If you’re looking for a new hobby, then wild swimming may be perfect for you! These fantastic women have done lots of challenging swims and honestly we’re inspired! 😊❤️
In 2018 we decided to take the plunge and sign up to ‘The Festive 500’ - a cold water swim in sub 5 degree water for 500 metres, in a glacial lake in Snowdonia. We had no prior experience of cold water swimming, no practice glacial lakes nearby, and no idea what we were in for. We were also unaware that wild swimming was about to become a huge part of our lives, and would greatly enhance our whole way of life for the better.
This swim took place in Tal-y-Llyn lake, one of Wales’ many beautiful lakes, at the foot of Cadair Idris in Snowdonia. A last minute google prepared us so we went equipped with wetsuits, neoprene gloves, boots, caps, and our beloved dryrobe towels. We packed our bags and off we set on a fine Saturday morning, from East Anglia cross country to Mid Wales. Some might think us bonkers, for travelling 10 hours in total, in the space of one weekend, for a 10 minute swim but we were keen for adventure!
We were both very excited and nervous to start the swim. We suited up and dove into the depths of the calm freezing waters, set amidst an epic mountainous backdrop. The cold was all-encompassing and unbearable to start with, much colder than we ever could have anticipated. The cold sensation on our faces was particularly difficult to cope with, the only part of our bodies not protected by neoprene. Fortunately, having competitive swimming backgrounds, adrenaline thankfully kicked in, and we swam quite literally for our lives. The further we swam, the harder it became, as our extremities became heavy and numb. Fortunately, it was not too long before the shoreline appeared in the near-distance and we attempted to sprint to the finish. We scrambled on to shore, we hugged, we rejoiced. We had made it, in 2 pieces, safe and sound. Seconds later the uncontrollable shivering began.
We both have such fond memories of this incredible experience. However, what would we have done differently if we were to do this again? We severely underestimated how cold we would be after the swim and struggled to warm up, despite having what we thought were warm clothes. Getting out of the wet neoprene was challenging in cold air temperatures as we had never done this and we struggled to do it in a timely manner. We highly recommend multiple warm thick layers, thermals, a very thick warm coat, gloves, hats, warm socks, a hot flask of tea, a hot water bottle, and ideally a warm spot by a fire post swim. Secondly, we also appreciate how important it is to acclimatise to the cold water. We know it can be unsafe to dive straight into cold waters, and never choose to do this now when dipping throughout the winter. We appreciate that we were lucky that adrenaline and swimming ability carried us through on this occasion and would not recommend anyone do this without prior cold water swimming experience.
Although this appears a very reckless adventure, we both have swimming backgrounds, from a young age, at club level. However, we stopped swimming during high school when school commitments took over. Following university, where we both separately studied physiotherapy, we took our first posts at Ipswich Hospital where we first met! Soon after becoming good friends, we learnt that we both attended schools in the same town and grew up in close proximity to one another. We both wanted to get back into swimming, so we joined the ‘21st Century’ swimming sessions before work several times a week. Slowly we built up our fitness and confidence as we moved into the open water. In the summer of 2018, we started swimming in a group off the beach in Felixstowe, as part of our training for The Great East Swim 5k. We loved the training, the challenge, the event and our new found love of the open water.
We took a brief hiatus from swimming when autumn and winter set in, as it had not occurred to us to continue to swim in the open water at this time. However, we stumbled across an advert on social media for the Festive 500, and being keen for adventure and a new challenge, we embarked upon this crazy experience. Naturally, following the event, which we both loved so much, we continued to dip our toes into the North Sea and the River Deben on a more regular basis.
Why? What continues to drive us into the cold waters of the North Sea in the middle of winter?
There are a multitude of factors that motivate us to continue to pursue this challenging and testing hobby. Firstly, there’s no feeling quite like that post-cold-water-swim-buzz. Many allude to this euphoric state, but for us, it is a subtle warm feeling that makes us feel ready for anything the weekend has to offer us. It leaves us with a natural-high for the day. We also love the escapism factor, as particularly through winter months, mental wellbeing can fluctuate and pose challenges to daily life. When submerged in cold-water, also referred to as cold-water-therapy (for good reason), all our attention is in the present moment, as our bodies subconsciously focus on survival mode. Another major factor is the sense of community wild swimming provides for us and anyone who wishes to join in. We have been lucky enough to have met some wonderful people along our wild swimming journey who have become friends for life. We love the sense of adventure that this hobby offers. We are always on the lookout for new swim spots both locally and throughout the British Isles and appreciate how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful part of the world. Our absolute favourite Saturday morning is a cold-water swim down at the bay, watching the sun rise high into the sky as we bob along. We feel blessed to live on the East Coast in an area of outstanding natural beauty with sea and rivers on our doorstep. Furthermore, the confidence and passion wild swimming has given us, has enabled us to embark on swimming holidays abroad, and enter events all over the country. We love that it continues to provide opportunities and challenges.
What's next?
Currently we are enjoying our weekly dips, spending time exploring our favourite Suffolk-swim-spots, soaking it all up, before spring is upon us. However, who knows what's in store for us… possibly one day the ice mile, or another trip to Snowdonia, where it all began.
Follow us on instagram @wildswimmingsuffolk to see our latest adventures and see the best Suffolk swimming spots around!
Isabella Bryson- Davies and Lauren Culley
