A swimmer’s perspective of the city

City swimming can be a thrilling experience, as demonstrated by the epic swims in the Seine in Paris this summer.

What can we learn from watching elite swimmers at the Olympics? Their feats of human endeavour seem so far away from the kind of swimming many of us do – especially when you compare the 10k open water marathon swim to a wild dip. Indeed, we know from our reader surveys that many readers of this magazine aren’t interested in elite level swimming. But bear with me!

Where do you like to swim? As wild swimmers we are often drawn to remote places where we can feel a connection with the natural world. But experiencing a landscape from the water doesn’t have to be in a ‘wild’ environment. Since the open water marathon was introduced in 2008 in Beijing, the event has taken place in different kinds of bodies of water, from the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park in Beijing and Serpentine lake in London, to coastal bays at Rio and Tokyo and now a river in Paris. If your usual swim spot is wild and remote, why not expand your horizons and dip a toe in urban swimming?

Many European cities have access to water that gives you an urban experience from a different perspective. Helsinki, Berlin and Copenhagen are just three cities with open water options – whether it’s a post-sauna dip, a leisurely lake swim or an open water event. Take a look our Travel section for more inspiration. Closer to home, how about planning a watery city break in London? As well as the Serpentine lake in Hyde Park, there are lidos across the capital as well as open water venues like the Royal London Docks and the historic ponds on Hampstead Heath – each with their own community of swimmers to connect with.

In his View from the Water column, Simon explains some of the technical aspects of river swimming. But even if speed and race tactics aren’t your thing, improving your technique so you can swim further and with more confidence could open up new experiences and bodies of water to you. And watching how Olympians swim is fascinating – beautiful and brutal at the same time. Compare the different styles of stroke and then think about how you swim. How can you take aspects of their technique and apply them to your own stroke? I would love to be able to glide through the water like Tokyo gold medallist Florian Wellbrock – search on YouTube for him swimming in an endless pool for a masterclass in power and grace. Try visualising an aspect of the technique of a swimmer you admire and see how it affects your stroke and how you feel while you are swimming.

Whether you are an Olympic athlete or a wild dipper, we all unfortunately have one thing in common when it comes to swimming outdoors: water pollution. Tokyo and Rio both had issues with water pollution, and water quality continued to be an issue in Paris – despite a €1.4 billion clean-up operation of the Seine. As climate change and sewage cause havoc with our waterways, putting issues of water pollution on the world’s sporting stage will hopefully further raise awareness of the environmental crisis challenging our planet. Because whether you are dipping in your local river or competing in the Olympics, swimming in shit is still swimming in shit.