SEAS THE DAY
More of us than ever are finding strength from taking a dip in Scotland’s waters. The stories and photos of many women who take part have been collected in a new book
WHEN Alison Freshwater played touch rugby for Scotland she knew the benefits of dipping into a post-match ice bath when every part of her body ached.
So when a friend suggested she swim in the waters off the Scottish coast while heavily pregnant with her third son, she jumped at the chance.
Dressed in just a bikini, finance lawyer Ali waded carefully into the choppy sea off the shoreline at Wardie in Edinburgh. The photograph her friend Anna Deacon took of the moment perfectly captures her joy.
Anna, a professional photographer, has spent much of the past year travelling around Scotland shooting images of people wild swimming.
She said: “I’ve known Ali for years and this photo sums up what a superwoman she is. Ali has always been a keen wild swimmer but here she looks like a water goddess.
“More importantly, she looks so incredibly happy to be out there in the water, and that’s what I really love.
“For so many, wild swimming brings such huge benefits and such joy.”
It was discovering for herself these benefits that first started Anna on a mission to find out more about the healing power of wild swimming.
Running her photography business while juggling life as a mum-of-two had left Anna feeling run down.
Anna, 42, of Edinburgh, said: “I was overworked and exhausted. Physically, mentally, emotionally. I was overspent and generally burnt out.
“Then my cousin asked me if I’d like to go for a hike and a swim and I nearly bit her arm off.
“We drove to Tyninghame in East Lothian and walked to the beach through a forest.
“We ran into the sea and I felt my stress ebb away with the water. I felt I could breathe again. Splashing about was such a tonic for the soul.
“Being in the water doesn’t solve my problems but it definitely feels like it helps me turn the page.”
Anna set herself a creative project of documenting the joy felt by other wild swimmers across the country.
She started to post the images of shots she took on Instagram.
She asked the people she met why they swam and wasn’t surprised to hear how swimming in the country’s seas, lochs and rivers helped them deal with grief, loneliness, anxiety, depression and even chronic pain. A friend introduced Anna to journalist Vicky Allan, who had found the water a place of solace after the sudden death of her brother, Richard. Together, they started touring Scotland to collate a guide to swimming outdoors and tell the stories of the people who love it. The result is the book Taking the Plunge: The Healing Power of Wild Swimming for Mind, Body and Soul. Anna said: “I’m not a strong or confident swimmer. I always like to be able to put my feet on the ground and I’m someone who normally feels the cold terribly. “But the buzz from wild swimming – even if you just bob about in the cold water for a few seconds before getting out – is so powerful that I want to go back and do it again and again. And I’m not alone in that.” Taking the Plunge: The Healing Power of Wild Swimming for Mind, Body and Soul. Black and White Publishing. It is available from Thursday.