FEATURES
In-depth features that celebrate the vibrant outdoor swimming community, spotlighting extraordinary individuals and their stories.
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Go wild, go west: Bantham Mini-Swoosh
Rebecca Hilton headed to Level Water’s Bantham Mini-Swoosh with her 12-year-old daughter – find out how they got on
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Best changing robes 2025: tried and tested by outdoor swimming experts
With autumn water temperatures approaching, now is a good time to invest in or update your changing robe. Our outdoor…
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Endurance swimming and activism: a towpath perspective on the Thames Relay
Between the 1st and 4th of September, 2025, a team of world-class swimmers swam a non-stop relay down the River…
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Elite athletes are swimming length of River Thames demanding action on the sewage crisis
Eight world-class and Olympic swimmers representing the UK's four nations are swimming 200km in relay from the source of the…
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Why going long and slow is good for your health
Long distance swimming is one of the best ways to build not just stamina in the water, but a foundation…
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The power of seaweed
Nutritious and nourishing, seaweed offers particular benefits to us as swimmers. Jo Tinsley explores the value of seaweed for swimmers’…
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Outdoor swimming after a heart attack
A reader got in touch to ask our health columnist Dr Hussain Al-Zubaidi's advice on going back to swimming outdoors…
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A year-round approach to training for long swims
Simon Griffiths looks at a year-round approach to preparing for major endurance challenges
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From the banks of Lake Pichola
Itching for a challenge, Jharna Kumawat approaches long distance swimming like a three-course meal
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Sophie Etheridge: Let me tell you a story
A story about Oona. She’s just 11 years old; she has faced many challenges and unseen fights in life. She…
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Swimming in Time
Three Rivers author Robert Winder explains why river swimming is an immersion in the past.
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Train to go the distance…in the pool!
It’s important to know what your body needs so you can complete long-distance sessions safely and effectively, says swim coach…
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All in the family
Cross-Channel swims have a lengthly history, and one Folkestone family has had a front row seat since the 1920s
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Blind Ambition: watch Gerrard Gosens’ incredible story
In July, blind athlete Gerrard Gosens attempted to swim the 20 Bridges circumnavigation of Manhattan Island and the English Channel…
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Tough training, high anxiety
Mental Health Swims Community Engagement Manager Sarah Groves tells us about her final few weeks of training before her big…
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It’s all in the hips
How working on hip mobility can improve your swimming, by personal trainer Liz Lowe
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Carb loading: What, when, and how to fuel a big swim
Carb loading is especially useful before long endurance events that last over 90 minutes, such as marathons, long-distance swims, or…
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The Midnight Windermere 50
To mark her 50th birthday, Ceri Smith decided to swim across England’s longest lake with 49 other swimmers, Sharon Davies…
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How I became the first woman to swim from Red Sands Forts
My journey and introduction to outdoor swimming started in 2018 after I had a harebrained idea: I wanted to swim…
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How and why women are surpassing men in ultra-endurance swimming
New book, Ultra Women, explores how women are outperforming men in endurance sport, author Lily Canter tells us more.
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September in the open water community
Nowca reveals a new swimming venue in the Worcestershire countryside, and Mental Health Swims share why autumn is the ideal…
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Breathing hard to breathe easy
Adam Ball's 13 Lake Challenge for Cystic Fibrosis
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Call for ‘swim-along’ interviews with Thames swimmers
Do you swim in the River Thames? Take part in an exciting research project exploring swimming communities along England's longest…
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Event Review: OMSWIM3.2 Oman – a jewel for swimmers
Jim Boucher reports from a warm and scenic swim in his new backyard
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The art of endurance
Does swimming imitate art for Katie Pumphrey, or vice versa? Rowan Clarke finds out
