DO THE BASICS RIGHT
Words Laura Potter. Photograph Istock
Longer days and warmer temperatures can make wild swimming wildly appealing. ‘There’s no roof, no lanes and you can’t see the bottom, but that’s exciting,’ says Keri-Anne Payne. ‘Weeds, reeds, fish and not knowing what’s beneath you can be daunting, but everything in the water is way more scared of you than you need be of it. Plus weeds mean the water’s clean.’ Keri-Anne recommends starting small. ‘Try an open-water lido or, if you’re comfortable in the sea, check rnli.org for lifeguarded beaches. And if you want a bit more shelter, look for a lake or river on nowca.org. Never ever go alone and, if you turn up and the water’s very choppy, don’t swim. Come back when the conditions are safer.’