Does anyone have some swimming spot they'd be willing to share?
I've only just dipped my toes into wild swimming, and managed to keep going until mid-November before it got a little too cold. I love the peace and serenity that comes with being in a river or lake surrounded by nature, and in general prefer the quieter spots.
I'll share a few of mine; Ramsbury Weir, a large shady deep pool in the river Kennet with crystal clear waters. I usually see a few crayfish on the weir itself, as well as small fish swimming about with me. Theres a 3 car layby just outside Ramsbury 51.438738472784195, -1.58459696375106
River Cole, Nr Coleshill A small pool with gentle sloping sides- typically waist to chest deep depending on rainfall. And a shoulder deep pool above the dam. The water is quite silty, and the pool above the dam has quite a bit of plant life in it. Street parking in Coleshill village. 51.63285284399285, -1.6616616014833263
you said "wild swimming" so i have to ask for a more specific definition? Like just a place to swim that is totally within nature & far from any civilization? Or does that include what "yanks" would refer to as "skinny dipping" perhaps?
My favorite place is a little bit too far away for you to drive to, but anyways: "Big Blue" at Lester Milligan Park, in Mason City, iowa, usa. THEE most awesome water i have ever swam in. but it's 2 hours away, and because of my busy life, haven't been there in over a year...
ncgreg231lc2 said: you said "wild swimming" so i have to ask for a more specific definition?
In UK context "wild swimming" is swimming in any body of water that isn't the sea, or a swimming pool. Doesn't have to be far from civilisation, swimming in a river, pond, or lake in a city is stll counted as wild swimming.
It's something people have been taking up enthusiastically in recent years, and now there are calls for various inland waterways to be officially classified as bathing locations, to ensure the authorities enforce clean water standards and prevent the discarge of untreated sewage. One of the first areas to be classified is the River Wharfe at Ilkley, which has been a popular bathing spot since the 19th century but was always unofficial. We've shot wetlook scenes just downstream from the new offical bathing location, the river is already clean but the new status will ensure it stays that way with regular monitoring of bacteria levels and penalties for anyone polluting it.
I do like to swim through as much of the year as I can. I stopped in mid November this year; if I had a swim buddy I think I would keep going for longer, but I'm cautious about pushing my cold tolerance when I'm out alone. I go to several different reservoirs in the Pentland hills south of Edinburgh. Swimming in reservoirs isn't always recommended, but with some hazard awareness many of them are good spots. And as a bonus, the ones locally have soft peaty bottoms and can have fun areas of mud in the summertime when the levels go down. I don't go especially for the mud, but if it's a quiet day without too many walkers out then it's hard to resist a swift wallow...
...not sure HOW this link might show up, but basically, i did a search on amazon for "swimming holes" and got several book suggestions, AND THEN...
i did a google search for "north carolina swimming holes" and got some good hits too! but then i decided to search for "wild swimming near me" and got some interesting results from that too!
Love you, too
