PHOTO CONTEST – AUTUMN ADVENTURES

Editor’s letter

Winter is coming! And although I am looking

OPEN WATER NEWS ROUND-UP

CHARITY SWIMMING Swimmers raise £7,000 with 26.2-mile Thames

The man who swam across Wales

Are ordinary people capable of extraordinary feats? Becky Horsbrugh meets Gareth Jones

View From The Water

Founder and publisher of Outdoor Swimmer

Go The Distance

The End of the Open Water Season

Swimming Wild

WOOLLY HAT SEASON The clocks have changed. The

Eco Pages

WATER SPIDER Some species are born with the

Christmas GIFT GUIDE

From the outdoor book lovers to the winter swimmers to the lido lovers, everyone on your list will cherish these swim gifts all year round

You must go out, far out, where the sea is wild, and we humans don’t belong

In September, German Oceans Seven swimmer André Wiersig became the first person to solo swim the 48.5km between the German mainland and Helgoland, a small archipelago in the North Sea. He chats to Outdoor Swimmer about his marathon swimming career so far, his first record-breaking swim, and his plans for the future

SHARE THE SWIM ADVENTURE

Kendal Mountain Festival is an annual, four-day long Festival dedicated to sharing awe-inspiring, life-affirming stories from the world of outdoor adventure

Do you need to be rich to be a successful marathon swimmer?

Luke Chamberlain explores what constitutes success in marathon swimming – and the different ways it could be defined

Exploring Wild Waters

Ethnobotanist Suzanne Masters encourages us to interact with the environment and not just observe. She chats to Ella Foote about her new book Wild Waters

Block Cancer

In September, Olympian Elizabeth Beisel became the first woman to swim to Block Island, a windswept gem just off the Rhode Island coast. Elaine K Howley reports

YOU ASK, WE ANSWER

I recently took part in Swim Serpentine. This was my first mass participation event and I found myself getting incredibly nervous before the swim, so much so I wanted to pull out! I found the mass start particularly nerve wracking. Although it didn’t detract from the whole day I do wonder if I should enter any more swims as it was stressful

POOL PAGE

Maximise your indoor pool training

DO YOUR SHOULDERS DISRUPT YOUR TRAINING?

Looking at your recovery and catch technique is the key to preventing shoulder injury

WHAT'S IN YOUR FLASK?

A hot drink after a winter swim is top of everyone’s recovery list. But how effective is it in rewarming the body? Ella Foote reports

TEA OR COFFEE?

We speak to two outdoor swimmers with a love of speciality tea and coffee

Let’s swim!

UK and international event listings

SWIM OXFORD LOCK TO LOCK SWIMRUN

Simon Griffiths went the Full Stump on a meander through Oxfordshire

GET SET... GLOW!

Liz Lowe watches Vobster Quay light up for its ever-popular Glow Swim

WILD WYE SWIM

More otter than super swimmer, Rowan Clarke navigates the Wild Wye

Thill to the chill!

As travel restrictions lift, this winter sees the return of international ice swimming contests

EXCITING TIMES

Oman is just a 5-6 hour flight from

Wet and Wild

South Devon’s notoriously turbulent climate made for a predictably wet – yet sufficiently ‘wild’ – autumnal weekend at Wild Coast Escapes’ swim, trail run and yoga retreat

URBAN WILD SWIMMING

Swim experiences to tick off your bucket list

Patron Page

Thank you to the following individuals who have joined the Outdoor Swimmer Family as Patrons and Super Patrons

Your Letters

What’s inspired you about outdoor swimming this month?

Hat abovc the rest!

If you can’t find what you are looking for, why not make it yourself?

SWIMS AROUND...

Surrey Illustration: Alice Goodridge Lakes, lidos, ponds and

DERWENT DUBS

Quieter days mean more time for exploring

ANNA DEACON

Co-author of The Art of Wild Swimming guidebooks