Wild swimming is really just swimming in the outdoors.
People have done it FOREVER. Obviously, you can make it as wild as you like, but there are literally dozens of places in the Peak District to swim outside, which don’t require you to be Wim Hoff or Bear Grylls. You can wear a wetsuit if you don’t get on with the cold, or you can wear a cossie – there really aren’t many rules. Lots of people are keen to try it, but anxious at the same time. If you remove the ‘wild’ word and remember that babies and pensioners do it, then so can you.
Immersing yourself in cold water is wildly good for you.
It’s been studied, written about at length, and is increasingly prescribed by health professionals for people with poor mental as well as physical health. You already know that exercise is good for you, so combining the two – a good walk with a swim or two is brilliant medicine, whether you feel that you need it or not. Take a friend or two along and you have the perfect combination.
Contrary to what we are told, if it’s done properly, wild swimming is not dangerous.
Walk around the Peak District or much of England and Wales and you will be forgiven for thinking that swimming, especially in reservoirs, is a highly dangerous activity. But if you can swim, and treat the water with respect, then it really isn’t. Many of the dangers of have been well and truly debunked as is in evidence by the demographic of the wild swimming community – let’s just say it’s not made up of adrenaline hungry red bull sponsored young men. Of course, you need to treat all water with respect, but there’s really little reason to fear it.
Water quality is an issue, but with a collective voice we can change this for the good.
Changes in legislation, or rather, a slackening of the rules, combined with budget cuts over recent decades means that raw sewage is released into our rivers much more often than it should be (there’s a precedent for controlled release during times of flood). Is this a problem? Yes, it is, and not just for wild swimmers, but any river users, human or not. Can we do anything about it? Yes, we can. With a growing collective voice and visible presence, we will surely make a difference and stop this practice, meaning cleaner water for everybody. Write to your MP and demand change.
The Peak District is a haven for Wild Swim Walks.
Surrounded by the major cities of Sheffield, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham and Birmingham, millions have ready access to the Peak with its huge network of footpaths, streams, open access land, lakes and waterfalls. If you don’t know where to go to find decent walk and swim spot combos, then I’ve written a book which will help you. With 28 walks ranging from a few km on the flat, to full days out over the moors, there is something for everybody, each and every walk detailing the best swim spots along the way. There’s also a wealth of information on how to get into wild swimming, the kit you can use, the countryside code and more.
Matt Heason is a Sheffield-based wild swimmer and outdoors fanatic. He co-founder Sheffield Adventure Film Festival and recently wrote Wild Swimming Walks Peak District – a guide to 28 lake, river and waterfall days out on your doorstep.
