Land and water

Rowan Clarke laces up her walking boots, packs a swimsuit and discovers the simple beauty of swim-walking

The aquatic ape evolutionary theory hypothesises that we first walked on two legs in shallow water. Our hominin ancestors lived on shorelines, foraging for food in chest-deep water, developing the need to stand on two feet. It’s a controversial theory among anthropologists, but what they do agree is that from the curve of our spine to the size of our heels, our bodies evolved to move on two legs, leaving tree-dwelling apes in our dust.

Humans’ capacity to walk is quite incredible. Over time, it has allowed us to adapt to all types of environments, travelling more efficiently than quadrupeds. And, as we moved through those different landscapes, our physiology, intellect, culture and spirituality adapted to suit the world around us – to the point where we superseded nature, tamed it and created a barrier between us and the environment in which we belong.

Now, we’re needing to find ways to ‘rewild’, re-establishing those connections with nature that our bodies crave. Outdoor swimming is one way we do this. Walking is another (for those who are able). Combine the two, and we’re pushed to think of a more perfectly simple, elemental, natural way to heal modern maladies.

Connecting with the past

“I tossed a bucket of sea water at a likely looking patch and there it was, peeping through the wash; an adult footprint about the size of my own,” Dr Jon Moses, Co-Director of Right2Roam, wrote in a post about the book he co-edited, Wild Service: Why nature needs you. He had found an 8000-year-old footprint left by a Mesolithic hunter in ‘a landscape of such natural abundance, it would dumbfound the modern mind.’

As the land was carved up, sold, worked and owned, not only did our access to nature change, but also our attitude. Modern civilisation became the antithesis of the wild and every cultural, scientific and technological advancement further alienated us from the world in which we had evolved. “My distant geographical ancestors had no concept of nature,” writes Jon. “The existence of the label is already a symptom of its loss.”

As outdoor swimmers, we know what it feels like to crave immersion in the natural world. And, once you consider where we came from, it makes perfect sense. It’s why being in nature feels so good, and why hiking and then immersing in water stimulates our senses, elicits a sense of freedom and adventure and further connects us with our ancestral past. But why does this connection matter? It comes down to the fact that as much as humanity has changed in the past eight millennia, our physiological systems have stayed broadly the same. The limbic system, for example, the part of the brain involved in behavioural and emotional responses, still reacts to life’s many stresses as it did to Mesolithic man’s threats. So, swapping those daily stresses like missing the train or a deadline for the kinds our bodies evolved to cope with – getting into cold water or hiking up a hill – actually helps us cope better with stress and therefore feel healthier.

“The point about how we’ve evolved can’t be overstated enough,” says presenter, author and campaigner, Julia Bradbury, who wrote the book Walk Yourself Happy. “When you exercise, you’re putting your body under stress. It’s a hormetic stress that your body learns how to react to and then can deregulate from afterwards. And that’s what humans are built to do.”

Connecting with ourselves

You could list many shared mental and physical health benefits of walking and swimming from better stress management to improved strength and balance. But what added health benefits come from walking and swimming?

One advantage of switching between water and land is that you can mix things up, make your walk more challenging and exciting, adjust experiences, change locations, getting different perspectives and exercising different muscle groups.

“What I love about walking, and what I think is underrated, is you can do gentle strolls or walk at a medium pace, which is great for your health,” says Julia. “But it’s a bit like Lego – you can also add to it. So, it can be the evening stroll after dinner to help with digestion or you can go up an incline, scramble up a hill, put on a heavy backpack and push yourself to do a full-on bit of exercise.”

A cold-water dip in the middle of a walk is an example of Julia’s ‘Lego’. She points out that it not only helps you warm up afterwards, but it also extends your time exercising outdoors.

That freedom to build your own adventure is what’s so great about swim-walking. It offers an opportunity to challenge ourselves, to connect with the playful, adventurous part of ourselves and to accomplish physical feats, improving mental wellbeing and self-esteem. Exploring land and water, experiencing the world above and below the surface challenges us in many and different ways – and the rewards are plenty.

This was the inspiration for brothers Tom and Will Watt, who invented a rather wonderful bit of kit which enables next level swim-walk adventures. The Ruckraft, an ingenious evolution of the tow float, allows you to pour an entire weekend’s worth of hiking kit into its giant dry bag and effortlessly tow it while you swim.

The Ruckraft aids outdoor swimmers to do is what Will and Tom neatly named ‘cross-country swimming’ where you hike until you reach a body of water, traverse that body of water, get out and continue your hike.

