It is with a tiny bit of sadness that today I wish my podcast a fond farewell. Three years and 80 episodes is something I am totally proud of. When I started, there wasn't another wild swimming podcast that I could find, so i decided to fill the gap. Today there are many many to choose from and I hope you will switch your allegiances across to them and give them your support. I have to say the biggest thank you to every single person who has spoken to me. It isn't an easy thing to do and...

This is the penultimate episode of the Swim Wild Podcast and I'm delighted that my guest could be Richelle Flanagan, talking about her Dopamine Dunkers challenge running throughout May 2021. Richelle has been diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson's Disease and since her diagnosis has been to the Parkinson's World Congress and become an ambassador, raising awareness of the condition and connecting with other people around the world. The pandemic has been hard for everyone in so many ways,...

This week's podcast guest is Kelly from Seattle. Find out more about swimming in Puget Sound, where it doesn't usually get warmer than 11 degrees C, and yet they still have a jellyfish issue!

The guest this week on Swim Wild podcast is Lenka Janiurek, author of fabulous new book 'Watermarks; life, death and swimming.'   If you are the kind of wild swimmer who likes to immerse in all sorts of culture connected with swimming, this is a book to add to your 'to read' pile.   It sits alongside books such as The Outrun, I Am An Island and Wintering, as an exploration of being alongside and immersed in water as an essential mechanism for making sense of, coping with and...

My guest this week is photographer Justine Desmond. If you read Outdoor Swimmer magazine, you will be familiar with her work as one of her photographs was on the front cover of the February 2021 edition and some images from her project entitled 'The Swimmers' are featured in the magazine. In this episode, Justine talks about the importance of a photo shoot being a genuine collaboration with the person she is photographing. She explains how important it was to put out the right...

This week's guest is Omie Dale. Omie is a young woman who is very busy. She is part of the team at the Black Swimming Association, she is about to become co-host of a local Mental Health Swim, she is a qualified swim coach and lifeguard, and is about to undertake her Outdoor Swim Coach certificate. She's also passionate about outdoor swimming. Omie shares her experiences of growing up in a household where swimming was a valued skill and was non-negotiable in terms of herself and...

Welcome to the latest edition of Swim Wild podcast. This week's guest is Gill, known on social media as Stoma Chameleon. The episode itself is a complete shot of pure joy. If your levels are getting low, this will definitely top them up. Which some people might find surprising, because Gill is talking about her experience of birth trauma that led to her having a permanent stoma. You could be forgiven for thinking that this might be quite a tough, but worthwhile listen. It...

This week's podcast guest is Jacqui.   Based up in the North East, not far from me, Jacqui only took up wild swimming in 2020, but loved it so much, and was so determined to swim trough winter, she set up The Chatter Challenge to help swimmers, new and old, to stay motivated and keep going.   The Chatter Challenge looks likely to become a regular feature amongst existing winter swimming challenges.     Jacqui brings new energy and enthusiasm, an inclusive approach and...

Welcome to the last episode of 2020. This is a small treat for any of you missing your swim buddies. It's a group episode. Katy, Justine and Erica join me to talk about starting wild swimming in 2020 and what a gift it has been in a year of so many losses, both big and small. I hope it conjures the illusion of being surrounded by your swimming friends, laughing and joking after a swim, high on adrenaline. However your year is ending, I hope this at least brings a smile and a small...

This week’s podcast guest is Ed Accura, creator of A Film Called Blacks Can’t Swim and co-founder of the Black Swimming Association. If you aren’t familiar with the statistics in the UK, 95% of Black adults and 80% of Black children don’t swim. 25% of Black children leave primary school unable to swim, and only 1% of Swim England competitive swimmers are Black or mixed race. The reasons why people from Black and other ethnic minority communities can’t or don’t swim are many and...

Welcome to another episode of Swim Wild podcast and this week I'm thrilled to have Emma Duff as my guest. Emma is ordained as a parish priest in the Church of England and our conversation focused quite a lot on the connection for Emma between wild swimming and Christian spirituality.   Whether you have any type of faith or none, I hope you will find the conversation as fascinating as I did. Emma is an honest, thoughtful and generous guest and it was a pleasure to speak to her and...

Welcome to Swim Wild podcast. This week my guest is Ella Foote. In the UK, and beyond, Ella is well known in the wild swimming community, for her work as a freelance journalist, including with Outdoor Swimmer Magazine and with her company Dip Advisor. She is one of the nicest people in wild swimming and it was my pleasure to finally speak to her for the podcast. There is a lot in what we talk about, and you might want to find more information about lots of it, so here are some useful...

