[Closed] "Wild swimming"

Because it differ's majorly from most ppl's experience of swimming, which is normally a nice warm swimming pool.
Wild swimming by implication involves risk and is normally bloody cold (going by reports I've heard on the radio lately & experiences of quarry swimming)

When you talk about mtb-ing do you say you go 'cycling' and leave it at that?

It's becase in the world of swimming generally, people swim in pools.

The same as if you ride an exercise bike, you say that you rode an exercise bike, not that you went on a bike ride, because the default there is to do it outside.

Joe

[i]Wild swimming by implication involves risk and is normally bloody cold[/i]

But, even as kid, this [i]is[/i] what swimming meant to me....

But, even as kid, this is what swimming meant to me..

What, so if someone says to you

"I'm a member of a swimming club"
or
"I go swimming every day before work"

you'd assume they were doing it in a river?

Personally, I agree that it shouldn't be the case, it should be that if you say you're going for a swim, people assume you mean outdoors, but given most people seem to do only 'turbo trainer' type indoor swimming, the different phrase is used for the one which is odd.

Joe

p.s. It isn't usually that cold in summer. Pools are too hot though - you get sweaty swimming hard in them, which just isn't right.

If as a kid someone said "are you coming swimming" I would have assumed the river

I agree the default is a swimming pool. "Wild" is rather over-hyped though if all you're doing is swimming in a lake or the sea (or even down a non-whitewater river). I do plenty of "wild" swimming by their definition, but would be embarrassed to call it that.

I guess the term just annoys me... it's an unnecessary label for a simple peasure. I recently heard some trendy type harp on about spending a week "wild swimming" in Wales, and it made me want to push him into the nearest body of water.

I can understand how the label can annoy you. But it does appear to be quite good fun. I picked up a book called 'Wild Swimming' which has some stunning places to go for a swim listed in it.

I am quite addicted...

I agree the default is a swimming pool. "Wild" is rather over-hyped though if all you're doing is swimming in a lake or the sea (or even down a non-whitewater river). I do plenty of "wild" swimming by their definition, but would be embarrassed to call it that.

Yeah true. White-water swimming is awesome though, you should try it (I'd only swim a grade 2 or 3 canoeing river though). When we had all the rains, I swum a section of our local river that is usually too shallow - it was a foot up from normal, and you could just get through without too many scrapes on the rocks. The feeling of no return as you swim into the main channel, commit yourself to it and the river catches you is awesome.

I also swum in some rivers in the Dolomites too - that was cool, very strong currents, but wide and shallow, so it was easy to break out of the current when you wanted to go back up.

Oh and I've swum in bits of the Spey too, although that is a Grade 1 or easy grade 2 at most.

Swimming in the sea can be pretty extreme too, when you've got anything over about 4 foot of swell it always seems like a good laugh.

I think though that the phrase 'wild swimming' is meant to be more about wild in the scenery sense of things, as in getting close to nature and seeing it / being a part of it, rather that wild in the crazy / extreme sense. At least that's the idea I get from the Daniel Start & Roger Deakin books. Which makes sense.

Joe

[i]I picked up a book called 'Wild Swimming' which has some stunning places to go for a swim listed in it.[/i]

I don't have a problem with the book, as such. And there have been some nice articles, along the same lines... I just can't stand the packaged language.

But maybe I should just get a life. 😀

edited to add: Roger Deakin, much missed.

White-water swimming is awesome though, you should try it

isn't it normaly called open water swimming?

Gravel pits are suprisingly warm in summer, went to one in germany and it was the perfect temperture for a fast swim, felt more bouyant too, although that could just be because you dont feel the need to swim down to the bottom (becasue it's a lot further away) like you do in a pool.

What about freeswimming? You could probably sell all sorts of special goggles and reinforced trunks for it.

And yes, Roger Deakin is fantastic. Robert Macfarlane's The Wild Places is also good.

I have - mostly unintentionally

You know, paddling is how I got into river swimming. Doing white-water rescue training, I discovered how much fun it is to be the rescuee, and thought that it might be nice to do that on purpose sometimes!

