They might have swum all winter, they might have a completely different body mass or physiology to you - just do what feels good to you,” Kate explains. But at this point in history people needed to hear that it was ‘allowed’, so we went around ‘sanctioning’ swimming. I wouldn’t want to give yes or no, a lot comes down to where you are, access points, looking at the tides, information about rips and currents. David Rock and his swim buddies tell us about their record-breaking (pending ratification) oldest mixed 4-person relay across the Channel, and how they prepared themselves for the swim of their lives. You can just go for a swim in your pants and dry yourself off on a t-shirt afterwards; I really don't think we should lose sight of how little kit you need to embrace swimming,” Kate says.

Outdoor Swimming 5 Tips for Getting Started with Outdoor Swimming

Or, the further you are from hypothermia you are when you get in, the further you are from hypothermia when you get out. and along the way learnt a lot about water, and set up some of the most iconic swim events in the country (the Dart10k, the Bantham Swoosh and the Hurly Burly).From practical pointers - such as how to be more visible in the water to poetic descriptions of moon bathing and bioluminescence, it’s pretty much guaranteed to inspire you to hit the water after dark. In terms of really useful things when you get into it: obviously a nice swimsuit that feels comfortable to swim in and two pairs of goggles – one for bright, sunny conditions and one for cloudy days.

The Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook - Guernsey Literary Festival The Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook - Guernsey Literary Festival

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.

Hafsa Mughal went from complete beginner to English Channel relay swimmer, all in the space of five months. We made swim friends everywhere, leading by example and sharing this wonderful, life-enriching thing we were doing at festivals, on TV, on the radio, in the press and on Facebook. Hundreds of new outdoor swimmers grilled OSS Founder Kate Rew, Ambassador Calum Maclean and Inland Access Officer Owen Hayman on their well-earned wisdom during ‘It’s Beginners’ Night’, an OSS x alpkit webinar. It’s a very poetic kind of handbook, with beautiful community photography (thanks to all the contributors!

The Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook - Outdoor Swimming Society

Wild Swim, written by OSS founder Kate Rew with photography by Dominick Tyler, takes you to rivers, lakes, lidos and the sea: the best places to swim outdoors in Britain. It will stay with me, as will the finish party we organised for adventurer Ross Edgley after he swam around the coast of Britain in 2018. Cold is an adverse condition for humans; it hurts, it’s the opposite of what we spend our modern lives doing (getting comfortable). There, three figures dive off the sandstone and are buoyed by what appears to be the sluice and joy of a downstream Neolithic drift.

Calum: “ Look before you get in, see how fast the water is going, maybe choose a downstream swim, seeing where you can get out and where there is no flow and you can swim to safely.

The Outdoor Swimmers’ Book Bundle - Outdoor Swimming Society

Then he looked up and stopped, and there was a stand-off of sorts: him looking at us, beaming, and us facing him, roaring. The Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook ‘is like an overheard catch up of everything that’s been learnt and experienced in the last 16 years of The OSS,’ says Kate, ‘everything that we, as a community, have learnt about understanding rivers, lakes, sea, about the physiology of cold, planning swims, night swims, and how to swim better. Today, there are open-water lake and wild swim groups offering warm welcomes across the country, and swimmers across the world are looking to the UK to work out how to create a similar culture of free, nomadic swimming where they live. 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.

We were, apparently, beside ourselves: that this swim had happened, and that the man who had accomplished it was in our water.