I am a big advocate of swimming outdoors. It doesn’t have to be sporty or in a wetsuit, just jumping in is what matters. I think it’s fun and good for you.
I have done a couple of swimming challenges, up to a few miles at a time, but I’m not a strong swimmer and started almost from scratch not that long ago, unable to do more than a single length of front crawl a couple of years ago.
Below are some articles, resources and links for swimming, particularly of the wild variety.
Getting Started
Next Challenge Swimming Projects
- Swimming the Thames – The length of the river as part of a Greater London Triathlon
- A Trip from Tim’s to Thom’s – Swimming the Solent as part of a ‘real world’ triathlon from London to the Isle of Wight
- Coast-to-Coast Triathlon – Rob Cousins swam across Coniston Water in his own route across the country
Swimming Advice
- 10 Tips for Your First Swimming Expedition by Dan Martin
- 5 Health Benefits of Cold Water Swimming – Originally written for the Outdoor Swimming Society (below)
- Wild Swimming in Oman – The best places for an outdoor dip in the Sultanate
- Wild Swimming Kit List (Hint: you don’t need much)
- Cold water adaptation – Advice for acclimatising for winter swims
Swimming Articles
- Swimming: The Next Step in Adventure – Dan Martin argues that swimming’s the next big thing for expeditions
- Wild Swims and Mild Whims – How I got into outdoor swimming and how easy it is
- 7 Things I Learned from Lewis Pugh – After a talk about swimming at the North Pole
- Wild Swimming is Not a Sport – Swimming outdoors should be simple and free, not requiring equipment and training
- 12 Reasons to Shower Cold – The only way to start your day
- This Is The Serpentine – Description of a cold morning dip in a London lido
- A Thames Swimming Story – A day’s mooching down the River Thames
- The Ocean’s Seven – the swimmer’s equivalent to the Seven Summits
Swimming Resources
- Outdoor Swimming Society – The best place to start. Free to join, free social swims for complete beginners, and plenty more.
- Swim Trek – Company offering long-distance swimming holidays around the world.
- Wild Swim Map – Recommended swimming spots across the UK and world
- British Long Distance Swimming Association (BLSDA) – Organise events throughout the UK.
- SwimFit – Free work out and training advice from British Gas
Swimming People and Blogs
- Open Water Source – Resources and daily news about outdoor swimming
- Extreme Winter Swimming – What it says on the tin
- Martin Strel – The ‘Big River Man’ who has swum the length of the Danube, Yangtze and Amazon.
- Dan Martin – My friend who once planned to swim the Atlantic as part of a Global Triathlon.
- Lewis Pugh – Environmental lawyer and campaigner who has swum at the North Pole and on Everest.
- The Long Swim blog
- OpenWaterPedia – Wikipedia for outdoor swimming
- Marathon Swimmers Forum
- ChannelSwimming.net – Michael & Angela Oram’s website on swimming the English Channel
- Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation (CSPF) – Info, advice and support for Channel swimmers
- Fresh Water Swimmers – Adventures in Marathon Swimming blog
- Lone Swimmer – Who Dares Swims blog
Books
- Waterlog by Roger Deakin – I defy anyone to read this wonderful book and not fall in love with the idea of swimming outside.
- Wild Swimming by Daniel Start – Practical guide to swim locations around the country. There’s a Coast version too.
- Wild Swim by Kate Rew – A more prosaic guide to beautiful swim spots in the UK by the founder of the Outdoor Swimming Society.
- The Man who Swam the Amazon by Matthew Mohlke – The book doesn’t do it justice but this was a seriously impressive swim. There is DVD too, called Big River Man.
- Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox – Tales of a long distance swimmer.
- Addicted: Cold Water Submersion
– Jill Peck Vona’s dangerous addiction to cold water.
