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Freedom, Joy and Adventure Wild Swimming in Rivers, Lakes, Lidos, & Sea News: May 15 2012 |
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Hung Out to DrySwimming and British CultureChris Ayriss |
Swim in the great outdoors and experience the cool refreshing waters of the great British countryside and you will find returning to any indoor pool both stifling and restrictive. Often featured in newspapers and magazines, modern day wild swimming is regaining popularity. Alice Roberts and Robson Green have brought the wild swimming adventure into our homes through television, but it all started back in 1999 with Roger Deakin's legendary book; Waterlog. Have you tried wild swimming? Although in the past people swam in the waters closest to their homes, modern day swimming restrictions can make life difficult for the would be wild swimmer. Guide books such as Wild Swimming by Daniel Start, and Kate Rew's: Wild Swim, will direct you to popular swimming holes across the country. But why should we have to travel? Why have British attitudes hardened towards wild swimming when, after all, the sport re-surfaced right here in the UK some 400 years ago? Why are our attitudes today so remarkably different to the rest of Europe?
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"This is a really interesting romp through many varied aspects of open water swimming through British history... entertaining, interesting, and educational. ...a fascinating book... well worth buying." Dan Graham, Gone Swimming, 03 May 2012 more... Recommended: "Ayriss clearly loves open water swimming and his despair at the restrictions imposed on swimmers shines through... informed, entertaining and factual... The book is supported by an excellent collection of illustrations and historic photographs." Simon Griffiths, h2open magazine, June 2011 ISBN 978-0-557-12428-2 £9.99 20% saving Signed - post free in the UK | |||
"...a fascinating book ...very readable, informative and entertaining... excellent illustrations. Leicester Mercury. Discover how a clash of culture changed the sport from an animated, outdoor, playful activity, mostly enjoyed by working class boys, into a very competitive sport, confined predominantly to man-made pools. This history of British swimming sheds new light on the development of British culture, imparting insight and understanding as to the growth of our current prejudice towards outdoor swimming. Discover how, despite restrictions, the desire to escape to the wild is propelling swimmers out of the indoor pool to return to the great outdoors. Be inspired! This captivating book puts flesh on the bones of British history, exposing for the first time the dramatic impact that swimmers have had on culture and morals. It explores the reason for a change in attitudes that has shaped the lives of every man woman and child in Great Britain and to varying degrees the world. British swimmers once filled the lakes and waterways of England. How did these sportsmen, the pride of the nation, find themselves chased out of the water, rounded up and confined to indoor swimming pools? Discover the rich and fascinating history of the British and their love affair with water. "...the whole story makes for a fascinating social history." Bristol Evening Post. "Superb" Daniel Start (Wild Swimming). "Very readable and a must for advocates of outdoor swimming." Bryn Dymott |
 2,000 Remarkable Years
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Wild Swimming, one of fifty things children should do before they are twelve (National Trust) | |||
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According to the National Trust, Children need to get outdoors. One of the 50 activities recommended by the National Trust is Wild Swimming. Take a look...  | ||
Lake Windermere Attracts Swimmers in their Tousands | |||
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Attitudes towards swimming outdoors (wild swimming) have been shaped by our rich and eventful history. Yet with the remarkable achievements of David Walliams who raise over two million pounds for Sport Relief with his eight day 140 miles swim of the Thames, swimmers are increasingly turning their attention outdoors. Lake Windermere in the Lake District is described by the BBC today as "cold, dark and dangerous." Yet it sites traditional pool swimmer: Graeme Sutton as an open water swimming convert. 'He was happy with his view of tiles at the bottom of the pool and had no desire to swap it for an expanse of open water.' He says: "Two years ago I would have said there's absolutely no appeal whatsoever, It's cold, it's damp, you feel horrible. Or at least that's what my thoughts were - until I went in." He liked it so much that, in 2011, he embarked upon the challenge of swimming all 16 of the Lake District lakes in 16 days. As the tide turns in favor of open water swimming, recreational swimmers are increasingly attracted by the freedom, fun and adventure of swimming in the wild as opposed to the confines of a swimming pool. Perhaps as time passes Britain may re-emerge as the nation of swimmers we once were. David Walliams may turn out to be a modern day Matthew Webb, but that is another story…
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The Indoor swimming pool could be making you sick | |||
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Researcher Dr. Alfred Bernard is a professor of toxicology at the Catholic University of Louvain in Brussels and one of the world's leading researchers on aquatic environments. He has published a series of studies documenting the effects of chlorine and its byproducts in swimming pools. According to Bernard's studies, swimming in indoor, chlorinated pools during childhood has been shown to reduce levels of serum inhibin B and total testosterone, both indicators of sperm count and mobility. Bernard has also substantiated a link between swimming in indoor chlorinated pools and the development of asthma and recurrent bronchitis in children. A 2007 study, conducted by Bernard, showed airway and lung permeability changes in children who had participated in an infant swimming group. But these risks could be drastically reduced. "It's a public education thing," Blatchley said. "Swimmers and the general public need to recognize that there's a link between their hygiene habits and the health of everyone who uses the pool."
Next time you head to the pool do your part, and hit showers before you hit the water, everyone will be better off for it. Alternatively try wild swimming in clean, fresh, running water. "extremely interesting and informative ...a useful reference tool and an entertaining read." Soar Magazine | ||
The History of swimming in LeicesterWild swimming is not about freezing cold water; it's about the joy of swimming in the great outdoors, breaking free from the indoor swimming pool and returning to swim in the wild. British culture has taken the fun out of swimming; swimmers have been imprisoned at indoor pools for far too long. Wild swimming means breaking free from convention, escaping to the outdoors and returning to beautiful surroundings, to water that sparkles with sunlight, and the exhilaration and freshness of pure living water.  "a smashing book... it deserves to do well" Farley Book List "...the whole story makes for a fascinating social history." Bristol Evening Post "...a thought-provoking and stimulating book, written in an accessible, direct and conversational style. ...of interest to every outdoor swimmer." Outdoor Swimming Society
"Hung Out to Dry is a serious work of dogged research, personal experience and an insightful indictment of our times where to have water fun is now so regulated that it will cease to be fun at all! Read this book and wake up to what has happened to the English." Roger Hutchinson "Superb" Daniel Start (Wild Swimming) "An excellent book so many memories" Michael Morris |
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