Why I Swim

There's a kaleidoscope of reasons we have felt the pull to cold water, some borne of joy, some of difficulty and some the darkest sadness. We wanted to create a space for ordinary folks to tell their extraordinary stories. Longterm we plan to create an exhibition (in the real world) and a book. Take a look and message us if you would like your story to be featured.

why i swim - Lowri Morris

  It all began as a dare; I couldn’t resist the mischievous invite and I am so very glad I opted in. Wild swimming and the freedom it gave me turned my world inside out, upside down and back to front. It saved my very soul. That’s a whole lot...

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Why I Swim - Rachel Carling

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t swim outdoors. As a child our family holidays were spent on the Llyn in North Wales. We would get up at the crack of dawn, pile into the car with slightly too much luggage and the big green picnic box and leave...

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Why I Swim - Sam Neary

*Content warning: violence/abuse  I'm Sam, I'm 47 and I live in Mid-Wales. I'm a wild woman and wild swimmer. I'm also a wild single mother of three amazing sons Monty, Fergus and Ruairi.As a child I was subjected to extreme violence and abuse by the four adults in my home...

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Why I Swim - Mairi MacKenzie

My name is Mairi – I grew up by the sea, in the Isle of Skye. We were fortunate to live by one of Skye’s few sandy beaches where we spent our childhood in and out of the sea and if someone asked me back then why I swam, I...

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Why I Swim - Ruth Rayner

I call myself a surfer as I’ve been surfing on and off for the past 25 years, however, in May 2017 I started sea swimming. I have now swum through three winters and am almost out on the warmer side of my fourth. And in case you're wondering, no, it doesn't...

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Why I Swim - Thirza Mulder

9 July 2021. Nearly 20 years after my last proper outdoor swim, I glide into a natural, 25m swimming pond, not too far from home, surrounded by flowering plants, bird song from the trees overhead. I need one lap to get used to the sensation, smell, temperature and sounds again,...

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Why I Swim - Sara Solnick

I love the water, I always have, though the love affair has changed over time. Now I live near the sea, in the Suffolk village of Walberswick, and going to swim at or near sunrise each day has become my most precious daily moment.It was not always like that. Outdoor...

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Why I Swim - Lilith

*Trigger warning – mention of suicide, anxiety, depression and disassociation. Swimming, for me, was a calling I didn’t know was happening in my life. Only starting last year, I fell into wild swimming as I floated on Ullswater, whilst a friend was pumping up the paddleboards; the main activity planned...

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Why I Swim - Anna Parkes

I'm Anna Parkes, aged 63 and I live on the island of Tresco, one of the Isles of Scilly off the end of Cornwall.My day job is very creative; I manage an art Gallery, although currently I'm furloughed. I've been married to Steve for nearly 40 years and we have...

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Why I Swim - Mercedes Zetino

The ocean calls me. I feel its wild call every morning when I rise. The anticipation of a new sunrise awakens my soul and my body knows that I must get near the water. This is being alive. I didn't realise that I had been missing this feeling of aliveness...

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Why I Swim - Lauren Holt

I've been swimming in the sea since I was a child but my first proper outdoor swim that wasn't the sea was at a river in Kent and it was absolutely freezing but I just remember absolutely buzzing with excitement. I just kept thinking this is crazy… let's do it!Day...

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Why I Swim - Sara Barnes

I am a freelance writer and have lived in the Lake District for 26 years. The outdoors is where I am at my happiest, whether that be cycling, walking, running or swimming. I live near Cockermouth and my nearest lake is Crummock Water. My teenage son and a British Blue...

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