Forget splashing around in the local pool. For a real thrill, Gary King takes his children to discover the exhilaration of swimming in outdoor water holes
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Outdoor types: Gary King with Seb and Bella Photo: GUZELIAN
After four hours of travelling we pull up in the car park of William Wordsworth’s former home, Rydal Mount in the Lake District. My children Seb, 10, and Bella, 7, have reached that point in a car journey where squabbling starts. “I thought that you said we were going swimming,” they chorus.
I explain that we’re just waiting to meet the person who will be taking us.
“What’s wrong with down there?”
They are staring back down the valley at Lake Windermere. It snakes away in a glorious glittering arc and is framed by dense, verdant foliage. It looks especially inviting after our long journey.
I’m saved from having to clarify further by the arrival of Kate Rew, founder of the Outdoor Swimming Society and our chaperone for the day. She strides across the car park, backpack slung over her shoulder in walking boots, khaki shorts and damp, tousled hair. She has already been swimming this morning.
She plucks a map from her backpack, traces a line with her finger and says, “I’ve never been here before so I don’t know what it’s going to be like. Hopefully there will be rock pools and waterfalls.” The children run ahead as we wind up a steep trail into the Cumbrian countryside away from the more obvious choice of Lake Windermere. Dry stone walls criss-cross the rolling hills, sheep dart across our path and the gush of running water peals across the landscape.
After a mile we cut across a field and the trickle of a stream gets progressively louder until we see a pool about 30 feet across being fed by a burbling waterfall.
Rew formed the OSS in 2006 after taking a swim in nearby Lake Buttermere in late October. It was a pivotal moment in her life. “It was one of those dark and stormy nights,” she says. “I’d just arrived in the Lake District and I was determined to take the plunge regardless of the weather. It was fantastic and I thought to myself that everybody should do this. So many things in life tend to disappoint and outdoor swimming isn’t one of them.”
The ethos behind the OSS is simple; find somewhere to swim outdoors, get in, have fun and spread the word. Three years later there is a thriving community of over 4,500 members made up of all ages and abilities. They regularly meet for organised swims all over the country and anybody is welcome.
“It can get pretty nippy up here so I suggest the children wear their wetsuits,” says Kate as we peel off our clothes. When I mention that I also have mine she raises an eyebrow and says: “You’ll look a right wimp in that.” So sporting nothing more than a pair of swimming trunks, I tiptoe across the coarse grass to the edge of the pool. I’m sure Wordsworth himself must have sat by this very spot staring at the clouds and pondering the wonder of life. Whether he ever stripped down to his bloomers and jumped in is another question.
Poised on the edge I leap in and the effect is immediate. It’s cold, bracing, refreshing, invigorating. The children follow suit, laughing and hollering, their car-induced angst instantly washed away.
It’s not long before we’re joined by another family. In the space of 20 minutes Kate has recruited four more members, taken tips on other spots and swapped telephone numbers.
“The OSS is a social network, so much of what we do is about connecting people who have a common love. It’s all about giving the water back to the people. It’s there to be explored and enjoyed.” Fittingly, as she says this Seb and Bella leap in together and disappear under the glassy surface for a couple of seconds. They emerge grinning broadly and give us a thumbs up before scrambling out to jump straight back in again.
For more information visit www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com. 'Wild Swim’ by Kate Rew is available through Telegraph Books for £11.99 + £1.25 p&p. Call 0844 871 1515 or visit books.telegraph.co.uk
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2 In high-up streams and lakes it may be cold at first. So exhale, swim to a nearby tree or rock, puff a bit and within a minute or so you’ll feel the warmth charging around your body.
3 Always ask locals before getting in. Teenage boys tend to have a wealth of knowledge.
4 Take lots of warm clothes, even in the summer. Getting chilly is fine, as long as you can warm up afterwards.
5 Increase your time outdoors gradually, you’ll acclimatise to the cold and be able to stay in the water increasingly longer.
6 Have fun, take in your surroundings, lie back and look at the clouds or study tree roots. Swimming outdoors doesn’t have to be at the same pace as pool swimming.
She plucks a map from her backpack, traces a line with her finger and says, “I’ve never been here before so I don’t know what it’s going to be like. Hopefully there will be rock pools and waterfalls.” The children run ahead as we wind up a steep trail into the Cumbrian countryside away from the more obvious choice of Lake Windermere. Dry stone walls criss-cross the rolling hills, sheep dart across our path and the gush of running water peals across the landscape.
After a mile we cut across a field and the trickle of a stream gets progressively louder until we see a pool about 30 feet across being fed by a burbling waterfall.
Rew formed the OSS in 2006 after taking a swim in nearby Lake Buttermere in late October. It was a pivotal moment in her life. “It was one of those dark and stormy nights,” she says. “I’d just arrived in the Lake District and I was determined to take the plunge regardless of the weather. It was fantastic and I thought to myself that everybody should do this. So many things in life tend to disappoint and outdoor swimming isn’t one of them.”
The ethos behind the OSS is simple; find somewhere to swim outdoors, get in, have fun and spread the word. Three years later there is a thriving community of over 4,500 members made up of all ages and abilities. They regularly meet for organised swims all over the country and anybody is welcome.
“It can get pretty nippy up here so I suggest the children wear their wetsuits,” says Kate as we peel off our clothes. When I mention that I also have mine she raises an eyebrow and says: “You’ll look a right wimp in that.” So sporting nothing more than a pair of swimming trunks, I tiptoe across the coarse grass to the edge of the pool. I’m sure Wordsworth himself must have sat by this very spot staring at the clouds and pondering the wonder of life. Whether he ever stripped down to his bloomers and jumped in is another question.
Poised on the edge I leap in and the effect is immediate. It’s cold, bracing, refreshing, invigorating. The children follow suit, laughing and hollering, their car-induced angst instantly washed away.
It’s not long before we’re joined by another family. In the space of 20 minutes Kate has recruited four more members, taken tips on other spots and swapped telephone numbers.
“The OSS is a social network, so much of what we do is about connecting people who have a common love. It’s all about giving the water back to the people. It’s there to be explored and enjoyed.” Fittingly, as she says this Seb and Bella leap in together and disappear under the glassy surface for a couple of seconds. They emerge grinning broadly and give us a thumbs up before scrambling out to jump straight back in again.
For more information visit www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com. 'Wild Swim’ by Kate Rew is available through Telegraph Books for £11.99 + £1.25 p&p. Call 0844 871 1515 or visit books.telegraph.co.uk
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OUTDOOR SWIMMING TIPS
1 Don’t hang around with cold water lapping your ankles. Take the plunge.2 In high-up streams and lakes it may be cold at first. So exhale, swim to a nearby tree or rock, puff a bit and within a minute or so you’ll feel the warmth charging around your body.
3 Always ask locals before getting in. Teenage boys tend to have a wealth of knowledge.
4 Take lots of warm clothes, even in the summer. Getting chilly is fine, as long as you can warm up afterwards.
5 Increase your time outdoors gradually, you’ll acclimatise to the cold and be able to stay in the water increasingly longer.
6 Have fun, take in your surroundings, lie back and look at the clouds or study tree roots. Swimming outdoors doesn’t have to be at the same pace as pool swimming.
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