YOUR FAVOURITES
TOP SPOTS
Our readers recommend their favourite places to swim. Kate Rew, author of Wild Swim, picks the best
RYDAL WATER, CUMBRIA
Some of the lakes in the Lake District are so cold you could close your eyes and imagine yourself in the Arctic, but Rydal
is shallow and grows warm in good weather, on occasion get ing up to a balmy 21°C. It also contains two small islands (Heron Island and Lit le Isle), the larger of which is the perfect distance for an aſt ernoon swim.
Home to nothing but trees and a falling-down Victorian folly, Heron is a great place to explore, Swallows and Amazons-style, or just swim out to it and around it from one of several manageable points on the lake’s edge. Swimmer Colin Hill says: “My favourite approach is from the car park at the west end of the lake (White Moss Common, OS Ref: NY349 064). From here, sink into the river and swim downstream, out through the reed bed and into the lake. Pause to make a note of what your exit looks like from here, so you can fi nd your way back in. “It’s a lit le gem: boat-free and close to the Ambleside, I swim there whenever I'm passing. Although it’s close to the A591, you’re
THE BEST… ISLAND SWIMS What bet er goal for a swim than an island? Islands provide natural destinations for swimmers, with some becoming the focus for adventurous missions across dangerous stretches of tidal water. Pick one close to the shore, or in a lake, as your destination, and enjoy the change of water from shallow to deep and then shallow again – plus the beauty of set ing foot on places uninhabited by anything but nature.
SEND YOURS IN AND WIN! Do you have a favourite place you’d like to recommend? Upload it to the interactive swim map at
wildswim.com or send it in to
kate@h2openmagazine.com. If yours is selected, you’ll win a signed copy of Wild Swim (Guardian Books, £12.99).
surrounded by trees, stone walls and moorland. It never feels too exposed, as it’s pret y shallow and not too wide. The water smells woody and, depending on the season, you swim with shrubby trees, fl otsam of pollen or hundreds of small silvery fi sh.” Find it on a map at: OS ref NY355 062.
HOME TO NOTHING BUT TREES AND A FALLING-DOWN VICTORIAN FOLLY, HERON IS A GREAT PLACE TO EXPLORE, SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS-STYLE
BURGH ISLAND, DEVON
Burgh Island has become iconic among OSS members. The woman who put it on the map is local swimmer Kari Furre, who says: “Swim in calm weather, on a slack tide, anti- clockwise, allowing about an hour. Wear a wetsuit, tell the coastguards, and consider taking boat cover – once you’re a third of the way around, you’re commit ed.” The beach is bucket-and-spade territory, but around the other side are wild rocky cliff s, waves and black shags. OS Ref: SX648 440
LOCH AN EILEIN, SCOTLAND The water at Loch an Eilein can be so still that it forms a perfect refl ection of the Highlands around it. From the shore, take a swim out to a small island and castle ruins: just 10 or 20 metres in shallow water (most of the loch is 10 metres deep). You can feel the proximity of history and nature here: Rob Roy and other cat le rustlers used the loch shore, and in autumn you may be able to hear the stags roar. OS Ref: NH898 079
KORNATI NATIONAL PARK, CROATIA England has some wonderful archipelagos that draw brave swimmers. The Isles of Scilly and the Inner and Outer Hebrides are all wonderful, for example, but these are best approached with boat cover from SwimTrek or another company because of the cold and currents. Over in Croatia you can do an island- to-island swim more easily by yourself. From Zadar, take a boat out to Kornati National Park, and swim over the reefs, to uninhabited islands. Experience clear blue waters and plenty of fi sh.
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Photo © Phil Harding (
philharding.net/oursouthwest.com)
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