CHALLENGE

Editor’s Letter

February can be a strange month. It is

TRENDING

FIFTY FOUR DAYS A film about a spirited

View From The Water

How not to fail your swimming challenges

NOTICE BOARD.

BACK TO THE WATER FOR JO “This is

ENVIRONMENT

Native Oyster (Ostrea edulis) SUSANNE MASTERS Illustration: Alice

Adaptive Swimmer: Sophie Etheridge

LIVING ON A TIGHTROPE Living my life can

Sarah Thomas: Marathon Swimmer

When I finished the Four Way English Channel

STARTERS ORDERS

Open water challenges shape outdoor swimming more than you realise. Rowan Clarke investigates.

SWIM PEOPLE

Image: Level Water MELANIE BARRATT • ELAINE HOWLEY

NOT JUST AN EVERY DAY CHALLENGE…

Paralympic champion Melanie Barratt is hoping to become the first blind woman to swim across the English Channel solo. Here she shares her story of challenge.

FROM THE SEA, FREEDOM

Take on a unique swim from Sealand, the world’s smallest countr y, back to the Suffolk coast

PARA FIVE

Rowan Clarke talks to Jonty Warneken about his new challenge aimed at swimmers with disabilities.

CHALLENGE YOURSELF FOR A SIMPLER LIFE

Last year Jasmine Harrison became the first woman to swim the entire length of the UK from Land’s End to John O’Groats. It was a challenge that only one other person had tackled before and, despite 900 miles of swimming, she still says the biggest challenge was the logistics. She tells her tale of challenge and adventure.

STRICTLY OUTDOOR SWIMMING

Comedian, actor and singer Jayde Adams is well known for her antics on television but, like many swimmers, she finds the best way to relax is in the water. Ella Foote finds out more.

VANISHING LAKES

The challenge of finding swimmable water is getting harder in some locations, no thanks to climate change and human industry.

SWIMMING 40 LAKES IN SWITZERLAND

For her 40th birthday, Julia Weber gave herself

Your life, your rules

Do a triathlon to get to the supermarket, and other ways to live a more meaningful life.

HEALTH

SIPE • MENTAL HEALTH SWIMS RECIPE • LIZ

Don’t panic about SIPE

Sometimes getting to the water feels like the

RECIPE

RANJAN’S CHANA MASALA

COACH

YOU ASK, WE ANSWER • MOVE OF THE

You Ask, We Answer!

CASSIE PATTEN QUESTION: I have been reading your

HOW TO HAVE A HAPPY PUBLIC LANE SWIM

If you have open water events planned for

A new source for swim training inspiration

Artificial Intelligence can provide ideas for coaches and swimmers

MOVE OF THE MONTH: KETTLEBELL SWING

VIVIENNE RICKMAN – PERSONAL TRAINING

GEAR

TOWEL ROBES In association with

TOWEL ROBES

THEY SAY... Finisterre Vean Changing Robe, £55 ★★★★★

ICE BREAKING RECORDS

In beautiful Samoëns, 500 swimmers from 42 countries descended for the 5th International Ice Swimming Association World Championships (IISAWC). An incredible number of records were broken, which elevated swimmers all round to swim at their best in Lac aux Dames.

LET’S SWIM!

UK AND INTERNATIONAL EVENT LISTINGS

SWIM THE CHANNEL WITH THE MENCAP MARVELS!

Make 2023 the year you achieve something truly awe-inspiring: an English Channel relay swim

EXPLORE

Image: Tresco Triscape ICELAND • ISLES OF SCILLY

MUCH MORE THAN WEATHER

Lindsey Cole often claims she is useless in the cold, which made Iceland a strange choice for an adventure. But she learns Iceland is so much more than the weather and enjoys hot springs, Northern Lights and friendship as 2023 begins

SCILLY SWIMMING

From epic challenges to bay swims for beginners, the Isles of Scilly have routes to delight all kinds of swimmers.

SWIM LIFE

SWIMTERPRIZE • WATCH, READ, LISTEN PATRONS • LETTERS

DIY CHALLENGES

Not all challenges are to enter, or to follow, some are created ourselves. Alison Gilchrist set herself a series of challenges to mark her 65th birthday. She shares her story.

My Swim Story... Learning to Breathe Above Water

Natasha Longridge is a photographer from Belfast, Northern Ireland, who suffers from hypochondria. In 2020 she discovered the benefits of outdoor swimming and worked on a creative project, Learning to Breathe Above Water. She shares her story.

IF THE SHOE FITS…

Jonathan Cowie meets Emily Prideaux of Brighton Water Shoes

Watch Read Listen

The Green Hill Books to Pre-Order 2023 Sophie

YOUR LETTERS

What has inspired you about outdoor swimming this month? Email: editor@outdoorswimmer.com

PATRONS

Thank you to the following individuals who have joined the OS Mag as Patrons & Super Patrons