Cold water swimming

Lucy Laucht says wild swimming in England has changed her life.

Rebecca Mead on the Britons who are skipping the heated pool and rediscovering the pleasures of lakes, rivers, and seas, even in winter.

Cold-water swimming has seen a boom in popularity over the past several years, with its enthusiasts saying it helps with mood, energy and even menopause.

The social, physical and mental health benefits of cold water swimming are well known, but what happens to your body, scientifically speaking, when you enter cold water? Last year a group of scientists put together a report into the effects of extreme cold water on the body.

Writer Helen Wilson-Beevers swims every day in the North Sea and has found that cold water sea swimming has helped her to deal with her auto-immune condition.

The clear, rippling water of the Dulas that meanders past our riverside sauna in mid-Wales is powerfully inviting - particularly post-sauna! We caught up with local cold-water swimming guide and adventure activist Laura Sanderson to find out why more and more people are taking the plunge into wild swimming, even during the coldest months of the year.

Want to try out cold water swimming but don't know what to wear? Read our blog for our wild swimming essentials.

Everything you need to know about open water swimming from technique to wetsuits as well as the benefits of open water swimming

We caught up with dryrobe® Ambassador Sophie Hellyer for an early morning swim in St Agnes and talked about the benefits of cold water swimming, how the Rise Fierce got started and the cold water swimming community.

Gilly McArthur shares her experience cold water wild swimming in the Scottish Highlands as showcased in the feature film "Body of Water" by Sequence 13