“You’re opening up the landscape to new routes that weren’t possible before,” says Will. “You always feel like you’ve really traversed the landscape in a special way. It’s amazing to be able to swim and hike and journey over multiple days with all your stuff.”

Connecting with others

The routes on Will and Tom’s website, Above Below, have been devised with the help of local swim guides. But, the beauty of crosscountry swimming is that you can build your own adventures, mix things up and have the freedom to explore the landscape in your own way.

“It’s hugely relaxing to know that towing behind you, is everything you need for when you get out – I find it so liberating,” says Will. “If you’ve got the courage and a few mates to go with you, then that’s the happy place.”

Whether you’re cross-country swimming or hiking with an experiential dip, the group element is important. For a start, as we know as outdoor swimmers, having company improves safety. But there’s also something extremely bonding about both swimming and hiking.

“I think swimming and hiking both share that opportunity to take some time just for you. They can both be a great place to get headspace and I often walk on my own and really enjoy that sense of just being in nature,” says Steph Wetherell, Founder of Every Body Outdoors, which leads hikes across the UK. “However, they can also be amazing places to find community. There are really strong communities around both activities, and that offers opportunities to do something new or to do an activity you love with other people.”

Walking has been shown to help people relax and open up to the extent that walking therapy is increasingly practised by counsellors. In the same way, walking combined with a bonding dip can help us create connections with other like-minded people. “Quite a lot of people come on their own because they want a connection with others,” says Chloe Rafferty who runs guided Secret SwimWalks. “Usually people end up making friends, swapping emails and meeting up again afterwards.”

Connecting with landscapes

Immersing us in two elements –green and blue, earth and water – swim-walking also affords new ways to connect with the environment. Those connections might be obvious. For example, there are many beautiful coves, pools and ponds that are only reachable by foot. Or, by exploring a forest and the secret fairy pools that lie within, that impetus to treasure and protect that environment.

“I think the more you learn about nature, the more you respect nature. So, that’s why we wax lyrical about encouraging people to get out and explore what’s on their own doorsteps,” says Matt Newbury, co-author of a series of swim-walk books.

“We’re environmentally friendly when we’re putting walks and swims into books,” says Matt’s co-author, Sophie Pierce. “By having a walk that takes you a few miles away from a honeypot swim spot, you’re spreading people out. And the more remote you go, the better it is. And, if the environment better is for your help, the more adventures you have.”

It’s not just about preserving the environment; our connection with place is much deeper. “Swimming for us is not about going from A to B or across a beach or back again, it’s about learning about what’s around you,” says Matt. “That’s about the nature, the geography, the geology and the social history. And by learning more about that, you respect those things a lot more.”

Whether you join a guide like Chloe or Steph or go on Julia’s Walk Yourself Happy retreat, follow a mapped-out route like those on the Above Below website or in Matt and Sophie’s book, or plan a swimwalk of your own, the scope for adventure is enormous. As is the scope to connect with nature, other people, landscapes, ancient and modern history and with yourself.

“We’d like to think the books are about empowering people to realise what’s possible,” says Sophie. “It’s almost about trying to help give people the mindset of what they can do if you just get the map out. We’re giving people detailed information about certain routes and walks with lovely swims. But we hope that by doing that, it enables people to realise what they can also do for themselves.”

And, ultimately, creating these meaningful connections gives us the impetus to fight for better access to the outdoors for everyone. Walking and swimming are free, accessible, natural ways to move in the environments in which we belong. From evolutionary theories and archaeological findings to campaigns for access to land and water, the evidence for why we need to immerse ourselves is overwhelming.

Last word to Steph Wetherell: “There are so many positive things about the outdoors; the physical health benefits of being outside and moving our bodies; the mental health benefits of being in nature, the peace, the well-being side and the opportunity to meet people to go to new places that you wouldn’t otherwise go,” she says. “It’s so important that all of these things are accessible to everybody who wants to go outdoors and access all these benefits.”

How to swim walk

Join a group or retreat Secret Swim Walk: loveswimrun.co.uk
Every Body Outdoors (for plus sized people): everybodyoutdoors.co.uk
Walk Yourself Happy retreat: theoutdoorguide.co.uk

Try a mapped route

Wild Swimming Walks books: wildthingspublishing.com
Above Below: abovebelow.sc/routes

Plan your own route

Use the Ordinance Survey Explorer Maps or app: shop.ordinancesurvey.co.uk