Joe

"Wild swimming" is what I grew up calling swimming too, I don't know where all these self proclaimed wild swimmers are though, Swamp girl and I are pretty enthusiastic and its extremely rare to meet anyone else doing it.

I also get irritated by the people who feel the need to use the term because its fashionable. Having to go to Wales to do it is a laugh too, nice scenery, but there are plenty of nice gravel pits etc. round here in the Home Counties. Not to miss out the Thames, lowest point swum in so far is Hampton Court. [If you live on Thames Ditton Island and pulled back the curtains in the morning to find a bum print on the picture window, it wasn't me, honest]

Its nearly as bad as using "extreme" for anything vaguely beyond main stream sport just because it gives a [usually] safe buzz to people who have no real excitement in their over regulated lives. Some of it does seem to be about marketing, how long will it be before Berghaus, Karrimor et al start marketing a range of lifestyle products for wild swimmers? [Corroded - beat me to it]

Why "Mountain" Biking when most on here ride around home counties country parks on bicycles.

😉

It's not a term that particularly bothers me, but there's plenty of similar ones that make me incandescent with rage, so I wholehartedly support your stance 🙂

I also get irritated by the people who feel the need to use the term because its fashionable. Having to go to Wales to do it is a laugh too, nice scenery, but there are plenty of nice gravel pits etc. round here in the Home Counties. Not to miss out the Thames, lowest point swum in so far is Hampton Court. [If you live on Thames Ditton Island and pulled back the curtains in the morning to find a bum print on the picture window, it wasn't me, honest]

Hah, I've swum at Eel Pie Island in Twickenham - that's lower down*. A nice little swim, although watch the tide, it can be a right hassle if it is going the wrong way. I've also swum at Chertsey (nice enough beach, although it is a bit busy with boats sometimes), and Penton Hook Island (you can swim in the weir outflow - not too close to it obviously, but 50 metres down from it, you get a great current pulling you round past the marina, and then you can get out and wander across the island back again, or battle back against the current if you want the exercise). Oh and a few points higher than that (up Maidenhead way) as a kid.

Having done some swimming in Wales, they do have some lovely little fast flowing rivers and waterfall pools to swim in, and some very very beautiful lakes, it's is a very different thing to going swimming in Heron Lake down by the M25. Same goes for Alpine lakes and things. The water may be the same, but the scenery does make it a bit different.

Joe

*and also probably illegal - I think the Port of London authority ban swimming in the tidal Thames.

"Wild swimming" is what I grew up calling swimming too, I don't know where all these self proclaimed wild swimmers are though, Swamp girl and I are pretty enthusiastic and its extremely rare to meet anyone else doing it.

I can safely say that they aren't in the Peak District (at least never are when I'm swimming).

I got cornered by a hippy at a camping site recently who tried to tell me all about how they really wanted to try "this wild swimming, man" and how it was " really unconventional because it's like in rivers and stuff"

I’m still struggling to separate and establish whether my rage came from their attitude, the fact they were an unwashed sponger who turned up at the camp and then went from tent to tent asking for “a bit of food” or just the bizarre sheep like buying into a repackaging of swimming.

I might try wild walking next week, it’s like walking but you do it through puddles and sometimes it rains…..

FFS!

I’m still struggling to separate and establish whether my rage came from .......

Yeah, I struggling to establish where your "rage" came from too.

It'll be the hippies Ernie, I would imagine.

Also, this might not be obvious, but "wild swimming" as a term is also used to differentiate it from "open water swimming", which (within competitive swimming circles) usually refers to swimming races that are held outdoors. I guess wild swimming is meant to emphasise the going out and seeing nature part of it, rather than just seeing "open water" as a slightly bumpier pool where you don't have to turn round so often.

It is nice that it is getting fashionable, maybe there will be more adults swimming outdoors, and less places being shut off / less hassle from people who own / manage land about swimming.

Joe

Whilst reading this forum, I'm doing a bit of danger sitting, whilst thinking about a spot of extreme scratching.

I'm just taking a break from wild C++ coding (no safety net).

Its super gnarly sweetism at its best.

Of course the MTB (have you ridden on a proper mountain recently?)world is hardly free from such hyping-up.

