#SWIMWILDANDFREE

Editor’s letter

Hello November – log fires, bobble hats and serene

TEAM TALK

All the latest news from Outdoor Swimmer Towers!

READER PHOTO CONTEST

EDITOR’S CHOICE

MAP OF POLLUTION HOTSPOTS

OPEN WATER NEWS ROUND-UP

ART OF SWIMMING

Gilly McArthur is an passionate ice swimmer and rock climber. She lives in the Lake District and can be found for club commissions/ enamel mugs and individual illustrations on Instagram @gillymcarthur – no website as she prefers to talk on the phone, and she can’t draw real animals!

40TH ENGLISH CHANNEL ANNIVERSARY

Forty years ago, Julie Bradshaw MBE swam the English Channel at the age of 15. Her subsequent 20 world record swims include a 4-way Windermere solo swim, a butterfly solo swim of the English Channel and the fastest person to circumnavigate the 28.5 mile course around Manhattan Island swimming butterfly.

Write in… Have yo ur s ay

STAR LETTER Birthday Bodysurfing!

VIEW FROM THE WATER

Simon Griffiths extols the virtues of neoprene

WIN!A HUUB ALPHA WETSUIT

To enter the competition go to outdoorswimmer.com/win and answer this question…

SWIMMING WITH DRAGONS

SwimTrek founder Simon Murie reports from Bali

EUROPEAN LOBSTER

Do you like yours blue or red? By Susanne Masters

Looe Sea Swimmers

THIS MONTH WE SWAM WITH…

WILD TRIBE HERO

Ella Foote meets campaigning children’s book author Ellie Jackson

GROWING WELL

Pete Kelly takes a group of swimmers from a mental health charity for their first cold water swim

That lightbulb moment

A return to swimming inspired a new career for artist Andrea Hall

Unsung heroes

Anna Deacon celebrates the wild swimmers that inspired new book Taking the Plunge

ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK?

Ella Foote meets Tiffany Francis-Baker, author of new book Dark Skies: A Journey into the Wild Night

The Men in Between

Though you might not know their names, they helped advance marathon swimming in its earliest days. By Elaine K Howley

COACH CASSIE

Our resident Olympian answers your swimming questions

KEY TRAINING SESSIONS

Olympic open water swimming silver medallist Keri-anne Payne explains how to plan your training schedule to achieve your goals

Understanding Wind

Author William Thomson explores what makes the wind and how it affects swimming conditions.

Good mood food

As the days darken and become colder I've put together

THE WORLD’S GREATEST SWIM TRIPS

Stuck for destinations for your next big trip? Here’s

Swimming Lake Malawi

Five swimmers, three nationalities and 25km separating a common goal. By Jay Azran

Remove your clothes!

Why you really should try a winter swimming competition. By Jonathan Cowie

Vidösternsimmet

Simon Griffiths took on Sweden’s longest swim

Breca Jersey

Teamwork makes the swimrun dream work, says Jude Palmer

Lido Conference 2019

Ella Foote joins volunteers, trustees and lido supporters at the second ever Lido Conference

LET’S SWIM!

UK AND INTERNATIONAL EVENT LISTINGS

NEOPRENE ACCESSORIES

Neoprene socks, booties, hats and other accessories to help you keep swimming as temperatures drop – we test the essential kit for your cold water swimming adventures