My book The Tidal Year is out today! As a special thank you to my podcast listeners, I've included a free preview of the prologue and chapter one from the audiobook read by me. Here's more about the book: Freya is still searching. For four years, she's been looking for a way to fill the empty space her brother's death left behind. Ready for another distraction, Freya decides to swim every tidal pool in Britain in a year with her friend Miri. The adventure takes them from a pool hidden in the...

What makes the difference between a bad loser and a good one? Seren Jones tells us as she reflects on her time as a former competitive swimmer and what it means to dream big, and find new challenges along the way. Seren also co-founded the Black Swimming Association. We spoke about the fantastic work they do, swim safety, inclusion and our favourite places for a dip in Wales. Follow: @freybromley #TheTidalYear  @serentljones @blackswimmingassociation Pre-order The Tidal...

Every other breath we take comes from the ocean, so it's important that we look after it! Susanne Masters has great tips for how. This week's guest is plant scientist, ethnobotanist and the author of Wild Waters. We spoke about sustainable harvesting, swimming with seals and the Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim. Follow: @freybromley #TheTidalYear  @mastersmiss Books: Buy Wild Waters: waterstones.com/book/wild-waters/susanne-masters/alice-goodridge/9781839811005 Pre-order The Tidal...

It's hard to capture the joy of swimming in words, let alone art, but Lizzy Stewart somehow manages it. This week's guest is the wonderful illustrator and author of the graphic novel Alison. We spoke about painting pools, Devon's beaches and the connection between creativity and water. Follow: @freybromley #TheTidalYear  @lizzy_stewart Books: Buy Alison: waterstones.com/book/alison/lizzy-stewart/9781788169059 Pre-order The Tidal Year: amazon.co.uk/dp/1399709674/  Hosted on Acast. See...

When was the last time you stopped to notice the plants around you while you swam? This week's guest is Leif Bersweden, botanist and author of Where the Wildflowers Grow. We spoke about aquatic plants, where to find them and how to care for them. Follow: @freybromley #TheTidalYear  @leifbersweden @bsbibotany speciesrecoverytrust.org.uk Books: Buy Where the Wildflowers Grow: amzn.eu/d/dP1mS6W Pre-order The Tidal Year: amazon.co.uk/dp/1399709674/  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...

Let's talk about men's mental health! This week's guest is Tom Mason the co-founder of Blue Balls Cornwall, a cold water swimming group specifically for the men of Cornwall. We spoke about how cold water develops resilience, building a community and tidal pools. Follow: @freybromley #TheTidalYear  @blueballscornwall Pre-order The Tidal Year: amazon.co.uk/dp/1399709674/  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s guest is the author of one of my favourite books of 2021: Small Bodies of Water. Nina’s writing is lyrical and poetic. She blends memoir with powerful writing on the natural world. I’m not the only one who thinks so as she’s the winner of the Nan Shepherd Prize. We spoke about nature writing in multiple languages, pools from our childhood and transitioning through the seasons by swimming. Oh and the bird we’ve spotted at Hampstead Ponds is a Mandarin duck!  Our chat becomes a...

This week’s guest is the author of Lido, a stunning book that celebrates the history, design and social aspects of outdoor pools. I spoke to Christopher about the three-acts of lido history, pioneering female swimmers and how booking your lido slot is like trying to get Glastonbury tickets! Follow: @freybromley #TheTidalYear @christopherbeanland You can buy Lido wherever you normally get your books. Pre-order The Tidal Year: amazon.co.uk/dp/1399709674/ Thanks to this episode’s sponsor...

What happens when you match over 5,000 years of ancestral wisdom with cutting edge science? The first at-home smart ice bath and cold water therapy app is created! This week’s guest is Monk's founder, Laura Fullerton. We chatted Hipocrates, the history of the spa and the amount of information we’re bombarded with each day.  This episode was recording in October 2022. People mentioned in this episode: Wim Hof  daveasprey.com bengreenfieldlife.com drbrighten.com Max Lugavere and Alicia...

This episode is with British photographic artist Mark Vessey. He lives in Brighton and sea swimming has been a big part of his journey with both creativity and sobriety. We talked about coming out, collecting things, being an outsider and how swimming in cold water feels like a hug.  Follow: @freybromley #TheTidalYear  @mark_vessey Explore Mark’s artwork: markvessey.com  Pre-order The Tidal Year: amazon.co.uk/dp/1399709674/  Thanks to this episode’s sponsor TRIHARD. Say goodbye to chlorine...

