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Wild Swimming in Belgium

Aug 4, 2016

Wild Swimming in Belgium

The Bulletin reports: Wild and wet: Where to find the best natural swimming spots in Belgium. Fans of wild swimming need to head out of the capital to enjoy the pleasure of cool, non-chlorinated water. Recreation Park De Ster Blaarmeersen Robertville-les-Bains Grand Large, Mons For the first time in many years, swimming will be authorised at the city’s lake this summer. Up to now bathing has been forbidden due to the danger of passing boats and barges. Extensive facilities at

Britain to Exit the EU just as Swimming Becomes more European

Jul 14, 2016

Britain to Exit the EU just as Swimming Becomes more European

Rutland Water Aqua Park If you like outdoor swimming and have traveled in Europe you’ll have been delighted to discover that swimming in rivers and lakes is very much the done thing. When on holiday in Switzerland a couple of years ago it was obvious that everyone wanted to swim when the sun shone. Lakes in Switzerland have multiple swimming places built all around them with diving boards; pontoons and changing facilities providing opportunities for fun in the water that are

100 Metere Slip and Slide Coming to Leicester!

Jun 2, 2016

100 Metere Slip and Slide Coming to Leicester!

The Leicester Mercury reports: A 100-metre slip’n’slide will be helping to raise money for the Loros hospice at a family event this summer. The popular ride will be at this year’s Family Fun Day at Leicester Racecourse on Sunday, August 7. Loros fundraising co-ordinator Laura Fitzsawyer said: “Slip’n’slides are brilliant fun and we wanted “Leicester Racecourse have always been really supportive of us and we asked them about putting on an event with a slip’n’slide and they sai

Swimming in Seine planned for 2017

May 19, 2016

Swimming in Seine planned for 2017

The Connection reports: Swimming in the Seine could become a reality in the next year as mayor Anne Hidalgo has launched a 43-point plan to clean up the Paris river. Aiming to make the Seine a focal point if the city wins the 2024 Olympic Games, she wants to “improve the water quality” and open up the Bassin de la Villette for swimmers next year. Swimming has been banned on the river since 1923 except by special permit and the last major event to be held on the Seine was the

The Australian Way of Life Threatened by Safety Measures

Nov 19, 2015

The Australian Way of Life Threatened by Safety Measures

SHUT OUT: Residents of Rileys Hill are upset and angry that public access to the popular swimming hole will be closed after a decision by Crown Lands to fence the perimeter. The Northern Star reports: YOUNG families at Rileys Hill near Broadwater are angry their favorite swimming hole will no longer be accessible after the Department of Primary Industries decided to fence an historic quarry adjacent to the village. First created in the late 1800s to supply stone for the Balli

Test Your knowledge – River Bathing at Beccles, Suffolk

Dec 4, 2014

Test Your knowledge – River Bathing at Beccles, Suffolk

Beccles River Bathing Place 1905 Highlights and Early History of River Bathing at Beccles Test your knowledge at the end! 1862 WARNING: To Bathers. All persons who are found bathing in the RIVER WAVENEY between the Smelt House and 200 yards below Beccles Bridge after 9 o’clock in the morning, will be PROSECUTED according to law. 1867 COUNCIL: Public Bathing Place suggested. 1873 Saw the purchase of the Old Granary on the banks of the river Waveney in Puddingmoor for the sum o

The Evolution of British Swimming

Oct 24, 2014

The Evolution of British Swimming

From a modern perspective, swimming was a very British sport. After years or religious and superstitious suppression it was in Britain that swimming reemerged as an acceptable, desirable pastime. With the birth of the industrial revolution social changes forced swimmers away from their birthright, out of rivers and lakes and into man-made enclosures. No Swimming at Sparth Even so swimmers were allowed a great deal of freedom indoors, but even these freedoms have now been erod

Is PC Costing Lives?

Oct 6, 2014

Is PC Costing Lives?

In the UK we have our own ideas when it comes to right and wrong and public safety. Separated by a wide expanse of water from our American cousins and a much narrower channel from our European partners, our Island mentality is costing lives. In America and Europe outdoor swimming is the expected norm. Summer is a happy time of playful water fun but American and European attitudes seem to have no place here. Britain once led the world into a new association with water. Mass ed

Outdoor Swimming on the Horizon for Bristol Harbour?

Oct 4, 2014

Outdoor Swimming on the Horizon for Bristol Harbour?

The Bristol Evening Post reports: HOW does an early morning swim in hot bubbling heated water at Bristol’s floating harbour sound to you? For years the harbour has been viewed as dangerous, dirty water for swimmers. And after many warnings from police and fire services, it is now illegal to swim there. But a campaign has been launched, aiming to transform people’s perspective and the law. Swim Bristol, set up by a group of academics, wants to encourage the city’s residents to

How to Swim in a River that’s Just TOO DIRTY to Swim in!

Oct 2, 2014

How to Swim in a River that’s Just TOO DIRTY to Swim in!