It'll be the hippies Ernie

Wow........... all they want to do is spread a little love, peace, and happiness in the world.
And yet, they instil an enormous feeling of rage in Practical Matt. That's very sad 🙁

I'd never heard this expression. To my ears it sounds like the equivalent of someone saying "I'm going extreme cycling this weekend". Ah well. 🙂

it sounds like the equivalent of someone saying "I'm going extreme cycling this weekend"

Or........ "singletrack"

WTF is that about ?

.......... you "get off your bike" if there's room for two bikes ? 😕

Re Hippy, sorry I should have said Dreadlocked Freeloader, I've no probelm with those who spread the love and try to live in an idealistic society of mutual respect, good luck to them.

This guy was just an idiot stoner who begged for food all evening and then tried to light a fire using fence posts and green wood before trying to get people to give him a lift home the next day as he hadn't realised that the busses might not run frequently in the country on a sunday... oh and he didn't actually have a tent either he expected strangers to share the love and let him sleep in theirs with them.

I think the wild swimming comments were the icing on the cake or the thin end of the wedge

Do any of you have a better phrase to describe swimming in rivers, lakes and the sea, that captures the idea of it being about the scenery rather than competition (ruling out "open water swimming", and makes it clear that it is outside (ruling out just "swimming")?

I like "proper swimming", but it can be a bit contentious!

Joe

free swimming?

organic free-range schwimming?

Proper sounds ok but perhaps the answer is stick with "swimming" and refer to swimming in pools etc. as "artificial swimming"

BTW there is a firm that will build you a natural swimming pool if you have enough space. Its basically a pond with a selection of vegetation that keeps it all clean. IIRC it doesn't even need a circulation pump.

Joe - I'll concede to you on downstream in the Thames [I won't count Southend] but have swum way upstream at Lechlade, where its not much more than a big brook.

Why rule out 'swimming'? Does it need anything more than that, unless of course the extra bit is there so that people ask "whats that" and then a person can launch into some pre--prepared speech to show how at one with nature they really are and uber special?

I 'go out on my bike' rather than 'go mtbing' and when I was at boarding school we would go swimming, in the lakes or in the pool, all the same really.

refer to swimming in pools etc. as "artificial swimming"

Do any of you have a better phrase to describe swimming in rivers, lakes and the sea, that captures the idea of it

As they say in all the best gangster movies - Swimming with the fishes

To borrow from mountain biking, "All-Swimming".

Joe - I'll concede to you on downstream in the Thames [I won't count Southend] but have swum way upstream at Lechlade, where its not much more than a big brook.

Ah, I have that end of the Thames in the list for next time I visit my friend in Swindon.

Why rule out 'swimming'? Does it need anything more than that

Because if you say "I'm going swimming", it means to someone that you are going to go and do some lengths in the pool. If you say, "would you like to go swimming?", they think you're asking them to come and do lengths in a pool. It is the same as why you don't say "would you like to come on a bike ride" and expect people to know whether to bring their mountain bike or their road bike.

"artificial swimming"

Joe

Swimming with the fishes

Genius.

I went swimming with the fishes in an Alpine lake earlier this year - was absolutely packed with little fish, and when I stopped, they nibbled at my toes. It was quite disconcerting.

Joe

Wrote a big long piece about linguistic nuances but can't really be ass*d so have removed it.

If you feel the need to make swimming in a pond sound 'core' happy happy joy joy to you.

Apropos special equipment, old quarries tend to have a bed of broken bottles near the shore.Can anyone recommend any good footwear for gettting in & out. We were warned about this by the warden near a v. nice water-filled quarry in the Malverns, the other week. There were enough broken bottles visible to make me concerned about wading in barefoot.

PS Mrs M has skinny-dipped much of the upper Thames and a fair few other rivers. Brave woman.

Apropos special equipment, old quarries tend to have a bed of broken bottles near the shore.Can anyone recommend any good footwear for gettting in & out.

Old shoes? You can get fancy water shoes (like trainers but without padding that gets wet - used for canoeing where you might have to portage) or wetsuit boots.

Probably the best thing is to get in at a point which isn't where the local drunk people hang out on a Saturday night, and always swim as soon as it is remotely deep enough.

