journal
FEATURES
One of my favourite parts of Wild Swimming is the community. This is a group of unique, fun loving, adventurous and slightly mad individuals united by a common love for the simple joy of outdoor swimming and being in nature…
Sources of inspiration for outdoor swimming can come from anywhere. One day you might be walking by a river when you spot an old trail-hugger stripping down and charging into cold water, like a wild dog released from its captivity. The sight of this free soul could spark that same withered flame still burning inside you. You might find yourself desperate to do the same thing...
I believe that in order to represent a landscape in an original way, one must look at it from a new perspective…
Good news! Would-be wild swimmers, your gorgeous Blue Planet has more wild water than you could ever swim in one lifetime…
Here’s 50 reasons why your next new hobby should be the cold, curative art of swimming outdoors…
Think about our precious blue planet - at the moment we’re enjoying variations of weather and distinct seasons as we spin around the sun on a lop-sided orbit…
One of the great things about joining the wild swimming community is the fact that swimmers around the world all have their own favourite spots…
Calum reviews Robert Macfarlane’s new book and considers the state of our modern-day waterways…
Middle Brother Calum reviews Wild Swim by Kate Rew…
Middle Brother Calum reviews ‘Waterlog’ by Roger Deakin…
The Wild Swimming Brothers review ‘Swimmingly’ by Vassos Alexander…
We review ‘Wild Guide: London & South East’ from Wild Things Publishing…
Calum reviews the new ‘The Cold Fix’ book from Sara Barnes…
Calum reviews the new ‘The Art of Wild Swimming Ireland’ from Anna Deacon and Vicky Allan…
Calum reviews the new ‘Winter Swimming’ book from Dr Susanna Soberg...
Calum reviews the new ‘Island Bagging’ book from Vertebrate Publishing…
Calum reviews the new ‘Outdoor Swimming Guide’ from Vertebrate Publishing…
REVIEWS
News
Time to get angry about Wild Swimming - ‘Back in my day we just used to call it swimming’…
We’re really excited to announce the shortlist for The Wild Swimming Brothers’ 'Wild Swimmer of the Year, 2020’. After a busy year, we've followed some incredible journeys and wanted to compile our shortlist of our favourite swimmers of 2020…
We’re really excited to announce the shortlist for The Wild Swimming Brothers’ 'Wild Swimmer of the Year, 2020’. After a busy year, we've followed some incredible journeys and wanted to compile our shortlist of our favourite swimmers of 2020…
The ‘Swim Wild’ paperback is out now! Pick up your copy of The Wild Swimming Brothers’ story, written Jack and published by Yellow Kite Books…
We’re really excited to announce the shortlist for The Wild Swimming Brothers’ 'Wild Swimmer of the Year, 2018’. After a busy year, we've followed some incredible journeys and wanted to compile our shortlist of our favourite swimmers of 2018…
We’ve been wanting to do something for a while now to give back to the outdoor swimming community and really try to inspire people to reconnect with the outdoors…
Explore the shortlist for The Wild Swimming Brothers’ 'Wild Swimmer of the Year 2017'…
Last weekend we celebrated the launch of ‘Swim Wild’ (Yellow Kite Books) - Jack’s debut book about wild swimming and our adventures together…
Meet local Highlanders Norman Todd (from the harbour town of Ullapool) and Colin MacLeod (from Stornoway - a two-and-a-half-hour ferry ride away - on the Isle of Lewis)…
We’ve hit our last week of training ahead of the Loch Broom swim on Saturday 26th August…
For as long as I can remember I’ve gone on adventures with my brothers. From our early years in Yorkshire, venturing into the deep mysterious depths of Bluebell Woods in search of log-dwelling wood-lice, to our teenage years in Cumbria, leaping into the River Eden…
Guides
This is the first post in a 10-part series focused on how to plan outdoor swimming expeditions, written by Calum…
How do you mentally prepare to swim across the two biggest and most powerful maelstroms in the world? It's a question I repeatedly asked myself in the run-up to our Into the Maelstrom expedition…
All this reading is great isn’t it? Although I bet what you really want to do now is get outside and go on your very own adventure…
One of the key things you’ll need for a river swimming adventure is an open mind and an ability to adapt and relish challenges…
WRITING
Follow the Wild Swimming Brothers swim into the froth-corrupted mouth of Guernsey’s ‘Peastacks’…
The March Outdoor Swimmer ‘Hemispheres’ issue #71 has arrived and it’s packed with semi-aquatic tales from around the world, including Jack’s own Sydney-based feature: ‘Brave New Waters’…
Jack’s new book is LIVE folks! 10 years since the journey began, he is beyond excited to tell you his dystopian adventure/Fiction debut - #TheMachine - is up and funding right now on Kickstarter!
Jack Hudson, one of the three Wild Swimming Brothers, picks his 20 favourite spots around England’s waterways…
Hear a whirling excerpt of Swim Wild in Outdoor Swimmer’s latest episode of Downstream…
Roger Deakin’s book Waterlog is an unofficial bible of sorts for the Wild Swimming community. First published in 1999, it documents his journey around the British Isles as he swims in a wide assortment of different places, from rivers, ponds and lakes to bays, seas and (almost) whirlpools.
Last weekend we celebrated the launch of ‘Swim Wild’ (Yellow Kite Books) - Jack’s debut book about wild swimming and our adventures together…
Training
Middle Brother Calum takes you through how to train for a 15km swim…
Calum offers tips on how to train for your first 10 kilometre swim…
Learn how to swim your first ever 5km with the Wild Swimming Brothers…
With the Hellespont swim fast approaching, I wanted to share my training tips leading up to the big day. I really want to focus on the mental preparation that I undertake for big swims and will use for the Hellespont…
Lake Ullswater is a 7.3 mile/11.8km long lake in Cumbria and second largest in England, behind Windermere...
