First things first: I loathe the term ‘wild’ swimming, unless one is talking about crossing maelstroms or swimming the Hellespont like The Wild Swimming Brothers (called after their mother’s maiden name rather than after their preponderance for swimming in nature). By the same logic, going for a jog in the park should be called ‘wild’ running, as it doesn’t take place on a running track, and a walk across the fields should be a ‘wild’ walk.
Wild swimming can sound pretentious and exclusive – like there’s a sort of ultraswimmers’ club out there, for the members of which a trip to the local swimming pool was just never quite enough. “It turns on its head what swimming should be about,” notes criminal barrister and enthusiastic swimmer Maximilian Hardy. “It’s for all.” There’s nothing affected about swimming in lakes, rivers, and the sea. Far from it: it’s the most natural of all activities, requiring minimal equipment and resources.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2021-Ausgabe von The Field.
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Rory Stewart - The former Cabinet minister and hit podcast host talks to Alec Marsh about the parlous state of British politics, land management and his deep love of the countryside
The gently spoken 51-year-old former Conservative Cabinet minister is a countryman at heart. That's clear: he even changes into a tweed waistcoat for the interview, which takes place at his London home and begins with a question about his precise career status. Having resigned from the Commons and the Conservative Party in 2019, the former diplomat and soldier has reinvented himself, first with an unconventional but promising run as an independent for the London mayoralty (abandoned because of COVID19 in 2020) and then as a media figure, co-hosting one of the country's most popular podcasts, The Rest Is Politics, alongside Alastair Campbell, the former Labour spin doctor.
Fodder
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