Swimming Durdle Door with the Wild Swimming Brothers

The Wild Swimming Brothers have teamed with Adventure Uncovered for a weekend of wild swimming in Dorset on 2-3 September 2017. This unforgettable wild swimming journey will take place at one of the most iconic coastal landmarks in the UK, Durdle Door, a colossal natural limestone arch on England’s majestic Jurassic Coast, formed by the crashing of waves and the relentless march of the ocean. 

Calum, you’ve swum in many lakes, oceans and pools in your time – why Durdle Door in Dorset? 

You only have to take one look at the might Durdle Door to see why it makes for such a captivating swim, it’s ancient form and carved doorway perfectly personify the power of the ocean and a swim through it is an incredible way to experience mother nature at her most beguiling and beautiful. I would easily rank it up there with the top swimming destinations and its proximity to the beach makes it one of the most atmospheric and rewarding beginners swims out there.

Who are you expecting to come along to join you and what do you think their motivations will be?  

I’m hoping it will be a real mix of all different ages, sexes, nationality and shapes and sizes, wild swimming is the least cliche activity out there, accessible by all. I think the majority of people’s motivation will be to get outside and try something new, to break away from the working week, reconnect with nature and of course to complete the swim through the mighty Durdle Door. 

What will you talk about in between swims?

We really want people to leave the weekend feeling that they have the skills and tools to plan their own wild swimming adventure at home or abroad. One of our talks will focus on how wild swimming is the perfect method for reconnecting with the natural world. We think there’s a lot of people looking to break free from their modern urban confinement and we’ll use tales from our Great Grandma World, George Orwell’s one legged Nephew and a 90-mile source to sea river swim to try and motivate people to swim outdoors. In the second talk, we’ll be transporting everyone to the icy Arctic Circle and mighty maelstroms of Norway’s rugged western coast, where we partnered with WWF Norway to protest against oil drilling and completed two world first swims, including the longest distance ever swum in the Arctic Circle. We’ll finish this talk off practically, by exploring how each person can make a difference through swimming and how they might go about planning their own personal wild swimming adventure, an opportunity for all to ask plenty of questions!

More about the Wild Swimming Brothers…

Name = Jack Hudson 

Rank = Little Brother 

Age = 25 

Lives = Brixton, London 

Weakness = White bread, toast, crumpets, more toast…. and a bit more toast 

Strength = Paddle sized hands and feet 

Favourite Swimspot = El Nido, Philippines 

Adventure Hero = Ed Stafford 

Life Dream = Live on a desert island and spend the rest of my life writing

Aquatic Spirit Animal = Blue Whale 

Name = Calum Hudson 

Rank = Middle Brother 

Age = 27 

Lives = Brixton, London 

Weakness = Middle Child Syndrome and EGO 

Strength = Double Ironman – 40 hours 21 minutes 

Favourite Swimspot = Semuc Champney, Guatemala  

Adventure Hero = Lewis Pugh Life 

Dream = Build a log cabin and live by the sea

Aquatic Spirit Animal = Bottlenose Dolphin

Robbie Hudson 

Rank = Big Brother 

Age = 30 

Lives = Templehof, Berlin 

Weakness = Art Degree  

Strength = Triangular Shape 

Favourite Swimspot = Pamukkale, Turkey  

Adventure Hero = Hunter S Thompson 

Life Dream = Win the worlds strongest man

Aquatic Spirit Animal = Leatherback Turtle