Best Wild Swimming In The Uk | Unknown Waters

I’ve always loved the natural world, and time spent in water really improves my mental health. For a long time, scuba diving was my main way of exploring water. I’ve also always been an avid swimmer, training in indoor pools. But diving requires a lot of equipment and preparation, and swimming pools don’t bring you any closer to nature. That’s where the inspiration to take up wild swimming came from: the desire to explore water with greater ease, and still connect with the wild.

Always check the weather and water conditions. It’s important to understand currents, be aware of water quality, tide times - and to assess the area you’ll be swimming in. Ask questions like, “Where’s my exit point? Which way is the current flowing? How do I deal with a rip tide?”

Ideally, you will always swim with someone else. However if you’ve got more experience and want to go it alone, always tell someone where you’re going and what time you can expect to be back. This applies to anything outdoors! There are open water swimming GPS trackers you can get, too.

When it comes to cold water, start slow. Your body can go into cold water shock in any temperature below 15 degrees celsius - if you get in slowly your body has more time to adjust and you can control your breathing.

If you are transitioning from a pool to the outdoors, remember that: you can be a physically strong pool swimmer and still feel out of your depth in open water due to water conditions.

So, at first: keep close to the shore/river bank. That way it’s easier to get out if you get cold, tired, or stuck in a current. Start with these short distances, you can build up as your experience grows.

I love to swim in Brighton - the closeness of the city to the water is really convenient, and I have witnessed some absolutely stunning sunsets there on calm, flat days, which has made for glorious swimming.

I also loved swimming in Llyn Cau at the foot of Cadair Idris in Snowdonia, Wales. It’s an incredible dark blue crater lake with spectacular mountain views - worth the 350m hike up from the car park!

Swimming in the Swiss Alps has my heart. I try to hike there every year, it has a lot of sentimental value to me. I find ‘secret’ alpine lakes and rivers along the way that I get to enjoy with my friends in almost absolute seclusion! That feels really special.

We grew up in the Lake District. Lakes, rivers, streams, outdoor pools, were our playgrounds. Wild Swimming hadn’t yet been coined as a concept, it was never a “thing” when we were growing up. But even though it didn’t have a name – everyone was doing it. We were lucky to have grown up in the Lake District, and lucky to have grown up around outdoorsy people. Knowing that the sea is not some evil mistress that is trying to kill you and that there aren’t wee beasties always trying to snap at your heels meant that we could approach wild swimming confidently from the offset. Through adult life, we drifted away from that lifestyle, off to university, into London and into jobs. We became disconnected from the natural world, from our past and from each other. We wanted to do something to inspire ourselves to live a wilder life with a closer relationship to the natural world. So we set off to swim the River Eden, a river which passed by the bottom of our garden and had been part of that wild childhood. From source to sea it was 145km and we spent 9 days swimming the entire length. That was 2015 and we haven't looked back since.

While it may sound daunting to jump into such cold water, there are actually many benefits to be gained from this practice. Beneath the surface, there are some serious mental and physical benefits to be had. After all, there must be a reason all those people are hurling themselves into freezing cold water. Boosts immune system - Cold water swimming has been shown to boost the immune system by increasing the production of white blood cells. This is why all your cold water swimming friends are always boasting about never getting a winter cold. Increases circulation - Cold water causes blood vessels to constrict, which can help increase circulation and oxygenation throughout the body. This is why people look like lobsters when they come out of the water.We’re so convinced by the benefits of cold water that Little Brother Jack has written all about the life-changing effect that cold water swimming can have on a person, check out Cold Water - here

Focus on your breathing, especially when the water is cold. Wild swimming stands out because it’s a form of natural meditation. You can’t see anything other than the semi-horizon above the water and whatever is underneath you, plus there’s a lot of breathwork. Meditation is about calming your mind and focusing on your breathing and that’s exactly what wild swimming does. It completely empties your mind – all you’re doing is focusing on your breathing and because you’re in a state of perpetual motion it heightens the sense of release that can come through meditation. It’s like when you’re on a really long car journey and you're gazing out the window then suddenly a few hours have gone by. You induce that kind of state when swimming over a significant distance, it feels like time is passing you by and yet you remain suspended in the moment.