Cold water swimming is a hugely effective and fun way to recover from many different kinds of sports…
These workouts are designed for anyone that enjoys swimming and likes to stay fit (or would prefer to get a bit fitter)…
Depending on when and where you go wild swimming, there is a fair chance that the water will be cold...
Events
Find out about our latest swimming expedition, the No Take Swim. In it, we will attempt to swim across all 4 of the UK’s No Take Zones to raise awareness about these vital areas of marine conservation…
We launch of our new 2022 expedition ‘Crossing Charybdis’…
A few highlights from our Guernsey island adventure with Visit Guernsey…
Calum and Jack take on Red Bull’s Neptune Steps event in Glasgow…
Calum and Jack take a group down the River Mole with Adventure Uncovered…
The Wild Swimming Brothers head to Obonjan Festival in Croatia…
Travel
Middle brother Calum heads to Brazil for some wild swimming!
Jack sits down for an interview with Escape Magazine in Australia…
Beginners Guide to wild swimming in the Ullswater area with Another Place…
A wild swimming beginners’ guide to Guernsey with map in partnership with Visit Guernsey…
Calum and Jack visit Fritton Lake to check out the WildEast rewilding project…
Summer is in full swing - bees are busily bumbling between flowers, squirrels are darting across the grass, choosing their favourite trees, and the sun is grinning (most of the time) as it beats down on us...
Health
What is ‘brown fat’? And how does it benefit cold water swimmers?
Cold water swimming, also known as winter swimming or ice swimming, involves immersing oneself in water that is typically between 0°C to 10°C (32°F to 50°F) in temperature…
There are many beneficial aspects of outdoor swimming, but two of the most positive effects are the effects it will have on your mental health and physical fitness…
There are four important principles to understand when it comes to altering your weight and your body…
Complex carbohydrates are an important macronutrient for the body in order to produce energy…
Cold showers have many physiological and psychological health benefits. Although it can be daunting to begin your day underneath a deluge of freezing water, I can assure you that it is worth it…
LATEST
‘Learn From The Best’: Plan A Swimming Expedition (Part 10)
This is the 10th post in our series focused on how to plan outdoor/wild swimming (whatever you want to call it) expeditions. In this article, we countdown the ‘Top 10 Greatest Swimming Expeditions’…
‘Show Me The Money’: Plan A Swimming Expedition (Part 9)
This is the 9th post in our series focused on how to plan outdoor/wild swimming (whatever you want to call it) expeditions. In this article we want to take an in depth look at how to pay for your mighty expedition and “Show Me The Money”…
‘It Ain't Easy Being Green’: Plan A Swimming Expedition (Part 8)
This is the 8th post in our series focused on how to plan outdoor/wild swimming (whatever you want to call it) expeditions. In this article we want to take an in depth look at how you you can limit the environmental footprint of your expedition…
‘A Cunning Plan’: Plan A Swimming Expedition (Part 7)
This is the 7th post in our series focused on how to plan outdoor/wild swimming (whatever you want to call it) expeditions. In this article we dive into how you build your strategy for a big swim…
‘Call me Ishmael’: Plan A Swimming Expedition (Part 6)
This is the 6th post in our series focused on how to plan outdoor/wild swimming (whatever you want to call it) expeditions. In this article we take an in depth look at navigating the world of tea stained maps, ship captains and help you build trust and a relationship in this weeks article, “Call Me Ishmael”…
‘Build Your Pod’: Plan A Swimming Expedition (Part 5)
This is the 5th post in our series focused on how to plan outdoor/wild swimming (whatever you want to call it) expeditions. In this article we’ll be looking at how you can assemble a crack support team for your expedition and dive into tips on how to ‘Build your Pod’…
‘The Leap of Faith’: Plan A Swimming Expedition (Part 4)
This is the 4th post in our series focused on how to plan outdoor/wild swimming (whatever you want to call it) expeditions. In this article we’ll be looking at assessing risks, dangers and diving into the unknown with ‘The Leap of Faith’…
‘Hail To The Experts’: Plan A Swimming Expedition (Part 3)
This is the 3rd post in our series focused on how to plan outdoor/wild swimming (whatever you want to call it) expeditions. In this article we’ll be looking at why and how you should engage with the aquatic experts in the global swimming community and why ‘We Haven’t Had Enough of Experts’…
‘The Why’: Plan A Swimming Expedition (Part 2)
This is the 2nd post in our series focused on how to plan outdoor/wild swimming (whatever you want to call it) expeditions. Over the years we’ve planned source to sea river swims, world first maelstrom crossings, long distance swims in the Arctic Circle, Ice Km’s in sub 5 degrees and channel crossings…
‘The Source’: Plan A Swimming Expedition (Part 1)
This is the first post in a 10-part series focused on how to plan outdoor swimming expeditions, written by Calum…
5 Tips For A Smoother Front Crawl
After several years of cold water training, my brothers and me have grown used to long periods spent pawing through murky water. Hopefully we’ve picked up a few tricks that might be useful to those of you who’re less confident in open water…
Prepare For Something No One Has Done Before
How do you mentally prepare to swim across the two biggest and most powerful maelstroms in the world? It's a question I repeatedly asked myself in the run-up to our Into the Maelstrom expedition…
Plan Your Own Adventure
All this reading is great isn’t it? Although I bet what you really want to do now is get outside and go on your very own adventure…
Adapt To Swimming River Rapids
One of the key things you’ll need for a river swimming adventure is an open mind and an ability to adapt and relish challenges…
Combat Deep Water Fear
Do you ever get that lurching feeling in your stomach when the bottom of the lake, riverbed or ocean disappears as you swim out into deeper waters?