Wild Swimming
We took up wild swimming about 10 years ago, before it became popular. We have explored lakes, rivers and the sea in the Lake District, Peak District, Snowdonia, Brecon Beacons, North Yorkshire and Scotland.
Whilst not as warm as swimming in Spain, Greece or Italy, outdoor swimming in the UK is invigorating. Just as for walking we do not set ourselves challenges, we just have a short dip as appropriate. We also wild swim safely: we do not jump or dive in, rather we walk in steadily and check the area we are going to swim in. We swim parallel to the shore, so we can always reach our exit route easily. We don't stay in long and ensure we have a means of warming up quickly afterwards.
We will share some of our swimming adventures on this page.
Circular Walk from Roxburgh – a forager’s paradise
This circular walk from Roxburgh is relatively short, but perfectly formed. Walking it on a late summer/early autumn day we could only marvel at the season’s abundance: a forager’s paradise. Luckily, I just happened to have some foraging bags in my rucksack. Roxburgh Viaduct Roxburgh Viaduct has to be one of the most stunning of…
Bere Island
Bere Island Trip with a parkrun Another Day in Paradise Saturday was yet another beautiful day and we jumped in the car before 8:00am as we had a ferry to catch. The road from Coomkeen on the Sheep’s Head Peninsular is a challenge in itself, as it is a winding single track that is very…
Great Hetha Hill Run from College Valley
The College Valley is a beautiful valley in the Northumberland section of the Cheviot Hills. We were expecting a very quiet day in the hills: Hethpool at the bottom of the valley is quite difficult to get to and the rest of the valley has limited vehicle access, with permits required to go past the…
Walk in the Trossachs
So Good We Went There Twice. Back in March this year we decided to have a week off work and spend some time exploring the wonderful area we had moved to. One of the first walks we did was up from Lendrick Hill, close to Brig O’ Turk. We loved the route so much, that…
Walking and Swimming in Swaledale
Wildflowers and Swim Spots Galore When we go on a holiday we enjoy going somewhere and being able to explore from our base. Upper Swaledale is perhaps one of the best places in the country to do this – stunning walks, either in the valley bottom or across heather-clad tops. A beautiful river, full of…
A Week of Wild Swimming
When the sun shines in Scotland you have to make the most of it, so when the sun came out in July we finished work early and set off for a wild swim. It was too good an opportunity to miss. As it turned out it was the start of a settled spell, so over…
