GO WILD IN SCOTLAND

Kimberley Grant, co-author of the new book Wild Guide Scotland, shares her favourite places for wild swimming

CAMUSDARACH BEACH

The Scottish Highlands and Islands are home to some of the most magical and undisturbed wild swimming spots in Europe. Thanks to its heavy rainfall and beautifully diverse landscape, those who are willing to brave the cold temperatures can enjoy Scotland’s peaceful lochs, clean rivers with rushing falls and dark gorges and spectacular bays. Taking the plunge in the fresh waters up here can be an incredibly invigorating experience, and what better way to heat up after your adventure than with a dram by the campfire.

FINDING YOUR WAY

Each wild swim can be located using the latitude and longitude provided. This is given in decimal degrees and can be entered straight into any web-based mapping program, such as Google, Bing or Streetmap. Print out the map before you go or email a screengrab to yourself. You can also enter the coordinates into your GPS, car satnav or smartphone. Postcodes are also included in the directions where possible as these are often easier to enter into a device and have a specific point location. If you have paper maps, look up the equivalent national grid reference in the conversion table at the back of the book. Approximate walk-in times are given, for one way only (allowing 15mins per km).