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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

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

Could Health and Safety be Drowning Us by Accident?

Nov 14, 2014

Could Health and Safety be Drowning Us by Accident?

Certainly not the idea, the Health and safety ethos protects us from many unnecessary risks; it has saved lives and prevented countless accidents. But is it working in the swimming environment? In many ways yes, thinking about potential risks and finding ways to negate them makes organised swims safer and builds confidence in those who allow swimmers to take to their waterways. It’s doesn’t work when risks are perceived incorrectly. The Royal Life Saving Society is commendabl

Where to swim with turtles in Tenerife.

Swiss Alp Resort Deals Death Blow to British River and Lake Swimming

Oct 30, 2014

Swiss Alp Resort Deals Death Blow to British River and Lake Swimming

Improbable you may think – but actually it’s true! On our recent visit to Switzerland, my wife and I just managed to squeeze in a visit to Leysin. The Tom-Tom left us in no doubt that we had found the right place, there we were on Avenue Rollier, the site of a sanatorium erected to treat the most severe cases of surgical tuberculosis. Treatment at the Grand Hotel, (now Leysin American School) rescued patients from almost certain death by exposing adults and children to lifes

Berlin Canal Could Soon Transform Into The World’s Largest Swimming Pool

Oct 29, 2014

Berlin Canal Could Soon Transform Into The World’s Largest Swimming Pool

fastcoexist.com reports: “Germans could soon recapture an idyllic part of old city life: Being able to jump in the river for a swim whenever you want. One hundred years ago, anyone who wanted to go swimming in Berlin could jump in the local river at one of 30 bathhouses. That all changed when the city built a new sewer system that overflows into the river every time there’s heavy rain. A new project hopes to make a section of the river clean and swimmable again–creating the l

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

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

Aylestone Swimming Baths Leicester

Sep 12, 2014

Aylestone Swimming Baths Leicester

This photograph of Aylestone pool shows a typical utility swimming bath from this era. The building and facility’s were basic but we loved it. My parents brought our family here every Friday night and taught us to swim. Pools like this provided bathing opportunity for the poor in a period of growing prosperity in the manufacturing city of Leicester. For more information please see: Hung Out to Dry Swimming and British Culture – chapter 6 – Leicester Swim City. #BritishSwim

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?

River Swimming in Zürich

Aug 7, 2014

River Swimming in Zürich

Upper Letten River Pool Having spent a week in Switzerland, I’m staggered at the difference in attitude towards swimming in Europe compared to attitudes here in England. Some might argue that we are European and on paper that’s true yet the prejudice shown towards swimmers here is in marked contrast to our European cousins. Dive into the Letten Zürich Having said this you can’t swim just anywhere in Switzerland, warnings are given when rivers are too high as well as about da

Bathing Place – Chertsey

Wild Swimming at Hamilton Pool – Texas

Jul 24, 2014

Wild Swimming at Hamilton Pool – Texas

Hamilton Pool grotto is a historic pool located just 45 minutes outside Austin. In the summer it can get very busy so its best to get there early. During warm-weather days when swimming is allowed the number of people trying to visit the pool greatly exceeds the number the canyon can accommodate so a waiting line forms and people are allowed to enter as others leave. The waiting time is typically one and a half hours. Hamilton Pool 24300 Hamilton Pool Rd Dripping Springs TX7

Hundreds Dive in for Cork’s Historic Lee Swim

Jul 14, 2014

Hundreds Dive in for Cork’s Historic Lee Swim

The Irish Examiner reports: More than 500 swimmers braved the waters of the River Lee in Cork on Saturday as part of the annual 2km Lee Swim. Cork Masters Swimming Club and Cork Lions Club run the swim annually as a charity event. The Lee Swim was a major event in the sporting calendar during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. However, due to deteriorating water quality in the River Lee, the event was moved to Monkstown in the 1950s. Following the commissioning of the Cork Main Dra