Definitely our swims across the SALTSTRAUMEN and MOSKSTRAUMEN whirlpools in Norway. Swirling violently above the Arctic Circle, on the edge of the Lofoten Islands, they possess the strongest and fastest tidal currents in the world. Made famous by Edgar Allan Poe’s A Descent into the Maelstrom and featured in the climax of Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, they are truly the stuff of literary legend. Not to mention home to over 600 Killer Whales and the biggest jellyfish on the planet, the Lions Mane. Our MOSKSTRAUMEN swim was also the longest distance ever swum in the Arctic Circle so that certainly was a challenging one. The Saltstraumen has these big whirlpools that you can see snaking down into the depths which are magical. For the 3rd I would say the Lacy Caves on the River Eden in Cumbria, it was our childhood swim spot and a really magical place for any one to try their first outdoor dip.

I was inspired to take up cold water swimming by friends, at a time where my mental health was at a lull. Soon I realised that the ocean was an arena for combating my anxiety - where I could push myself out of my limits in a way that felt controlled as well as exhilarating. The combination of getting braver each time I overcame the resistance to getting into the water, the playful connection I felt with my friends and the natural world when in the ocean, and the release of endorphins I felt afterwards, kept me coming back for more. Soon, I decided I wanted to help more people access these benefits which was the inspiration for A Guide to Wild Swimming in Cornwall.

Cold water swimming is an excellent tool for building confidence, alongside other health benefits. For us, we find that it is an act of self-care to take time out and head into the water to experience the release of endorphins it provides us with. It can also be a very social activity, and has been a place for us to form new friendships centred around a healthy pastime. Equally as important, is that cold water swimming helps us to connect to the natural world. It makes us feel part of something greater, is a way for us to experience the benefits of Blue Health and eco-therapy and helps us to realise how fortunate we are to inhabit this beautiful planet.

There are a few things which are important to remember so you have a good time in the water. Firstly, do your research. Ensure you know how the tides and currents are working in the area and that you know how to enter and exit the water safely. Preferably speak to someone local to the area who has swam there before. Secondly, know your limits. Start with very limited periods of time (even just a couple of minutes) to start with, so you know your limitations. Increase this gradually, whilst also understanding that your body will be more sensitive to the cold on some days than others. Thirdly, understand your recovery. The body continues to cool for ten minutes after leaving the water, so warm up quickly with hot drinks and layers of clothing. Light exercise such as walking can also help, along with sugary snacks.

It’s normal to feel resistance or even a sense of nervousness when going for your first cold water swim, but I can’t urge people enough to give it a go. It’s probably best to swim at a location you know is popular with other swimmers, or even better to go with a group who go regularly. One of the fantastic things about cold water swimming is that for most people it isn’t a competitive sport, which makes it exceptionally welcoming. The main thing is to try to enjoy yourself whilst doing something new and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. If you’re really worried about the cold, you can prepare beforehand by having cold showers to build up cold resistance in the weeks leading up to your swim. Wetsuits also help to prevent our core temperature from dropping too low, without compromising on the benefits we get from cold exposure.

I have many favourite wild swimming spots. Cornwall is an exceptionally varied county consisting of remote tidal creeks, vast sandy beaches, disused quarries filled with fresh water and much much more. It would be difficult to narrow it down to just three spots, but we’ve narrowed it down to our 54 favourite swimming spots in A Guide to Wild Swimming in Cornwall. 54 spots may sound like a lot, but there are over 300 beaches in Cornwall! We’ve also included useful information on tides, parking, safety and things to do nearby so you can get the most of your swimming experience whether you’re a beginner swimmer or a seasoned pro.