Why Wild Swim?

There are so many reasons to swim outside that it is baffling that more people don’t! My main reason was an amazing girl I met in Ireland who thrust it at me with so much enthusiasm and enjoyment that I couldn’t help but love every part of it.

“But it’s cold? It might be dangerous? You’re crazy! It’s raining! I bet it’s fresh! What about the currents? What if you become hypothermic?” Blah blah blah

I began to wild swim regularly in Carlingford, Ireland, a beautiful little place. We would often swim out from the beach and swim the length of the pier wall or swim between the two ends of the piers jutting out from the harbour. My wonderful friend and I. Occasionally we brought others but I was the only one brave enough to go regularly with her. Claire was my driving force against the laziness and comfort of inside, I always knew she was right about how great it would be when we got out there. Some mornings we would go out and find the water mirror flat with the Mountains of Mourne framing the scene in front and the quaint medieval town creating the back drop. A lot of mornings we would come out to the sun rise, we were so thankful each morning we were there, experiencing the quiet and wonder no one else was there for. We even went out one afternoon in the grey and fog and somehow that was just as beautiful and magical as seeing the fairylike scenery surrounding you. Being able to not see much left space to fill your mind with whatever you liked as you floated through the water.

One particular swim that was incredibly memorable was when we travelled around Ireland post work in November time. Now of course the most logical place to start would have to be the most northerly point which ironically is located in the South of Ireland. Malin Head, a little peninsula jutting out of the North West of the country where they filmed a lot of the new Star Wars films. We wild camped on a headland under the stars and a faint greenish glow, a little hint of the Aurora Borealis. In the morning Claire and I could not resist a dip in the turquoise water of the harbour as the tide swept in. Now when I say turquoise the water was overwhelmingly blue. The waves were quite big and in fact we spent little time swimming but just playing in the surf, jumping up and down with the waves. Simply playing. It was even raining that day, hardly the picture-perfect swim but the feel of the water around was so luscious I barely felt the cold. Later a man in the local pub told is that the gulf stream flows past not far from shore keeping the water relatively warm and healthy. Wild swimming secret, you only feel the cold when you get out and leave the magic behind.

I have swum in many other places since; a sweetly cold skinny dip in Glenveagh National Park, Donegal, a few lakes in the Lake District amid a myriad of different weathers. Most notably with snow on the ground in January tentatively entering Grasmere Lake. Possibly the coldest swim I’ve ever done, we only stayed in a few minutes and were completely chilled to the bone. I’ve swam in mountain tarns in the Lakes and in the Peak District, in a few rivers, the River Wye and the River Derwent (the one through Derbyshire). Each has brought a whole host of amazing feelings swinging between an intense spirituality and connection with what’s around you to taking a plunge into yourself and feeling not just your mind and soul reacting but also your body. Those ancient survival systems kicking in. From the butterflies at the start, the nervous laughs and the oohs, aahs as your body takes in the cold and does it’s best to maintain your temperature. Heavy breathing and pounding heart as your body works past it’s limit. Pins and needles sometimes (I thankfully don’t get that so much anymore). One of my favourite things is almost being able to feel my blood sluggishly trying to push warmth around my body. I really feel this once I get out and you’re relieved of the weight of the cold and you feel the rush go around you, warmer each time. Something I can imagine akin to taking some kind of drug or another. Also, that feeling of knowing your skin is completely numb but feeling okay inside, I like to call it my little ball of warmth inside, the core spot that is essentially your radiator.

The sea is still one of my favourite places to swim though, so much change throughout the day you have to grab your chance at high tide and lose yourself in the horizon line, that end of the world drop off that calls to the adventurer in your soul. I love that it is truly a force of nature, full of so much mystery and power over the imagination. I find that the sea is beautiful in every weather, even when it is grey, foggy and the waves are rolling in there is still a wild beauty to it. A firm resistance to the taming and shaping of society.

Now before you go getting any outlandish ideas, when we go out and swim we are by no means the wetsuit wearing, boggly goggle wearing type with swim caps and front crawl. No way, so get that image out of your head and think more granny like. We don’t swim for miles because we just dawdle along with a sedate breast stroke in our swimming costumes. We don’t really stay in long either since we lack the protection that wetsuits give you. Claire and I prefer to tough it out minimalist style. It’s much more natural that way, you can see and feel more and appreciate it as you go, also changing in and out of your gear doesn’t take as long, which is important when you’re shivering and shaking in the snow or the rain. I have swum in a wetsuit before when it was cold or it looked a bit miserable but it irritates me more because the suit restricts my movement and I like to feel the water against my skin, feel it gnawing its way through my skin and chilling my muscles. It makes me pull a little harder or move a little faster to keep warm.

Now I will go onto the second reason why I wild swim, the first identified why I started and the second is more about why I carry on. As I have talked about some of the feelings it gives me will give you an idea why. But I believe that wild swimming holds so many benefits for your mind and your body. Jack Hudson in the book Swim Wild lists a whole host of potential benefits to be gained; “it fortifies the immune system, decreases your blood pressure, causes your cholesterol levels to drop, burns fat, boosts your metabolism, combats cellulite, releases endorphins and even improves your fertility rate”. No matter what you think about it being crazy, the cold is good for you so in your face naysayers!

Furthermore, Hudson goes on to say that water may lie at the very source of our humanity. An evolutionary paradigm proposed by Alister Hardy that involved industrious foraging and opportunistic hunting as another reason why we became upright two-legged beings. One that contradicted the idea of humans running across the dry savannahs of Africa but more likely gravitating towards to wetter areas and shorelines. Areas where foraging for crustaceans and shallow water fish like catfish was easy and more beneficial than chasing down fast four-legged prey across the grasslands. Due to other physiological similarities with aquatic creatures such as; bone density, intelligence, subcutaneous fat layers and our streamlined shape scientists believe we were built for shallow diving and not for long endurance chasing.

I’ve had lots of people have the odd giggle as we’ve swum past, heartily joking that the water must be fresh or that we are brave for taking the plunge. “Rather you than me!” Well I would rather it was me as well because I know how great it feels and how good it is for my mindset and happiness levels when I look over at Claire and we enjoy a laugh and a splash and roll around like otters before turning back into humans again stumbling back onshore and into the grind of life. For that moment we recapture something, an essence of childhood, feelings of play and a connection to the environment that our bodies and minds are secretly searching for. After all that is what our ancestors did so why can’t we, there’s nothing to fear and only the shackles of society and convention to stop you. So please rebel and get out there, get in there because afterwards the only reason you’ll have to look back is to see the distance you’ve gone.