Wild Swimming

[jbeegoode]

Got a link to a wild swimming article from Sunwalker's blog. It originates and is more about the way over there where so many of you on this forum hang out in those island called UK-something.

It is entertaining, has women's issues, but can any of you tell us more about this wild swimming in the UK and shed light on the elusive swimming holes? There is a list at the end of the article.
http://www.thefield.co.uk/country-house/wild-swimming-22186

THE BEST PLACES TO GO WILD SWIMMING

Kate Rew is the founder of the Outdoor Swimming Society (OSS) and the author of Wild Swim: River, Lake, Lido and Sea: the best places to swim outdoors in Britain (Guardian Books, £17).

1. Fishing Cove, Gwithian, Cornwall
2. Llyn Morwynion, Snowdonia, Gywnedd
3. Lady Falls, Brecon Beacons, Powys
4. Black Moss Pot, Stonethwaite, Cumbria
5. Newnham Riverbank Club, Cambridge
6. Berneray Beach, Outer Hebrides
7. The Thames, Oxfordshire
8. Wellsfoot Island, Dartmoor
9. Lumb Falls, near Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire
10. Covehithe Beach, Suffolk

For more information about wild swimming visit The Outdoor Swimming Society

Read more at http://www.thefield.co.uk/country-house/wild-swimming-22186#gfrfaPkm6yJztYuu.99

[John P]

I took a quick look at Kensunwalker's blog, and yup, he's still stealing pictures for it. Sunwalkerism: "I take what I want, when I want it!"

I've swum in a few places in Britain, including one of the listed ones, "The Thames, Oxfordshire". It was with my friend Dan back in 2014, when we'd been on the Naked European Walking Tour. He wanted to rent kayaks and paddle on the Thames near Reading, so off we went. The swim was at our lunch stop, and a woman came along with a pair of dogs. She saw us and said "Oh, excuse me", and walked on.

There's a fair amount of stuff about skinny-dipping in Britain if you're willing to deal with Facebook. The groups called Swim Walks, and UK Skinny Dippers are both pretty good--JohnGW is in that second one. There's also a Wild Swimming group, but I didn't think it was much fun; it really seemed to be aimed at getting people to buy the book.

[nuduke]

I hate the term skinny dipping.  It sounds wimpy and embarrassed about itself.  Give me wild swimming or naked swimming as a term anytime although the latter uses the word naked which diminishes the unexceptional nature and normality of nakedness. Wild Water swimming is great too although the word water is tautological as what else would one swim in?


I'd love to find one of those deserted gin-clear tarns on the moors one day and just slide in to the water alone with nature like Tash Brooks http://tashbrooks.com/ that made that wonderful video BlueHue.
Problem with me is that such things whilst highly desirable and on the pre-demise bucket list, are peripheral and I just don't have time to take trips to remote locations to find what I seek given the number of other things that go on in an average week/month/year!  One day...one day.


And don't reply with carpe diem type comments like "get out there, John, before it's too late" or "you only live once".  I do new, challenging and/or exciting stuff every week it seems.  The list is just too long to get everything in today!  I'll do it in the next year, I hope.


John

[Greenbare Woods]

I hate the term skinny dipping.  It sounds wimpy and embarrassed about itself.  Give me wild swimming or naked swimming as a term anytime although the latter uses the word naked which diminishes the unexceptional nature and normality of nakedness. Wild Water swimming is great too although the word water is tautological as what else would one swim in?
John

I agree John.   "Skinny dipping" sounds hokey.  I'm not skinny.   I'm not really wild either, and I agree that saying "naked swimming" implies that its unusual or strange. 

Natural Swimming?   Free body swimming?  Free swimming?   Human swimming?  Unfettered swimming?  Unencumbered swimming? 

Bob

[nuduke]

Swimming?
John

[Peter S]

... although the latter uses the word naked which diminishes the unexceptional nature and normality of nakedness

Agreed, though in conversing with those unfortunate enough not to share our predilections we do need to S-P-E-L-L O-U-T the obvious at times.

How about "skin dipping" instead of "skinny"?

peter

[JOhnGw]

I like natural or free swimming best.

[Greenbare Woods]

I like natural or free swimming best.

 


Its a shame we can't "like" posts on this forum. 

[jbeegoode]

Swimming nude.
Jbee

[jbeegoode]

I'd love to find one of those deserted gin-clear tarns on the moors one day and just slide in to the water alone with nature like Tash Brooks http://tashbrooks.com/ that made that wonderful video BlueHue.
Problem with me is that such things whilst highly desirable and on the pre-demise bucket list, are peripheral and I just don't have time to take trips to remote locations to find what I seek given the number of other things that go on in an average week/month/year!  One day...one day.


And don't reply with carpe diem type comments like "get out there, John, before it's too late" or "you only live once".  I do new, challenging and/or exciting stuff every week it seems.  The list is just too long to get everything in today!  I'll do it in the next year, I hope.


John

Once you do it, you look forward and make time to do it. It moves up on your bucket list. It becomes passion, compelling, like getting naked and out of clothing. Swimming in nature can be the epitome of naturism. It kicks crap out of water colors.
Jbee

[eyesup]

As best I can figure skinny dipping sort of means the ‘naked truth’. But I agree, it sounds wimpy.

I like natural swimming or free swimming.

These two words don’t led themselves to a contraction, e.g. canoeing nude, ‘canuding’, driving a car naked, ‘carnuding’, vacationing nude, ‘nakation’. Nothing comes to mind that doesn’t sound like a sound effect for a body function.

Duane

[eyesup]

I took a quick look at Kensunwalker's blog, and yup, he's still stealing pictures for it. Sunwalkerism: "I take what I want, when I want it!"

Are you the hall monitor now, John? Keeping tabs on us?
How about plagiarism? Are you checking that too?
How many are you tracking? Kinda creepy. oooh weeee ooooh
Take a deep breath and calm down.

I understand that he ticked you off a bit, but for cryin’ out loud give it a rest. Seek recourse in the halls of justice if it is that important. I see things on forums all the time that irritate me, but I pick my battles. And in the appropriate venues when needed. He no longer comes here as a result, so take the fight to him.

Duane

[John P]

Sorry, not playing. If anyone acts as though Ken is running a fine operation, I'm going to point out that he's not. If you complain every time I complain, then so be it, but this is actually the only time it's come up so far. And I don't carry it any farther than Ken himself--I'm certainly not saying that JBG is immoral for looking at Ken's blog!

[jbeegoode]

I'm going swimming without my clothes on. Wearing clothes to swim is foolish and wasteful. Swimming without clothes. Fabric free swimming...sans suit...free swimming...sane swimming...

...if it is in an old time water hole, I'm going skinnydippin'...just free and practical, no nonsense is what it means. It is a good term, an old term with a tradition. It sounds fun.
Jbee

[MartinM]

I stick to ‘wild swimming’ or ‘swimming’. No need for anything in the places I swim. For those who seem to think otherwise, wild swimming does not include lidos or busy, lifeguarded beaches....

I tend to just tell people I have been swimming somewhere, and when they ask if I was wearing a wetsuit (as most ‘wild swimmer’ unfortunately do in this country) I feign disgust and say ‘no, nothing’.

Free swimming also sounds a useful term.