Wild Swim Podcast

COVID-19 put many things on hold, including swimming, with many people unable to access the water. So what's it been like for wild swimmers? In this episode I speak to swimmers about their experiences, including those who put training on hold, and those who started wild swimming for the first time.

Lenka Janiurek joins me to discuss her memoir "Watermarks: Life, Death and Swimming", and shares how water and swimming empowered her to write about her remarkable life.

We talk about how swimming has given Lenka strength, and has helped her when facing life’s challenges by providing a chance to be playful and gain a fresh perspective.

Lenka is a writer and sea swimmer based in Wales

Please note that this episode includes some references to domestic violence

Tamsin Calidas followed her dream of moving from London to a remote Scottish island. Relocating and adjusting to island life wasn’t without its challenges, and Tamsin shares how sea swimming and finding a bond with nature has helped her overcome those difficult times, and has now started to inspire her creative work. I love how Tamsin describes […]

Shannon Keegan has a personal relationship with Lake Memphremagog. It's the place that inspired her to take part in her first open water swim event, and where she caught the wild swimming bug, so it's no surprise it's somewhere that she's returned to multiple times since. In this episode she talks about swimming across the 25 mile lake in search of Memphre - the mythical lake creature who lives there.

Shannon speaks in such a real and honest way about swimming, from the nerves before her first event, to what it felt like as she stepped into the water at nighttime for her 25 mile swim.

Through her work at Intrepid Water, Shannon helps other people find that same love of outdoor swimming, and shes' been documenting the experiences of endurance swimmers through Marathon Swim Stories.

Lake District swimmer Sara Barnes shares why winter swimming means so much to her. Sara started cold water swimming as therapy and as way to continue to experience her beloved Lake District landscape. In this episode she talks about how the bravery needed to get into the water in the colder months pays off when […]

Adventurer Matt Williams on his incredible challenge to be the first person to swim every lake in the Lake District!Matt shares his feelings ahead of the challenge - and how he needs more socks! Then we catch up again to find out how he got on, and the unexpected highs and lows on the journey.

With the Outdoor Swimming Society’s Dart 10k event a week away, I share how I’m feeling ahead of the event and my training story with all the ups and downs of training for the longest swim I’ve ever done. I start by being in denial about signing up, before getting a reality check from Karen […]

Simon Griffiths is the founder of Outdoor Swimmer magazine. He takes part in swimming events around the world and this summer he’s planning a 21km swim along a lake in Sweden. In this episode, Simon shares his experience of open water swimming events, including how he trains for these big swim challenges, what keeps him […]

Karen Smith is a strong advocate for the positive effect that swimming can have on mental health and believes learning to swim has changed her life.In this episode, Karen talks about the community at her lido, Parliament Hill, and how she's found friends across the country through a shared passion for swimming.