WILD SAUNA
As saunas pop up alongside beaches, riverbanks and lakes across the UK, author Emma O’Kelly chooses 10 of her favourite locations from her new guide book for swimmers looking to balance cold dips with a dose of heat
KISHTEY ÇHEH, ISLE OF MAN
Shoreline Sauna, tucked away at Lyme Regis
Image: Louise Roberts
Founded by Liam Wiltshire, a surfer who discovered sauna on a trip to Ireland, Kishtey Çheh means ‘hotbox’ in Manx. It’s an appropriate name for this bijou beach sauna, perched on the sands at Port Erin. One barrel sauna was followed by another, and wood-fired hot tub and cold plunges. But the sea provides the best cold dip of all; with its gentle waves and white sands, Port Erin is one of the island’s finest beaches. A one-kilometer swim across the bay, from the harbour to a derelict Victorian tidal pool in the cliffs, takes in clean blue waters and views to Milner’s Tower on the promontory at Bradda Head. This was built in Victorian times as a place of quiet contemplation. It still is. No one stops you scrambling up its stone staircase and looking out to Northern Ireland, to the mountains of Mourne. For those in search of post-sauna beach snacks, The Cosy Nook café and Foraging Vintners offers great food and famous sparkling rhubarb wine. kishteycheh.im