In times gone by, people would swim almost anywhere giving little consideration to the quality of the waters they swam in. This was true at the seaside, in rivers and lakes and even at swimming pools. Ignorance was bliss, well, that is until you took ill and cursed the day you went in swimming. Our modern-day awareness of environmental issues has put many off swimming in city rivers. Even when waters are clean enough to swim suspicions about the dangers of what may lurk in th

The First of a Kind – A New Public Swimming Pool for the UK – Kings Cross – London

Sep 25, 2014

The First of a Kind – A New Public Swimming Pool for the UK – Kings Cross – London

Our Sceptered Isles unique culture is standing in the way of the free swimming movement. Across Europe and throughout America, outdoor swimming is a given during the summer months, but not so in good old Blighty. Outdoor swimmers, wild swimmers, whatever they prefer to be called are increasingly frustrated at the swimming restrictions imposed upon them. True the risk of unsupervised outdoor swimming is greater than swimming under the watchful gaze of lifeguards at an indoor p

Bathing Machines at Bognor

Sep 25, 2014

Bathing Machines at Bognor

Today there is much debate as to the right costume for outdoor swimming. Are you really a wild swimmer if you were a wet suit or should you just wear a swimsuit and brave the cold? Now in days gone by the issue was a little more sensitive. When day trips to the seaside became fashionable and when both sexes wanted to bathe, something had to be done to protect public decency. Separate bathing areas for men and women were established on the beach and the introduction of bathing

Baines des Paquis – Inspiration for the Thames Baths Project

Sep 19, 2014

Baines des Paquis – Inspiration for the Thames Baths Project

Geneva City of Peace The first thing that strikes you as a swimmer in Geneva is the colour and clarity of the water. Then their is Jet d’Eau the city’s most famous landmark. Water is celebrated in Switzerland and the freedom to swim and have fun is a national institution. Their are so many places to swim on lake Geneva and in its rivers that I have given up hope of compiling an exhaustive list. Often bathing sites are not signposted so you have to keep your eyes open. Look ou

Sea Swimmer Advised: Contact the Coastguard Before Swimming!

Sep 6, 2014

Sea Swimmer Advised: Contact the Coastguard Before Swimming!

The Argus reports: An experienced swimmer clinging to a buoy in the sea inadvertently scrambled a lifeboat. The woman was spotted by a member of the public about 150 meters from the shore of Pevensey Bay at about 6.20pm yesterday. Eastbourne’s small inflatable lifeboat was launched by Dover Coastguard to check up on the swimmer, believed to be in trouble. When they arrived, though, they found her having a rest on a yellow marker buoy before planning to swim back to shore. A s

Wild Swimming – Windsor Castle Berkshire

Sep 4, 2014

Wild Swimming – Windsor Castle Berkshire

Hot sunshine, beautiful scenery and cool water the perfect recipe for a lifelong memory! Wild Swimming – Windsor Castle Berkshire Teach children how to SWIM SAFE in open water. Discover the history of swimming in Windsor and Eton More photos from the Daily Mail… #river #wildswimming #CultureoftheUnitedKingdom #Recreation #OutdoorSwimmingSociety #TravelandTourism #England

The Good Old Days?

Aug 22, 2014

The Good Old Days?

These pictures of Bains Des Paquis (Geneva, Switzerland) remind me of so many photographs of our great British swimming past. The difference in Switzerland is that rather than lying in ruins, river and lake bathing places are very much up and running. You can swim here and enjoy living history! As developed and sophisticated as Switzerland has become, it has not developed the prejudice towards outdoor swimmers that brands UK swimming. Find out more about this fantastic swimmi

Basel Switzerland – River Swimming like nowhere else!

Aug 21, 2014

Basel Switzerland – River Swimming like nowhere else!

Basel City of Culture Basel is a remarkable city from a swimmers perspective. The local police have produced the following advice leaflet for swimmers! You can buy a large waterproof swim bag for about £20.00 and join the city swimmers. Wickelfisch bags Basel Switzerland You can tell were not in England can’t you! You will never forget swimming in Basel, its so like the London Thames. See the video for more information… #WaterSports #swimming #river #SwimmingandDiving #Openwa

London’s Wild Swimmers Love That Dirty Water

Aug 20, 2014

London’s Wild Swimmers Love That Dirty Water

Wild Swimming in the Serpentine The Wall Street Journal reports: LONDON—This is Emily Chong’s routine, rain or shine, winter or summer: Wake up, eat breakfast, cycle to Hyde Park, jump in a lake, swim a bit, fuel up with a second breakfast, cycle to work. One chilly morning this year, she found a team of police divers alongside the lake’s resident swans, looking for the body of a man who had drowned the night before. Ms. Chong put on her Spider-Man swim cap and dived in. “As

Wild Swimming in Bern – the Capital City of Switzerland

Aug 18, 2014

Wild Swimming in Bern – the Capital City of Switzerland

Nestled beneath the Capitol Building you will find a swimmers paradise. A Lido free for all to use with diving boards, children’s pools, play areas, sunbathing and cafe’ facility’s. But outdoor swimmers will be tempted by the city’s special attraction; swimming in the Aare. Of course you must be a good swimmer if you want to go river swimming. Try short swims to begin with paying special attention to how experienced swimmers both enter and exit the water and then copy their m

Is river and lake swimming really as dangerous as some would have us believe?