Wild river yonder
Country Life UK|March 01, 2023
SOMETIMES I claim to be a wild swimmer, throwing caution and everything else to the wind and the weather, and striding into lakes, rivers and the sea whatever the time of year.
Wild river yonder

Sometimes, however, as right now, I’d rather be tucked up by a log fire thinking about wild swimming, but happily not doing it.

What does the ‘wild’ in wild swimming actually mean? Does it have to involve cold water? I think not. Does a plunge count or should the activity involve several strokes and a few minutes of immersion? I think it should. And how wild does wild have to be? Are we simply talking about swimming in the great outdoors in fresh or salty water or should there be a frisson of risk or danger to make the swim truly wild?

I don’t necessarily subscribe to the latter as de rigueur, but, looking back over some of the swims I’ve experienced, one does fit neatly into the truly wild category.

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