Readers' Swims
Immerse yourself in fellow swimmers' personal narratives, sharing their swimming stories and memorable experiences.
How hard is it to swim the Channel as part of a relay?
We spoke with Louise Campbell, a partner with Moore Barlow LLP and a member of the Aspire Eagles, who crossed…
Swims that shaped me: Ella Foote
Much like books we've read, places we've visited and people we've met, our swim experiences shape us. In this new…
Treading water pt2: mastering front crawl breathing
Now into her second month of training for her first open water event, digital journalist and beginner swimmer Abi Whyte…
Jessica Hepburn: Why I swim
Jessica became the first woman in the world to achieve ‘The Sea, Street, Summit Challenge’ – swim the English Channel,…
A Winter Swimming Mind: Three Lessons
In what ways are our minds always winter swimming? When extended into ritual, winter swimming can transform into a praxis…
Aftermath at the lido
Reader Laura Davies' poem beautifully captures the aftermath of a January storm at Tooting Bec Lido.
Celebrating different abilities
Emma Jane Lancaster hasn’t let surgeries, medical conditions and a colostomy stop her swimming.
Menna’s reflections on another year of full moon swimming
It's Menna Jones' second year of swimming under every full moon – a challenge that for her has now become…
Swim for the whales
Daniel Shailer shares how Stephanie Montero Bending swam across Banderas Bay, Mexico, for the first time, galvanising a community of…
Oldest person to earn a Triple Crown
Ed Horne tackles 20 Bridges in 'life-threatening' rainstorm. Brooklyn-based journalist Margaret Hetherman reports.
Treading Water pt 1: the start of my training for an open water event
For her first ever open water event, digital journalist and beginner swimmer Abi has signed up to a 4-mile swim…
Martyn Webster: How swimming has enriched my life
"Swimming has enriched my life immeasurably in so many ways. I feel that I have gone through many chapters and…
Our favourite swim stories and challenges of 2023
From Nordic odysseys to record-smashing channel crossings, it's been a remarkable year for open water swimmers. Here we share some…
Heather Palmer: my first swimrun
For her first ever swimrun event, reader Heather Palmer took on the As Keen As Mustard Grafham Water challenge. Here's…
Swimming to Freedom
In September 2023, Matt Newbury and his friend Queenie Martin attempted to swim from Robben Island to Cape Town, a…
A Spitsbergen swim
One day, seeking adventure and an icy swim, Jack Bright and his friends decided to take a dip off the…
The Italian job: a swim across the Strait of Messina
This summer, Matt Newbury enjoyed a 'legendary' swim across the Strait of Messina, between the island of Sicily and the…
The internal chatter of a cold-water dipper
Canadian reader Glenda Bonne reveals her innermost thoughts before and after a cold-water swim. Can you relate?
My fastest skins swim of the 3 Lakes Challenge
Helen Hislop shares her story of becoming the fastest skins swimmer to swim Coniston, Ullswater and Windermere consecutively, with a…
“Swimming has been my lifesaver”
Derek Yach kept swimming while receiving treatment for cancer – he shares his incredible story with us.
Our oldest mixed relay across the English Channel
David Rock and his swim buddies tell us about their record-breaking (pending ratification) oldest mixed 4-person relay across the Channel,…
Unsinkable: Alan Corcoran’s swim of the length of Ireland
Alan Corcoran swam the length of Ireland in memory of his father. He spoke to Jonathan Cowie about his experience.
Leszek Naziemiec’s Yukon Odyssey
After conquering the 1,000km Vistula River in his native Poland, adventure swimmer Leszek Naziemiec turned his attention to the far…
Capturing and swimming New York City’s waters
Photography led Paul Frangipane to reconnect to his home city of New York and rediscover his love of swimming
“I learnt to swim from scratch then took on an English Channel relay”
Hafsa Mughal went from complete beginner to English Channel relay swimmer, all in the space of five months. Now an…