Welcome back! I'm delighted to kick off a new series with a very special swimmer. Jessica Hepburn is an adventure activist and the author of 21 Miles.  After a decade of trying to become a mother Jessica Hepburn stopped her fertility journey and decided to swim the English Channel. As the training began, she learned you need to put on weight to stave off the cold so Jessica decided she would meet and eat with inspiring women to answer the question: does motherhood make you happy? In this...

It’s the finale of Series 1! In 1988 Tom Gregory swam the English Channel. And he was only 11 years old! He was the youngest person in history to complete the 32 mile swim and as regulations have changed since then, it’s a record that will never be broken.  A Boy in the Water is a heartwarming memoir about his experience. In this episode, we spoke about adventures with his swimming club, endurance swimming at such a young age, the coach who guided him through it all and the impact he had on...

Cleveland Pools is Britain’s oldest lido dating back over 200 years. It’s set to open once again! Restoration to make the facility fit for the future has started and they’re working to create a unique open-air public swimming pool in Bath, with the energy for heating the water coming from heat pumps in the adjacent river. In this episode I chat to project director Anna Baker. We spoke about Anna’s work, the history of the lido and the power of community action to make a heritage project like...

Outdoor Swimmer is the only magazine dedicated to open water swimming in all its forms. They share inspiring swimming stories from triathlons to first dips! In this episode I chat to the magazine’s founder Simon Griffiths. We spoke about his earliest memories swimming, competing in triathlons and of course his journey to founding the magazine.  Follow: @freybromley #TheTidalYear @outdoorswimmer  You can explore the magazine and buy a subscription at www.outdoorswimmer.com See...

Cathy Rentzenbrink is the bestselling author of The Last Act of Love, A Manual for Heartache, Dear Reader and her latest novel, Everyone is Still Alive. Cathy swims in the sea near her home in Cornwall (including a new tradition of a publication day swim) and is hoping to start swimming all year around. We chat about that and lots more about swimming, as well as its connection to the creative process. This episode also touches on grief and how life is about accumulating experiences, both good...

Does a week of wild swimming and yoga in Cornwall sound like bliss to you? Well, that’s what Lauren Biddulph thought when she founded The Salt Sisterhood, a women’s wild swimming retreat based in Cornwall.  Lauren has a moving story to tell about the power of swimming and its ability to bring people together and forge female friendships. In this episode, we spoke about banishing negative self talk, how we can not just accept that there’s light and dark in life, but also lean into it. And how...

Nathaniel Cole is a writer, workshop facilitator and co-founder of the inner city swimming club Swim Dem Crew. They hold weekly sessions for people to become better swimmers. Much of what Swim Dem Crew do is about personal development and self-affirmation, using swimming as a tool to empower people and make the sport more inclusive.  In this episode, we spoke about Swim Dem Crew’s work and explored topics including masculinity, inclusion, how the confidence people gain from swimming can...

Marika Hackman is a singer-songwriter and regular at London Fields Lido. Part of her creative process, including when writing her most recent albums Any Human Friend and Covers, is walking along the canal listening to early demos before a reflective swim at the lido. In this episode, we spoke about all the things we love about swimming: that feeling of being hugged by liquid, how joyous it is to see people exercising self-love and the body positivity of getting a glimpse of body hair in the...

Have you ever dreamed of swimming in the Thames? Well, this week's guest is trying to make it happen! Chris Romer-Lee is co-founder of architects Studio Octopi and a regular swimmer at the Serpentine Lido in London. He’s also the CEO of Thames Baths, a project which has proposed a floating lido on the Thames. The design has received plenty of public support (including none other than artist Tracey Emin) as well as a successful crowdfunding campaign.  Chris is also involved in many new...

Jessica J. Lee is the author of one of my favourite swimming books, Turning. When she was 28, Jessica found herself heartbroken in Berlin where she was completing a PhD in Environmental History. In search of courage, she decided to swim fifty-two of the lakes around Berlin, no matter what the weather or season. Turning is a stunning memoir about that experience.  In this episode, we look back on her adventure in Berlin (including an encounter with some nude winter swimmers yielding an ice...

Calum, Robbie and Jack Hudson are The Wild Swimming Brothers. Together, they went on a 9-day adventure to swim from the source of the River Eden to its mouth in the Solway Firth near their childhood home. After such a transformative endurance swim, they decided they wouldn't stop there and embarked on more world-first swims including swimming across terrifying maelstroms in Norway, Scotland and the Arctic Circle.  In this episode, I chat to Calum and Robbie about reconnecting with childhood...

Are you searching for a podcast that brings together nature and storytelling? The Tidal Year is a series about the joy of swimming! Meet Freya Bromley, a writer and wild swimmer who’s interested in the human stories behind why we swim. Each week, she’ll be joined by a guest who shares what water means to them. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.