View from the Water
Gain a fresh perspective as swimmers share their unique viewpoints and reflections on the world from the water's edge.
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Swimming: the last refuge?
About twice a week I get up early to swim. I go to the pool (or maybe a lake in…
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Can we please stop using ‘brave’ to describe open water swimmers?
How many times in the national and regional press have you read the word ‘brave’ to describe people going about…
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What have railways and reservoirs got in common?
There was a story on the BBC website recently about people campaigning to keep railway level crossings open. National Rail,…
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Nine New Year’s resolutions suggestions for open water swimmers
We decided it was that time of year to draw up a list of suggestions for New Year’s resolutions for…
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What if Michael Phelps were an open water swimmer?
Michael Phelps’s return to competitive swimming at the Arena Grand Prix in Arizona has been greeted with excitement by both…
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Isn’t the pool full at the moment?
If you’re a regular pool swimmer (which we know from oursurvey that many open water swimmers also are) you’ll probably have…
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Don’t let Blue Monday get you down
Earlier this week a number of papers were talking about ‘Blue Monday’, describing it as the most depressing day of…
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Do the test of time
The Amateur Swimming Association is currently running its annual T30 challenge for masters swimmers. It’s open until 31 January so…
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10 degrees is not twice as warm as 5 degrees, but it’s useful to assume that is
Regular readers will have noticed that we’re sometimes a little fussy at H2Open about our choice of words. We don’t…
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Should we, as open water swimmers, be concerned about pool closures?
Swimming Pool News report that more than 300 public swimming pools have closed down within the last 18 months. The…
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What goes through the mind of a cold water swimmer?
What do you think when going through a cold water swim? Is it anything like the following, or something completely…
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Why people get pulled out at open water swimming events
This weekend we went to the Great North Swim in Windermere. At the beginning of many of the waves the…
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Do you really want to swim an Ice Mile?
From an open water swimming perspective, this winter feels different. Previously, except for a few determined individuals, the ‘season’ effectively…
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Get naked
This weekend I visited an open water swimming venue I haven’t been to since last year. The first thing I…
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Seven reasons to be thankful for open water swimming
Yesterday was Thanksgiving in the United States and you may have noticed a number of Facebook and blog posts listing…
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Susan Taylor, and the dangers of open water swimming
The plan this week was to write more about the Henley Mile Suits versus Skins challenge that took place on…
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Is drafting over-rated?
Elite swimmers race in packs for a simple reason. If you swim behind and to the side of another swimmer,…
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You know you’re an open water swimmer when…
You see these types of lists circulating on Facebook from time to time; “you know you’re a whatever when…” There’s probably one…
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Beautiful lakes, clean rivers and a refreshing attitude to open water swimming
Last week, courtesy of Swiss Tourism and Human Race, I had the opportunity to spend four days in Switzerland. This…
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What’s the difference between pool and open water swimming?
One of our advertisers asked me yesterday if I could say in a few words what the difference is between…
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Things fall into place
One of the pleasures of writing about open water swimming is the opportunity it gives me to meet and talk…
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Keeping it up as temperatures plummet
Earlier this week we posted a short message on our Facebook page checking people hadn’t been caught out by Sunday’s…
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River flows – and how to take advantage of them
The 2012 running of the 2.25 mile (3.6km) Hampton Court to Kingston Bridge Thames swim was held in October after…
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Six things you should know about cold water swimming
Judging by the speed at which places for the 2013 Cold Water Championships have sold, cold water swimming is growing…
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Nine swimming resolutions for 2013
Clichéd though it is, we couldn’t resist the temptation to offer our New Year swimming resolution tips for 2013. Pick…