a million years affect you anyway. Few things have been more Instagrammed- and coloursupplemented-about in the past few years after all, and being invited to aspire to things too often becomes tiresome. But unlike many page-filling fads, there’s both more and less to wild swimming than meets the curled lip. More in the way of oh-my-god-wherehas-this-been-in-my-life, and less in the way of being effortfully cool or faffing about or having to buy your way into a soon to be neglected hobby.
“In Finland we just call it swimming,” says Lorna Koskela, #walk1000miler and lifelong dipper. And that’s probably the best place to start thinking about it – or perhaps stop over-thinking about it. It’s just swimming, except it’s outside, in the context of a walk. “For me it’s a bit like why walking outside is so much better than being on a treadmill,” says fellow enthusiast Hannah Kolyszka; “Fresh air, the sense of remoteness, the place to yourself, the absolute invigoration.” This isn’t a strange, unfamiliar buzz that’s being sought – these are feelings familiar to all walkers, only offered in even more concentrated form.
Perhaps the least of its powers is that a mid-walk immersion has a TARDIS-like power to alter the dimensions of a day. Even a short walk, or a scrap of time rescued from an otherwise busy schedule can be dramatically enlarged by a dip. There’s something about breathtakingly cool water, and seeing the world from the perspective of another medium, that makes time stop pretending it’s the most meaningful metric in your life. It’s a holiday in a moment.
But walkers who swim speak of so much more. For reader Caroline Towler it’s a reset and a tune-up: “It’s brilliant to help aches and pains. It sets your body ready for the next walk.” For Anna Mackland the refreshment goes beyond the physical: “For me it feels similar to meditation but with the bonus of exercise. The buzz is amazing.” For Fern Coster, it’s a little shot of freedom: “A moment’s peace in a mixed up world – and no matter how much you wobble, no one can see under the water, and we’re too busy trying to get warm and dry after to care less.” To Diane Morgan it’s pure release: “Nothing hurts when you’re in the water and the cold helps my mental health – it feels like a watery hug.”
Like many of us, walker Lisa Naylor was sceptical at first. “I’d seen some photos of people ‘dipping’ on the internet, but quickly dismissed it as something I’d probably never do for fear of what was in the water, the temperature, wearing swimwear and just that it seemed to be something that only ‘serious outdoor people’ did.” But now she plans most of her walks around an opportunity to take the plunge, and says it’s given her walking new impetus. “I try to go to quiet and remote spots, and the beauty of the landscape seems to pull me in further. The cold water is such a rush of energy. It’s a unique sensation I can’t replicate anywhere.” She says her fears have melted away as her experience has grown: “I check for any fast-flowing current or danger spots. I never go alone. I always wear water shoes – available for a few pounds online – which are vital for slippy rocks and sharp stones. I’m also conscious to not stay in too long. If it’s particularly cold I’ll get a feeling of heat spreading through my body, which is when I decide to get out. But it’s always invigorating, always memorable. I’m so glad I’ve pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and I’m finding new places to hike, swim and enjoy.”
Taking the plunge
For all the invigoration, like walking, an adrenaline sport it is not. Converts speak of deeper engagement with the world of their walking, not duelling with it. Rachel Cossey says “It’s the only time I really understand ‘mindfulness’ – totally living in the moment. This morning I was swimming with oyster catchers, a curlew, heron, deer on the bank and, at one point, a frankly amazed Vizsla! I love it!”
Jaimee Reynolds has found it’s a great way to engage the enthusiasm of her family – hubby and kids now paddling alongside her: “They love it! We all feel it’s so freeing, exhilarating, exciting yet relaxing. Being out in open water under your own steam creates a massive sense of achievement you just can’t seem to shake off for the whole day.”
Devoted wild swimmers point to the benefits of cold water immersion on muscles, circulation, stress and energy levels, and longer term aspects of cold adaptation like lower blood pressure and cholesterol. But you don’t have to go nearly so far back in the direction of your amphibian roots to feel like you’re tapping something healthy and good. You can quite literally dip a toe into the world of wild swimming to feel how water and walking can go so wonderfully well together.