Although I have generally gone off the term ‘wild’ swimming, Llyn Cau, on the ascent up Cadair Idris, might actually be exactly what is on offer. On a recent trip to Cymru, four of us marched up the 350m ascent through the cloud and drizzle to reach the lake. There was so much overhanging mist…
Category: Environmental & Wild Swimming
Slovenia for Swimming
I’m not sure what entirely came to my mind when Slovenia has been mentioned in the past. Melania Trump? Luka Dončić? Confusion with Slovakia? That’s now a thing of the past. After reading Martin Strel’s account of swimming up the Amazon I started making a connection between Slovenia and swimming and it’s a very good…
Observations from a small island
So, while I don’t want the website to be given over to my holiday snaps plus flying as a substantial part of Europe is burning in the summer is not the best idea, I did go to Menorca with swimming in mind. It is a fantastic place to swim. OK, so it might be seen…
Swimming in the Dyfi
Much has been written about the state of Britain’s rivers and seas. Campaigners such as Surfers Against Sewage and Fergal Sharkey, among many others, have applied constant pressure on privatised water companies who value profit over conservation. On a recent trip to Wales we were given some local knowledge about a great swimming spot on…
You’re darn right! GO SWIMMING
Kinder Swim Trespass 2023 My dog Ed and I made the journey over the Pennines on a grey Sunday on 23 April for the Kinder Swim Trespass. We trekked up from the village of Hayfields following groups of hikers and swimmers gripping ‘Go Swimming’ signs. The location of the trespass is not accidental and has…
Winter water swimming in Liverpool
Liverpool may not be the first place that comes to mind for winter water swimming, but there are several swim locations around the city docks. On a recent visit I booked a Sunday morning swim for £5 via Liverpool Water Sports only then to mistakenly walk past the correct dock and encounter an entire different…
If you’re ever in Valencia….
On a recent visit to Valencia, I was excited to find that it had just opened an ‘ocean pool’ near the marina not far from the city centre (see link below). It even had a lane or two for those who wanted to get their laps in. When I pitched up to find out more…
Channel swimming
Congratulations to Sarah Thomas on her amazing achievement of swimming the English Channel four times non-stop! Blimey, she must be absolutely exhausted. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-49724851
Ilkley Clean Water Campaign
While publicly-accessible indoor swimming facilities in the UK are on the decrease, outdoor or ‘wild’ swimming similarly is increasingly difficult to access and swimmers face a number of barriers. One local example is the Wharfe river which swimmers have historically used particularly on one section just outside of Ilkley. However, issues with the release of…
An Anthropology of Swimming 