“Wool socks, onesie, tea!”: What are your winter swimming rituals?

From star jumps to car saunas, the winter swimming community has a variety of ingenious ways to warm up after a cold swim

We asked about your post-swim rituals on our Facebook page and received over 60 comments. Interestingly, while there are lots of similarities – most people get dried and dressed as quickly as they can – there is lots of variety too. Everyone, it seems, has something different that works for them, from standing in buckets of warm water, to dancing, fast walking and vowing never to swim in cold water again. It’s also interesting to see the wide range of post-swim snacks and drinks swimmers consume!

We’ve compiled a selection of our favourite rituals – it’s worth a read, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced swimmer. Someone else’s crazy idea might be just the thing that takes your post-winter swimming experience to the next level!

How to warm up after a cold swim

Hazel Hawkins
Shower with water from hot water bottle, cheesy chips and hot chocolate! Loads of laughs.

Laura Sambrook
Lots of layers in my bag in the order I need to put them on so I don’t have to think through the brain freeze. And a hot water bottle in the middle.

Katie Fish
Cup of tea, warm fluffy socks and warm up in my little camper.

Fiona Penney
All my kit is packed in a thermal lined shopping trolley (£27 from Amazon). Every thing is packed in the order I will need it. It is all wrapped round hot water bottles which after the swim are poured into a shallow trug with a bit of lake water for my feet. I have a hat to get wet while swimming and a dry hat. Track suit bottoms split at the bottom for easy access. Hot drink, Scottish tablet and car sauna on the way home.

Catherine de Wattripont
Dress as fast as I can .. as many layers as I can ….. hot drink….. chat to a group of friends and behave like a bunch of penguins…shuffling on the spot …into and out of the middle of the group ! Penguining gets us warm and laughing every time.

Katia Vastiau
Rinse with luke warm water from a bottle, then race to dry and dress with lots of layers. Then either stretch ourselves out against the dark grey wall of the club hut that gets really warm in the sun (even in winter, think underfloor heating but on a wall) or head to the cafe for a warm coffee by the fire or a soup and lots of chatting.

Elizabeth Thomas Prentis
All post swim items are wrapped around a hot water bottle. Towel dry, towelling robe on, cozzie off, another rub down, Gorilla robe on on top of towel robe ,socks and boots on, hat on, gloves on. Cup of tea in metal mug. Sometimes a croissant. Sit down and chat cuddling hot water bottle. Drive home with heated steering on (the greatest gift to open water swimmers).

Elizabeth Almond
Suit comes off immediately – no modesty in cold water swimming. Then I get dressed and get in the sauna. If no sauna… the redneck sauna…aka my car with seat warmers.

Louise Payne
We take our camping stoves and have breakfast and lots of hot tea!

Caroline Finn
Get changed, no hot drink, walk home is the best, but if I drive somewhere for a more scenic swim I drive home. While I am getting changed I am positively glowing though. And smiling to myself.

Antonia Wright
Costume off, thermal vest on, dry robe and socks on, no messing. Hands on hot water bottle then straight to car, heater on and home, porridge and a shower.

Tracy Scannell
Get dry and dressed as fast as possible, then drink a flask of tea whilewatching the waves. Walk home and lovely hot shower or bath.

Sarah-Jayne Thacker
Wim Hof dance. Then a hot cuppa tea.

Kevin Hundsnurscher
Whiskey, turkey pot pie, sleep.

Liz Halloran
Wool socks, onesie, tea.

Vicky Lloyd Boreyko
We dress as quickly as possible. I bring hot water to at least rinse my feet. We bundle up and if it’s sunny we sit on the parking lot pavement and drink our hot chocolate and chat. If it’s super windy or cold we sit in one of our cars. Then later I enjoy a hot bath.

Lisa Jayne Corkhill
Get dressed as quickly as possible, loads of layers, then hot chocolate and swim chatter with friends with some crazy moves like star jumps thrown in to warm up.

John Fischbach
Collapsible bucket with slightly warm water for the feet and hands while you’re drying off and dressing, then the “car-sauna” with a hot drink.

Helen Banks
Laugh, dance, hot chocolate!

Add your own cold-water rituals to our Facebook post.