Swims of the unexpected

Jonathan Cowie shares his most memorable swims around the world, from an icy skinny dip in Sweden to a jungly river swim in the Philippines

This issue is all about swim travel – adventurous swimming trips to awe inspiring locations around the world.

But some of my favourite swim experiences abroad have been more unexpected: unplanned urban swims or when I just couldn’t resist diving into a body of water.

When I arrived in Bangkok last April on the first stop of a two-week trip to Thailand it was the first time I had been to South East Asia as a solo traveller. Stepping on to the city bus at Suvarnabhumi airport my stomach flipped with that feeling of excitement and trepidation – what adventures lay ahead? From the temples and palaces of old Bangkok and labyrinthine streets of Chinatown to the skyscrapers and shopping malls of the modern metropolis, I explored the city as the temperature rose and rose.

Cool sanctuary

When my weather app reported “feels like 47 degrees Celsius” I decided it was time to find somewhere to swim. Dodging ferries in the Chao Phraya River, one of the most polluted in Thailand, wasn’t that appealing, so I did a bit of Googling. Hotel pools were a possibility, but then I found a link to a 50m outdoor pool, part of the National Stadium.

Getting to the pool was an adventure in itself, but once there it was a delight. Slightly dilapidated, and with questionable water quality, it was perfect for cooling off (even though the water was 31 degrees). The diving pool was full of kids having swimming lessons but I had the main pool to myself. As I swam laps past the rows of empty seats, I was reminded of Crystal Palace sports stadium, a once state-of-the-art facility now falling into disrepair. This was one of my highlights of Bangkok, and one that I wouldn’t have thought to visit if I hadn’t been a swimmer.

Germans love skinny dipping and so do I, so I couldn’t resist stripping off in the middle of a Berlin park to join swimmers in the Teufelsee lake on my way to visit the Teufelsberg spy station. A small, lifeguarded lake with a beach and grassy area for sunbathing, Teufelsee is just one of many open water swimming lakes and outdoor pools in Berlin for when you need a break from the bustle of the city. Berlin is one of my favourite cities to visit, and no trip is complete without swimming in at least one of the nearly 100 lakes within the city limits.

Post-race skinny dip

Keeping with the theme of skinny dipping, one of my favourite post-race experiences was after the Hellas Frostbite winter swimrun race in Sweden. Race HQ was a sauna complex on the outskirts of Stockholm. The swims were in a lake rimed with ice so the post-race sauna was very welcome – especially when twinned with a naked leap into the freezing water. An invigorating way to celebrate a good race!

On holiday in the Philippines, my friends were trail running in the jungle. Unable to run as I had an injury, I was lazing in a hammock by the river. I asked the hotel owner if the river was safe to swim in (obviously I was worried about crocodile sand piranhas!). She assured me it was safe, so I grabbed my goggles and trunks. I swam a blissful couple of kilometres upstream through water teeming with life to a series of small waterfalls, immersed in nature and surrounded by the sounds of the jungle.

And the sound of someone murdering I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston. Karaoke is pretty much a national sport in the Philippines and someone was getting in some much needed – and very loud – practice! Bold swim, bold song choice.

Find more swimming holiday inspiration.