This week's podcast guest is Rachael Lee from Oceanbreakers.   She holds the Irish record for a solo English channel crossing and the world record for 3 person North Channel relay. She's got motivation sorted and she is incredibly inspirational. For anyone looking for tips on reaching your swimming goals, this episode is for you. Things we talk about you might want to know more about Portmarnock, Raynaud's syndrome, Sarah Thomas, Lake Zurich marathon swim, North Channel,...

Welcome to the latest episode of Swim Wild podcast. This week I'm speaking to Claudia who is a host of her local Mental Health Swim. During Covid lockdown, it seems as though more people are becoming aware of their own and others' mental health, even more so than before. Wild swimming, if that is still possible where you live based on the rules, can be a real tonic. Something to boost your mood, to get you outdoors, more connected to nature, more connected to others, and really in...

Welcome to Season 4 of the Swim Wild podcast! Welcome back. It's been fabulous having some time off over the summer but it is also good to be back. I'm back with an absolutely brilliant guest. Niamh is perfect to open season 4, with so much reflection, insight and joy in the way she talks about swimming.   I'm sure everyone will get something out of hearing her talk about her experiences and what wild swimming she has been able to do under lockdown. Things we talk about you...

This week's podcast guest is Alice Goodridge, founder of Swim Wild UK and the Scottish Winter Swimming Championships, ice miler, channel swimmer, artist, illustrator and now with a wild swim inspired clothing range. She is an intensely interesting guest, with so many strings to her bow, all fuelled by her passion for wild swimming. Her company Swim Wild, like everything else, had to close during lockdown, but here is an update on what is now possible as lockdown in Scotland...

Welcome to this week's swim wild podcast. My guest this week is Col. A self proclaimed hippy, living a semi nomadic lifestyle, speaking to me from his campervan while he waited for the cross channel ferries to restart, to take him on a wild swimming journey to the Pyrenees. It is a stream of consciousness type of chat, touching on topics such as the benefits of sauna, sleep science, the wisdom of flip flops as hiking footwear and more.

Welcome to the Swim Wild Podcast. This week's guest is Mark. Our conversation is an unapologetic celebration of what we love about wild swimming. Mark is a new convert, and was hooked from the first swim. What I love about this episode is the pure joy, the excitement of swimming outdoors, the addiction to cold water, the appreciation of the newly acquired swim family. You can read Mark's blogs about the Diabetes 22 mile challenge here, here and here. Things we talk about you...

My guest on the podcast this week is Robert. Robert talks about his involvement with Ainsley's Angels - supporting inclusive triathlon. He also explains why marathon swimming made him a better person. It is an uplifting, inspirational and lively episode full of interesting ideas about what wild swimming does for the body and soul. Things we talk about that you might want to know more about Total Immersion, Adam (ocean) Walker

This week's Swim Wild podcast guest is Kathleen. After we spoke, Kathleen shared some more details about the places she swims, so I am sharing her words with you here. Prevelly - this stretch of coastline is different from Cowaramup Bay which is sheltered by the shape of the land and had granite rocks in/ under the water.  Prevelly though, whilst only approx 10km South, has a limestone geology instead and it’s this limestone reef that provides protection from the incoming swell. Great...

Welcome back to Swim Wild podcast. My guest this week is Matt from Soak Up Skye. This episode comes with a slight warning, that, if like many of us, your travel is severely restricted due to coronavirus, this episode will definitely make you want to visit the Isle of Skye - so be warned! Matt runs wild swimming tour on the island, and in his episode he mentions too many places and swim locations to actually mention here. What I would recommend is that when lockdown is lifted and...

Welcome back to Swim Wild podcast - the podcast for anyone who swims outdoors. My guest this week is Sandra Dee Owens. Sandra has cultivated her own philosophy and approach to life which encompasses adventure, the outdoors and movement, and wild swimming, especially through the winter is a key part of this. We talk about motivation, taking control of fear and making it work for you, being on a solo journey with friends and bringing more adventure into life by inviting it...

Welcome to the Swim Wild podcast. This week's guest is Jason, and he is in the unenviable position of having a channel swim crossing scheduled for 4th August, but no guarantee that it will go ahead due to coronavirus. How do you stay focused under such uncertainty? How do you stay fit and acclimatised with pools closed and access to the sea severely restricted? How do you psychologically prepare? All the answers are in the podcast. If you'd like to support the Aspire charity that Jason...

Welcome to another Swim Wild podcast. This week I am speaking to Sally in Orkney about her first season wild swimming. It is a lovely, reflective conversation which took place with the back drop of coronavirus lock down in full force across the UK. This puts into sharp relief what things mean to us and their significance in our lives when they are temporarily, although we don't know how long for, out of our reach. Our realities through this crisis will differ depending on where in...