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Wild Open Swim
Inspirations from swimming through the seasons
The Wild Open Swim Blog is a celebration of open water swimming all year and the photographs, words and artwork that it has inspired.
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Cold water has changed my life
I love the kick, the buzzing feeling that awakens the whole nervous system and all the senses I love the “I am alive feeling” I get.
Annika Surry
Mar 27, 20214 min read
1,200 views


For whom the drop calls…
The uninitiated, not knowing this beast, may not appreciate the urgency with which cold hands dress themselves. The drop waits for no-one.
Darrin Roles
Mar 13, 20214 min read
614 views


Seasoned winter swimming
Winter swimming is one of the most humbling things you can do, because you can’t succeed if you try to fight the coldness of the water.
Stanley Ulijaszek
Feb 27, 20214 min read
340 views


Finding Galilee
Adventure, people, swimming and solitude There are so many things to love about our wonderful sport. I genuinely feel that my own open...
Stuart Hacker
Feb 13, 20214 min read
253 views


Channel your energy
Looking to the other end of a swimming pool can be daunting for some, especially if you have just started swimming. Contemplating a mile...
Darrin Roles
Jan 30, 202112 min read
834 views


The creative flow
For as long as I can remember, I have had a deep connection with water – in any form. Something about it draws me close to it,...
Emma Hallmark
Dec 19, 20203 min read
191 views


The joy of swimming
Swimming is my joy. It is the time when I feel every bit of my body, and enjoy it in a way that is lost to me when I am on dry land.
Shona
Dec 5, 20203 min read
387 views


The heart of the matter
What I feel is taking place in these now frequented open-water swimming spots is not just a connection to the environment but also to each o
Darrin Roles
Nov 21, 20203 min read
118 views


Last swim before lockdown .2
“Our last swim,” falls from the lips, muted by what lay ahead in the cold temperatures just yards from the muddy wet cold banks.
Darrin Roles
Nov 6, 20205 min read
101 views


The way of cold water
The internal journey one feels whilst in cold water can be described as very dramatic. And yet the idea is to be completely calm with yourse
Darrin Roles
Oct 22, 20203 min read
108 views


Fear and freedom
Three open water swimmers reveal their primal fears in the water...
Darrin Roles
Oct 8, 20208 min read
235 views


A local swim-run adventure
I have really missed racing so I was overjoyed to find that the SwimOxford swimrun was going ahead with Covid safety measures in place. I’ve
Michelle Reid
Sep 25, 20205 min read
153 views


Night swim
And so we gather for a night swim, to be lit by a full moon.
Darrin Roles
Sep 3, 20203 min read
114 views


The Oxford Swim-Run
They say it’s not the winning, it’s the taking part – but winning is a sweet victory...
Fiona Undrill
Aug 20, 20204 min read
341 views


Swimming with fins
Fins are amazingly dynamic – adding a great sense of power that can really enhance your swimming experience.
kath Fotheringham
Aug 6, 20204 min read
1,092 views


A river ramble
Beyond the bridge, adventure waits until currents have slowed and temperatures lifted.
Fiona Undrill
Jul 9, 20203 min read
82 views


Summer solstice swim
As the Lockdown draws on, there is but a glimmer of hope. Slightly larger groups are allowed to assemble at a safe distance.
Darrin Roles
Jun 25, 20203 min read
133 views


The Lock to Lock Swim-Run experience
The Lock to Lock course, set deep in the Oxfordshire countryside is typically British
Alan Scott
Apr 6, 20203 min read
290 views


No room in the river
There’s no room in the ground for the rain. There’s no room in the river. The water has spilled out across the land and before us, lies...
Fiona Undrill
Feb 22, 20201 min read
63 views
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