swimming in the wild

After school we used to jump on our bikes and go for a swim 'along the shore' in the Firth of Clyde. I never thought of it as swimming-in-the-wild, but it wasn't specially tame either. Lots of fun and very safe.

Maybe my sea swimming isn't quite wild enough... but I used to love jumping over the waves when my knees were younger.

OH and brother grew up in Walton and Weybridge, and often swam in the Thames and the Wey. I remember swimming at Virginia Water in the early 70s too.

Ginny and Tanith it sounds like you were swimming in my locality. We used to swim at Walton and at Chertsey Meads in the Thames. Great fun at the time and part of family picnics! Certainly does not appeal now!

I think people must be a lot more wimpy about swimming these days than they were not so long ago. There used to be quite a few salt water pools along the coast around here, but they have all fallen into various stages of disrepair.
When I was young we used to swim on a beach that I now know to have been very near to the outfall for an entire city's worth of untreated sewage. Seas much cleaner now. And rivers like the Thames too as raw sewage not discharged like it used to be - unless there has been heavy rainfall. But there will still be a lot of bacteria and viruses in it when you think of all the sewage works along its length.

Ginny its such a shame they closed the pool area now its a restaurant we still have the beach area and the little train still runs in the Summer we walk round the lake regularly. My Thames swimming was usually at Walton on Thames I remember dodging the pleasure boats. Quite what my parents were thinking I have no idea.

* Tanith * Ruislip Lido brings back many happy memories for me too in the 50's. We also used to swim in the river at Runnymede. I suppose the wildest swimming I have done was with the turtles in Barbados.

I grew up at the seaside and we swam most days in the summer (NE coast.)
Great fun jumping the waves and getting carried ashore.
The wildest place was on Skye - below the Bad Step, I have a photo.
You need to be careful though - husband was nearly swept out to sea when swimming off the north coast of Israel, no life guard there either.

DS1 and our DDiL swam in a flooded quarry near us and now they are in USA they swim in lakes. Last September DH and I had a wonderful day swimming at Lantic Bay (Cornwall), where we were joined by a large seal. In November we swum from Waikiki Beach. (One plus point of having family in California is being able to spend a few days in Hawaii.)

I did wonder at first if it was skinny dipping, but apparently not.

If wild swimming is in out of the way places I can't count Newquay on a busy day then. . The sea is the sea surely? I bet it was a townie who coined the phrase 'wild swimming'.

I always take the 'wild' tag to mean swimming in natural water as opposed to pool swimming. I don't mind it cold the sea around this Island is never really warm so I guess its what you are prepared to endure.

henetha I agree with you, the "wild" tag makes me laugh.

Jess years ago I worked for a dairy company and all the ecoli test findings never put me off drinking the milk

Henetha I think sea swimming only becomes "wild" when it is done off of slightly out of the way beaches, and out of season. They seem to prefer cold water.

tanith our school. "swimming baths" was part of the Thames beamed off. I hated it.

Ah! I see your predicament janerowena it wouldn't be very relaxing as you say but knowing it was there I'd be tempted to go along myself with someone else who could either swim with me or watch out for me from the bank.

'Janerowena any reason why you don't take part? I'd find it hard to resist.'

Going to a small lake with four teenage boys is NOT a relaxing pastime! I definitely get the impression that I would be ducked, and then I would have to attempt to dry myself before getting us all home again. After I had been taking them for some time, another mother offered to take them, and joined them. Silly woman.

I regularly swim in the estuary and the sea here in Devon but not until the sea temperature warms up.At the moment it's 11.5C. Last year I swam for the first time on July 1st and it was 13C....hoping it might be earlier this year!

Used to swim in the Thames a lot when I was young I'm sure it was much dirtier than now 50 odd years ago.. also swam in Ruislip Lido all the time in the Summer school holidays, they closed it to swimming many years ago such a shame we had the most wonderful days there with picnics and swimming.
I did see older swimmers taking to the sea when holidaying in Devon last year but OH thought my suggestion of swimming in my undies discreetly was a complete nono.. haha he nearly had a fit and when I did go in the sea to swim later on that week he was pacing up and down panicking in case I got into trouble so it sort of spoiled my enjoyment..

It seems really strange to me, after a lifetime of swimming in the sea, that it's now known as 'wild swimming' and is seen as something unusual.
But then, I was brought up by the sea, and south Devon has lovely beaches.

I do know of someone who caught Weil's disease from canal water.

DD2 fell into the stinking water at Slimbridge when she was merrily skipping across the stepping stones (just asmi called 'be careful'. I was very worried, we found a hose and cleaned her off; she was fine, luckily.

My old landlady was an all-year-round sea swimmer - her group swam every day in Devon.

We have been known to let grandsons paddle in the Thames. Absolute terror on my part, but they loved it. (We kept a very close watch)

I paddled in the Thames as a child. Was such a treat.

We're surrounded by rivers here but I'll stick to boats as I don't fancy Weil's Disease.

Some years ago, I was addicted to swimming in the Ladies Only Pond in Kenwood, Hampstead. Whilst swimming we would see the occasional Crane and birdlife. For us Townies it is quite something.
The water felt like silk (albeit) ridden with germs no doubt.
I don't go now as I have a Back problem and the walk would be a problem.

Quite a few. Bit of a butterfly.

Golly gosh Jess how many different jobs have you had?