Swimming in Kinder Reservoir

“Wild” swimming was what we used to do as kids in the Ettrick as the nearest swimming baths were 5 miles and a bus ride away.
Too cold for me now, I get enough bracing water therapy when I jump into the shower and realise the boiler isn’t working. 🥶🥶🥶

Good point about setting an example, bluebelle, but how many wild swimmers or plungers at Kinder Reser publcise their activites and how many people hang around in such isolated places waiting to spot anyone?

I think there's something about the importance of the original Kinder Trespass protest here that is probably pushing the current protest, as glorianny suggests. That matters.

Plus – wild guessing here – perhaps it's about people feeling there is too much safetyism nowadays and they need to fight it back.

Too much ‘safetism’ ? when kids and teens die in these places!!
Wow
No Baggs I thoroughly disagree many reservoirs are fine for swimming in this one has been deemed not safe, so follow the rules for other less qualified people to follow you

The idiots that drown are generally young men who in the height of summer leap into ponds, rivers, reservoirs and gravel pits to cool off. Most of the places they go they will never have seen wild swimmers, let alone used their presence to reassure themsleves that what they are doing is safe.

These area are usually covered with notices warning potential bathers of the dangers and those that drown get more publicity than wild swimmers ever do.

Two entirely seperate activities, almost entirely mutually exclusive.

BlueBelle

Too much ‘safetism’ ? when kids and teens die in these places!!
Wow
No Baggs I thoroughly disagree many reservoirs are fine for swimming in this one has been deemed not safe, so follow the rules for other less qualified people to follow you

But how would kids and teens know that anyone was swimming in Kinder Reser unless a big fuss was being made about it it was being publicised?

And what kids, including most teens, would be going to Kinder Reser without responsible adults?

M0nica

The idiots that drown are generally young men who in the height of summer leap into ponds, rivers, reservoirs and gravel pits to cool off. Most of the places they go they will never have seen wild swimmers, let alone used their presence to reassure themsleves that what they are doing is safe.

These area are usually covered with notices warning potential bathers of the dangers and those that drown get more publicity than wild swimmers ever do.

Two entirely seperate activities, almost entirely mutually exclusive.

Exactly.

Baggs, who has said all wild water swimming should be banned?

So many of our rivers and sees areas are polluted with sewage and industrial farm waste that they aren’t suitable for swimming anyway. I’m with the wild swimmers they should be allowed access. I doubt if any of those” trespassers” will get into difficulties .

Mollygo

Baggs, who has said all wild water swimming should be banned?

Bluebelle’s post at 0600 yesterday seems to be saying it has been banned at Kinder Reservoir. I thought that’s what the thread was about.

The OP also talks about banning wild swimming at KR. That’s the banning I was talking about too.

Baggs

Mollygo
Baggs, who has said all wild water swimming should be banned?
Bluebelle’s post at 0600 yesterday seems to be saying it has been banned at Kinder Reservoir. I thought that’s what the thread was about.
My post was because swimming at Kinder Reservoir was banned, and people had decided that it was a good idea to ignore the ban.
Even I, as the OP, didn’t suggest all wild water swimming should be banned.

I asked if it was a good idea to demonstrate publicly that it’s OK to ignore a ban if it doesn’t suit you, setting an example that others will happily use as an excuse to copy.
That applies to anything in life, not just wild water swimming, but e.g. ignoring the ban on using disposable barbecues on dry moorland.

Thanks, MG. Yes, I understood that you support banning of dangerous things. I would agree as far as dangerous things that recklessly harm others or our environment but there are a lot of activities that are risky to individuals, and even sometimes to rescue services (I'm thinking of mountaineering/climbing in particular as an example) which I don't think should be banned because I think people's freedom matters even when it sometimes causes, unintentionally, danger to others. Mountain Rescue teams I've spoken to do not want mountaineering and climbing to be banned.

I don't know all the details of the KR ban on swimming in that reservoir but I'm not convinced banning swimming there for everyone is necessary. The protestors mentioned upthread would seem to agree with that or they wouldn't be protesting.

In general I think there is too much banning and too much naked authoritarianism in society at the moment.

I think people need educating about the dangers of cold water swimming and plunging. M0nica seems to think that highly visible warnings are already in place for many sites.

One of my DDs lives in the Derbyshire High Peak area. I seem to remember warning notices near open water but I'll check with her and retract if she tells me otherwise.

That’s funny. Near DD1 there’s a reservoir with a really high wall all the way round and chained gates at the one entrance. The walls have signs The walls have signs saying deep, cold water do not swim. The messages are repeated on the gate forbidding people to swim because of the danger. Some people obviously think the ban can be ignored , because tree trunks have been piled up in several places to enable people to get over the wall.
But why not? Inside the wall that’s a lovely grassy area around the pool and the water looks inviting.

Your last post sems to suggest that making rules, putting up notices about the dangers, telling people not to do something – forbidding them even – doesn't work for people who are determined to do whatever it is.

So the next question is What Next? How can people be forced to obey? I don't believe that problem has ever or will ever be solved even where there is total oppression.

Human nature 🤷🏻‍♀️

The walls have signs The walls have signs saying deep, cold water do not swim. The messages are repeated on the gate forbidding people to swim because of the danger.

I'm not personally against any of this. I thought I had made that clear by mentioning educating people on the dangers, which all those efforts you mentioned are attempting to do.

Thank you, FannyCornforth