The Outdoor Swimmers' Handbook: Collected Wisdom on the Art, Sport and Science of Outdoor Swimming

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I'm absolutely crap at cold. People expect, because I run the Outdoor Swimming Society, that I'm going to be tough as nails, so I find it really difficult to admit I need to get out when other people can stay in.” 2. You don't need lots of expensive kit For some dips, all you really need is a swimming costume! Photo: Liz Seabrook What are the signs that you should get out of cold water, especially if the adrenaline is masking signs? There are no hard and fast rules on how long to stay in the water for - some people have far higher tolerance for cold than others do. Even experienced swimmers like Kate still feel the cold! Photo: The Outdoor Swimming Society. Kate Rew started The Outdoor Swimming Society in 2006, long before the wild swimming craze had taken hold. She’s seen it move from a relatively niche activity to the mainstream. As someone who is “messianic” about outdoor swimming, she’s thrilled to see this surge in interest.

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There is this statistic of only 3% of inland water being legally accessible, which is a bit questionable. A lot of those places, people have been swimming for years and if you were to swim there and bump into landowners or other swimmers, they wouldn’t even be aware that technically they’re not allowed to swim. That’s the case in Sheffield, we have three spots where we assumed we were allowed to swim – even the council thought so. Then I looked into it and you’re not. It goes to show that even where we have the right to roam through walking, that access stops at water. A lot of people don’t realise that – I didn’t realise it for a long time. There’s a big issue, but it doesn’t mean to say you’ll have finger wagging and tutting and shouting as that’s quite rare, but it’s still not good enough when we need equal access and people need to feel they have a right to be there. Is it safe to swim in reservoirs? If you’re unwilling to drop a lot of money on a wetsuit, there’s always the option of using a wetsuit rental company to try out more expensive models, or to buy second-hand. 3. Be the type of swimmer you would like to be Kate: “Reluctantly. Among OSS members, I’m known for not being very good at cold, but I just can’t miss my swimming. I’ve been trying to work on building up my internal fire before getting in and I have a new qigong routine to help with that. I like to get in, put my hands in, dab water on my cheeks, my chest, and all the places that might make me gasp, then one big exhale and the path is set: I’m getting in.” Water quality has been in the news a lot. Is that something that swimmers need to be aware of before they get in the water? The Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook is, to use Kate’s own words, “both poetic and practical.” Chapters one to four are dedicated to understanding lakes, rivers, seas and estuaries respectively. They contain everything from musings on toponymy to species field guides for particular habitats.On 16 October world-famous athletes Dame Kelly Holmes, Sir Chris Hoy and Ross Edgley will embark on a ‘Tri for the Sea’, to raise awareness for Talisker’s ongoing marine conservation with Parley for the Oceans I am super excited to have been able to group it all together in what I hope is a really accessible, beautiful fun to read book. It’s a very poetic kind of handbook, with beautiful community photography (thanks to all the contributors!) and illustrated field guides. So many swimmers have helped create this movement and form and articulate this knowledge over the years – may it help make water accessible to millions more.’ The Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook Hot tubs, shared joy and gritty executions: this extract charts 16 years of OSS history and knowledge It’s arguably the thought of that cold water that prevents people taking the plunge, especially on a cloudy day. But Kate has plenty of strategies for coping with the cold.

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You'll find your breathing becomes regular again, and you'll start to embrace the slightly fresh feeling, rather than be afraid of it,” she explains Not for records. Not for fame. Not for compensation. But for the genuine joy of venturing into rivers, estuaries, lakes, and sea for a simple dip, a wild swim, and aquatic adventures of all sorts.”

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Safety is a relative term. If you can’t swim, everywhere that’s out of your depth is unsafe,” she says. Between now and then our community has shared adventure and misadventure, philosophy and practical tips, as we have discovered and articulated what we need to know to swim in lakes, rivers and seas, from how to read weather to how to survive cold. Now Kate has wrapped this collective knowledge on the art, sport and science of swimming in a new book, The Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook (Rider, also available signed in The OSS Shop). The Channel More team’s swim took place after months of training with Professor Greg Whyte to get the participants, all of whom had no sea swimming experience, ready for the swim of their lives in the English Channel

The Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook Book Club: Kate Rew - The Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook

If you’re ready to expand your horizons beyond your local beach or river, you’ll find the advise on planning a swim particularly useful. It covers how to conduct a DIY risk assessment, including restrictions on timing (due to tides), where you’ll enter and exit the water, and notes on ability levels within your group. How to find a place to swim is also covered, which is particularly useful in a climate of fraught access rights, where many swim spots feel like closely guarded secrets. Calum Maclean is a broadcaster and Ambassador for The OSS. He is the author of 1001 Outdoor Swimming Tips (Vertebrae Publishing). On insta: @caldamac. Through her profound creativity and enthusiasm, Rew’s efforts and publications have literally encouraged, guided, and inspired millions of people – first starting in the UK and then expanding globally – to take to the open water. A treasured guide for anyone who wants to venture into rivers, estuaries, lakes and seas for a dip, a moonlit swim or a great adventure. I loved this book! There is a perception that you need lots of kit when getting started with wild swimming - in particular, the much maligned Dryrobe. This is not necessarily true.Kate Rew is the Founder of The Outdoor Swimming Society and author of The Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook (Rider) and Wild Swim (Faber), (both also available signed in The OSS Shop). On insta: kate_rew. Kate is keen to stress the fact that outdoor swimming isn’t a risk-free activity, and the risk is determined predominantly by the level of knowledge and ability of the swimmer. Dani is Much Better Adventures' Deputy Editor and the author of a novel, the Arctic Curry Club. She's interested in helping everyone find their inner adventurer, despite obstacles they encounter. The Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook is an accessible, knowledgeable guide to outdoor swimming. It is a brilliant balancing act between practical tips and a passion for the open water. Best of all, it emphasises the sport’s inclusivity; everyone, regardless of age or ability, is encouraged to try outdoor swimming. After you’ve finished reading it, you’ll be inspired to take the plunge too. Watch the premiere of Under the Surface, a documentary that follows swimmer Jim Read exploring acceptance after injury, men’s mental health, and what it means to be vulnerable as a man in the endurance swimming world

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Learn how to handle the fear of deep water Many swimmers have a "fear of the deep", especially on dull days. Photo: Getty. While the fear of being grabbed by a monster and pulled underwater while swimming might sound laughable on dry land, when you’re swimming across a cloudy lake, it’s far more pervasive. According to Kate, this fear doesn’t go away, but the anxiety can be managed. Swimming with your head up helps prevent fear of deep water. Photo: Getty. Today marked the first day of UltraSwim33.3, a brand new swimming event that has attracted 120 athletes from 23 countries to the picturesque shores of Montenegro. If you see crashing waves or unhealthy looking foam on top of a river, or currents swirling, then these are danger signals. Don’t make any assumptions that because it was okay the day before it's ok now,” she says. Wild swimming is a good practice ground for controlling your thoughts and anxieties - we all have them.”

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This includes making the choice of how many people you would like to swim with. Although much of the media coverage of wild swimming shows large groups of people, it’s perfectly okay if you prefer going out alone, or with one other person. Modern life has made many of us feel tamed and now we want to turn to swimming for rewilding. When swimming, we are not passively consuming the landscape, we are pulled into it, breeze flattening the water surface beneath our faces, warmth draining from our bare feet like colour leaches out of the landscape in the cold autumn light. We are there, damp from the clag by a tarn, underneath the belly of a swan as it takes off. We are part of the planet and all the elements again, in a place where moons wane, storms swell and life ebbs and flows throughout the seasons.