Product Description

In this stunning and inspiring guide, Kate Rew, founder of the Outdoor Swimming Society, takes you on a wild journey across Britain, braving the elements to experience first-hand some of the most awe-inspiring corners of the landscape. From waterfalls and natural jacuzzis to sea caves and meandering rivers - every swim is described in loving detail, taking in the humor and glee of each mini-adventure and the breathtaking beauty of the surroundings as well as practical details about location and advice on swimming technique. With over 300 swim spots, it contains something to suit every kind of swimmer, from a five-year-old in water-wings to a seasoned cold-water connoisseur, or a rough and ready camper to a lazy-hazy summer picnicker. Beautifully photographed by Dominick Tyler, and with a fully comprehensive map, "Wild Swim" is the definitive guide to outdoor swimming in Britain from the Outer Hebrides to the Isles of Scilly and everywhere in between.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #955 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-16
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

From the Back Cover
In this stunning and inspiring guide, Katy Rew, founder of the Outdoor Swimming Society, takes you on a wild journey across Britain, braving the elements to experience first-hand some of the country's most awe-inspiring swim spots, from tidal pools in the Outer Hebrides to the white-sand beaches of the Isles of Scilly.
Waterfalls, natural jacuzzis, sea caves, meandering rivers - every swim is described in loving detail, taking in not only the gleeful humour of each mini-adventure and the breathtaking beauty of the surroundings, but also practical information about how to find these remote spots.
Beautifully photographed by Dominick Tyler, and with a fully comprehensive map, Wild Swim is the definitive guide to outdoor swimming in Britain.
'A practical guide to pools and beauty spots combined with imagery that perfectly captures the freshness and freedom of elemental swimming.' Charlotte Ross, Evening Standard
'Written in the freewheeling spirit of the late Roger Deakin...it is both a taster and a spur, passing on the news of places to swim in your neck of the woods and also tempting you to travel to places further afield.' Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday
'Brilliantly informative, poetically descriptive and beautifully photographed, this outdoor swimming guide will be loved by both intrepid adventurers and coffee-table fantasists alike.' Easy Living

About the Author
Kate Rew is the founder of the Outdoor Swimming Society and a journalist who regularly contributes to the Guardian and the Observer. Dominick Tyler is a documentary photographer whose work has appeared in the Guardian, the Independent and the Mail on Sunday.

Customer Reviews

A delight
Kate Rew, founder of The Outdoor Swimming Society, and her team have put together a beautiful book. It combines coffee-table weight and quality with a genuine and infectious enthusiasm for swimming miles away from the chlorine and concrete of a typical municipal pool.

Having said that, of the 307 sites listed (108 described in detail), 106 (including the Serpentine) are lidos or similar. It could be argued that this is a high proportion for a book titled "Wild Swim", but even if you do not care for regulated swimming that still leaves you over 200 truly wild spots.

The book is illustrated throughout with professional-quality photographs. These tend to be arty rather than informative, but they do achieve what is no doubt the main aim of the book: To make you want to get out there and get wet. And it is probably more important to create and encourage that desire than it is to select a particular swimming destination.

The text is as good as the photography. Often the author comes across locals who have been swimming at a spot for years. She chats engagingly about the people she meets. Each conversational snippet gives us either something about the location or perhaps a new way off thinking about wild swimming. Kate is good at the little personal touches that can describe a place better than a more prosaic style.

Sample text from an old favourite of mine (Farleigh Hungerford AKA Stowford Manor Farm in Wiltshire):
After a swim you can amble barefoot up to Peter's farm for a cream tea surrounded by trailing pink roses. "Sorry no milk for a few days as the cow's had antibiotics" says a sign on the fridge.

Don't know if they still sell raw milk from that fridge - they did last time I was there. It tasted good and had a surprisingly yellow tint. The farmer - I thought his name was Philip not Peter - explained to us that this was usually the case in the spring when his cows were munching grass at its greenest.

There is only one map in the book, a double-page outline of Great Britain with the 307 sites marked numerically in coloured blobs - blue for sea or tidal pool, green for river or estuary, red for lake pond or tarn, orange for lido. The book itself is divided into these categories. I should have preferred the book arranged by region. This would save a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between the national map and the site description pages. Lidos, Tidal Pools, Triathlon Training Sites and "Festive Swims" are however each sub-listed by shire in an appendix. But Rivers and Lakes are not. Eh?

Some of the locations have OS grid references and/or post-codes listed for them, some do not. Maybe it is the harder-to-find sites that have the grids, you would need to spend a few years visiting the sites from the book's directions before you could say for sure. Meanwhile I should be inclined to trust to Kate Rew's judgement.

I am biased as I like maps, but I do feel some small location maps would have been helpful. After all, there is a fair bit of white space in the book. OS-style would have been best, but maybe that would have incurred licensing fees. I feel the book is not really complete in itself as a guide to swimming sites. You ideally also need a good collection of OS maps and/or access to googlemaps.

I almost gave the book 4 stars not 5 because of this lack of maps. But because the book is so good in every other way, I am happy to give it 5.

You will no doubt be also considering Daniel Start's "Wild Swimming". Briefly, Kate's book is bigger than Dan's (though has fewer pages), is hardback not paperback, has more professional photography. And yet at £11.24 compared to £14.20 is cheaper (or was when I purchased, prices do change on Amazon of course). Dan's book feels more amateurish, albeit charmingly so, with photos that remind you of your all-time favourite snaps of friends or family splashing about having fun. This does however help natural joy to shine forth from Dan Start's book.

I bought both books in one go to get over Amazon's £15 free postage hurdle, and am glad I did. I am happy to own both and look forward to many summers of fun. But if you buy only one of the two, Kate Rew's Wild Swim is better value.

Descriptive genius.....now where did I leave my goggles?
"Wild Swim" is a must have book for water lovers everywhere!

If you love the outdoor life and have a sense of adventure, you will discover many stunning swimming spots that will inspire you and make you feel alive. If, on the other hand you prefer a more sedentary lifestyle, the book is worth having simply to enjoy Kate Rew's beautiful descriptions and amusing anecdotes of her trips around the UK in search of the perfect swim.

Dominick Tyler's photography is stunning and compliments the text well, inspiring the reader to dig out the goggles (togs optional) and get out there. Unlike most guide books this one really is worth reading cover to cover.

A great book
Having read all the previous reviews there is little left for me to add. This is a marvellous achievement and a great contribution towards making open water swimming accepted in the UK as, indeed it is everywhere else in the world. Congratulations to Kate for flowing (sorry..) text and to Dominick for some stunning photography