Joe

Yeah true. White-water swimming is awesome though, you should try it (I'd only swim a grade 2 or 3 canoeing river though). When we had all the rains, I swum a section of our local river that is usually too shallow - it was a foot up from normal, and you could just get through without too many scrapes on the rocks. The feeling of no return as you swim into the main channel, commit yourself to it and the river catches you is awesome.

So white water swimming is, sort of downhill swimming!

Cool...... do you wear a helmet?

Me... I am more into the upstream swimming..... more of a workout, and when I am done, I don't have to walk back, because I didn't actually get anywhere.......

Swimming upstream and not getting anywhere: Sounds like my job!

Hammer

Me... I am more into the upstream swimming..... more of a workout, and when I am done, I don't have to walk back, because I didn't actually get anywhere.......

Yeah, I've done some upstream swimming too, but in my most local river, it is hard, even swimming from eddy to eddy, there are a few points where I just can't swim against it and have to turn downstream.

Joe

I went swimming with the fishes in an Alpine lake earlier this year - was absolutely packed with little fish, and when I stopped, they nibbled at my toes. It was quite disconcerting.

Too true. It's cool to share it with the fish and all, but I remember 'wild' swimming in the Ardeche near Vallon Pont D'Arc (sp?) and being freaked by some bloody big fish swimming between my legs.

PS to join in with the righteous bashing of post-modern terminology, swimming is called SWIMMING!

I went swimming with the fishes in an Alpine lake earlier this year - was absolutely packed with little fish, and when I stopped, they nibbled at my toes. It was quite disconcerting.

I'd guess it was the same place Moses went, but for the fact I'd expect the warden to tell him to stay out, and I can't particularly recall ever having a problem with broken bottles either. Is there somewhere you can swim other than Gullett Quarry?

No worse than the terms freeriding or hardcore xc it's all riding a ****ing bike.

it's all riding a ****ing bike.

To you it might be. To others, it's all about riding a trusty steed.

So white water swimming is, sort of downhill swimming!

Cool...... do you wear a helmet?

No, just a cod piece? (See what I did?)

Steed? Nah never been into horse riding 😉

the woman who has been making the swimming in rivers etc videos for the guardian is quite tasty. in an upper-class crumpet kind of way

I call it swimcore lite these days - nobody ever wanted to come with me when I called it doggygnarl

Is there somewhere you can swim other than Gullett Quarry?

I never swam in Gullet Quarry after hearing the horror stories about hypothermia deaths etc...but before I lived here I heard it was a popular summer spot packed with families jumping in for a dip. Now swimming there is verboten for all manner of reasons

They should open up the reservoir below British Camp don't you think? That would be an epic and scenic location for summer fun and stuff, and job creation for lifeguards.

Will see if I can dig up other local swimspots...

 

I never swam in Gullet Quarry after hearing the horror stories about hypothermia deaths etc...but before I lived here I heard it was a popular summer spot packed with families jumping in for a dip. Now swimming there is verboten for all manner of reasons

aracer, sorry I'm not au fait with all the ins-and outs of the Gullet Quarry safety aspects, as I say I've never been swimming there, just picked up reports here and there.

Googling found a report of a schoolboy dying there 7 years ago, but I don't know what happened. I'm a weak and cautious swimmer, and after having nearly drowned myself in Cornwall once I tend to avoid any palce I've even heard is 'risky', so don't quote me :wink:.

What reason is swimming "banned" there other than that people killed themselves by being drunk and stupid?

Not sure. I'm certainly not defending any side of the Gullet Quarry argument as I (in French accent) know nothing!

It was Gullett Quarry, and there were enough visible bottles to make me wary of the hidden ones.
The warden was a really good bloke, we chatted for some time. His job, poor sod, includes litter picking the morning after the local youth have partied in the carparks etc, leaving all sorts of rubbish. Mind, that morning they had left him half a case of beer by the quarry so he may not have minded. Plus towels, food, discarded knickers, etc.

His opinion seemed to be that middle-aged people in camper-vans staying illegally dissuaded the youth from being too obnoxious, so we were a good thing. Also, we don't litter.

🙂

mild swimming? 😮

no teeth i'd say yo jumped into the shallow end there!

apart from prehaps the concept of "wild" anything in the British I generally something of misnomer...i'd say the attention these recently published book have brought to a variety of aquatic pursuits is more of a celebratory than cynical-cash in.

