FEATURE
TARA KING
'Wildswimming
connectsmewith
nature.I'mnotjust
surroundedbyit,I'm
submerged within it'WhenI wasyoung,myparentsran
a pubinBerkshirewitha gardenthat
backedontoa river.MysisterandI
wouldspendallsummerlongplaying
init.Backthenit wasjustmucking
about,butit igniteda passionthat
stayedwithme.OvertheyearsI
swamoutdoorswhereverI could,
thenmovedtoDorsetwherewild
swimmingbecamea regularhobby.
NowI trytoswimatleastthree
timesa week,headingdownto
thebeacharound7amwithsome
ofthelocals.There’ssomethingso
wonderfulabouta morningswim.
I alwaysgetthattrepidationasI
walktowardsthewater– particularly
oncolderdays– butonceI’min,it
seemslikethemostsensiblething
tohavedone.It allowsmetoconnect
with nature on another level. I’m notjustsurroundedbyit,I’msubmerged
withinit.Comingoutofthewater,
I barelyfeelthecold.Myskinfeels
electricandI havethisoverriding
senseofachievementthatis great
formymoodandproductivity.
WhentheweatherwarmsupI
liketoventurefurtherafieldandfind
lakesandriverstoswimin.Being
surroundedbywildlife,thesweet
smelloffloraandfauna,dragonflies
whizzingpast,reedsrustlinginthe
breeze...I feellikeI’mina storybook.
Swimmingis aboutcommunity
forme,too– indulgingina shared
passionis a lovelywaytomeet
newpeople.I lovethatthere’sno
pressure;somepeopleswimyear
round,othersjustinfairweather.
It’stheunpredictablenatureof
wild swimming that made me wantFlora’sBeginner’s
GuidetoWildSwimming
(£8,TaylorBrothers)is
availabletobuyfrom
heronlineshopat
florajamieson.co.ukMy country passionswimming in the wildtocreatea beginner’sguide– as
a waytooffersafetytipsandadvice
withouttakingawayanyofthemagic
ofit.SearchingonInstagram,I found
GemmaKoomen,anillustrator,and
togetherwecreateda beautifullittle
bookthatofferspracticaladvice
alongsideevocativequotesand
illustrations.TheOutdoorSwimming
Society(outdoorswimmingsociety.
com)is anothergreatresourceif
you’relookingforeventsorare
feeling inspired to go for a dip!Read this...livE liFE wEll