It was Gullett Quarry, and there were enough visible bottles to make me wary of the hidden ones.

Maybe things have changed, as I've not swum there at all this year, but I can't recall ever seeing any broken bottles that side, despite much activity and other rubbish around in the days when swimming there was "legal". Then again, I've stopped next to the sloping bit on the far side before and not noticed bottles there either, so maybe the yobs have got worse, or maybe there was just one lot who chucked a load of bottles.

Nice to know the warden's don't actually mind you swimming in there too much.

Its a clever re-branding exercise designed to make swimming outdoors appear exciting and something for people to aspire to. Very much like the title mountain biking and the associated image that goes with it (and surfing, snowboarding etc). Until recently I had'nt swam in a pool for about 3 years due partly to chlorine intollerance but also because I live near the sea and its convenient and free to swim in it. I also swim in rivers when I get the chance but didnt realise i was indulging officially in wild swimming. But in all this time I have rarely seen anyone else doing the same. But if it alerts people to the idea that this is an alternative or complement to pool swimming then I have no problem with it. The fact is that when it starts to turn cold, from the middle of next month or so, most people won't be interested as some initial discomfort is experienced. Oh yeah, I saw that book as well and ...some great pictures etc

Wild swimming is what is done here in North Queensland. Got crocs, sharks, and jellyfish with fatal stings.

Usually the "wild swimming" is done by tourists who either don't believe there are crocs, sharks, and jellyfish, or who think they are so special that none of those animals will bother them.

All these people who are calling it a re-branding, which corporate monolith do you imagine are doing this re-branding?

One of the joys of swimming is that it's cheap and simple. One of the extra joys of lake/river/sea swimming is that it's even cheaper and simpler.

Maybe re-branding is another slip of language with unintentional implications. FWIW I know quite a lot of channel swimmers and sea swimmers through Swimtrek (who do holidays for eating, drinking, and a bit of spectacular swimming). They're generally a bit narked with the Wild Swimming woman for taking something that everyone's been doing for years, acting like she represents it, and spouting loads of guff about how out-there and in touch with nature she thinks she is.

I think that Kate Rew (and Daniel Start, and to a lesser extent the Rivers & Lakes person whose name I don't remember) have obviously got some press about it, and hence become by default the names that are in the address books of random media people wanting to find out about swimming. Everything I see where they're publicising it, they seem to be very much doing it because they are excited about doing something fun, and want to inspire other people to get out and swim. I don't imagine they are making masses of money for their sinister media empires, I'm guessing like every other guidebook author, they do it because they like doing the activity. Until recently, it was the swimtrek people who were the go to people for the media about outdoor swimming, the current people are a lot more focused on swimming in normal places in the UK, rather than always having to travelling hundreds or thousands of miles to swim which is nice.

The getting pissed off thing seems a bit like surfers getting pissed off with people muscling in on 'their' bit of sea or whatever. Yes, people have been doing it for years, but no-one has been publicising it, making it mainstream, making it easy to find good spots in new areas in the country, or to meet up with people to swim with. It isn't like the rivers are crowded, they are just a bit more accessible. If people wanted to have a media profile as the person to ask about outdoor swimming, it is pretty simple to get in the media, but it takes a whole lot of effort, just spend ages writing press releases and sending things to journalists. If they couldn't be arsed to promote it then surely they should just be happy someone else is out there inspiring people to go swimming.

By the way, anyone looking at buying either of the recent books, Daniel Start's Wild Swimming is better in my opinion. There is also somebody or others guide to wet places or something, which is supposed to be good (I've been given some good swimming spots out of it), I haven't got the full details (or even the actual title / author details) here, there is an email address you write to, the guy prints you off a copy for a smallish charge, it is pretty much just a list of OS grid references though, not very descriptive.

Joe

TBH, I maybe shouldn't have stuck my oar in 🙂

(ironically enough) Outdoor swimming seems like it can be one of those small ponds with lots of strong characters and politics. I don't really know the ins and outs of it well enough.

Or it can be some person swimming in a river with knowledge of, or connection to, any organisation.