People have always swum outdoors. In fact, the indoor pool is a modern invention - but in recent years, wild swimming has had a renaissance. Kate Rew is one of the people spearheading the revolution. In 2006, she set up The Outdoor Swimming Society (OSS), which has since expanded from 300 to over 100,000 members. What are the signs that you should get out of cold water, especially if the adrenaline is masking signs? If you’re unwilling to drop a lot of money on a wetsuit, there’s always the option of using a wetsuit rental company to try out more expensive models, or to buy second-hand. 3. Be the type of swimmer you would like to be Rew suggests several reasons why this might be - freedom from gravity, immersion in nature - but at the end of the day, she doesn’t want to over-analyse it. Kate Rew, founder of the Outdoor Swimming Society. Photo: Finisterre Microadventure

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The Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook is an accessible, knowledgeable guide to outdoor swimming. It is a brilliant balancing act between practical tips and a passion for the open water. Best of all, it emphasises the sport’s inclusivity; everyone, regardless of age or ability, is encouraged to try outdoor swimming. After you’ve finished reading it, you’ll be inspired to take the plunge too. Through the lenses of community, the environment and mental health, Toes in the Water is a collection of inspiring stories exploring why the underwater world can have such a profound impact on people. Kate Rew is the founder of the Outdoor Swimming Society and has established three iconic open water events - Dart10K, Swoosh and Hurly Burly - and spearheaded an international resurgence in swimming outdoors. Dive into the wonders of the popular nature-meets-wellbeing sport with Kate as she brings together the art, sport and science of being an outdoor swimmer and shares everything you need to know to enjoy swims in the wild. It’s important to be aware of the fact that you are going to be much colder ten minutes after you get out of the water than you are in it, so err on the side of caution. If you don’t feel cold at all when you get out, that simply means you can stay in for longer next time. Features, Conservation, Greece, Rewilding, Case Studies How Hiking is Helping Wild Brown Bears in the Mountains of GreeceDani is Much Better Adventures' Deputy Editor and the author of a novel, the Arctic Curry Club. She's interested in helping everyone find their inner adventurer, despite obstacles they encounter. There's something about a swim that's so freeing and so resetting," Kate says. "It makes life technicolour and it makes emotions resolve themselves without overthinking.” While the fear of being grabbed by a monster and pulled underwater while swimming might sound laughable on dry land, when you’re swimming across a cloudy lake, it’s far more pervasive. According to Kate, this fear doesn’t go away, but the anxiety can be managed. Swimming with your head up helps prevent fear of deep water. Photo: Getty. Some people find it deeply unpleasant [...] These people happily hang up their trunks after the summer and won’t be seen again until May,” she explains.

The Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook - Outdoor Swimming Society

Kate is keen to stress the fact that outdoor swimming isn’t a risk-free activity, and the risk is determined predominantly by the level of knowledge and ability of the swimmer. The handbook is a fascinating compendium of knowledge that Kate has acquired over the past 16 years. Outdoor swimming, she explains, is a largely oral tradition, with one person passing on their knowledge and expertise to another. I'm absolutely crap at cold. People expect, because I run the Outdoor Swimming Society, that I'm going to be tough as nails, so I find it really difficult to admit I need to get out when other people can stay in.” 2. You don't need lots of expensive kit For some dips, all you really need is a swimming costume! Photo: Liz Seabrook There is this statistic of only 3% of inland water being legally accessible, which is a bit questionable. A lot of those places, people have been swimming for years and if you were to swim there and bump into landowners or other swimmers, they wouldn’t even be aware that technically they’re not allowed to swim. That’s the case in Sheffield, we have three spots where we assumed we were allowed to swim – even the council thought so. Then I looked into it and you’re not. It goes to show that even where we have the right to roam through walking, that access stops at water. A lot of people don’t realise that – I didn’t realise it for a long time. There’s a big issue, but it doesn’t mean to say you’ll have finger wagging and tutting and shouting as that’s quite rare, but it’s still not good enough when we need equal access and people need to feel they have a right to be there. Is it safe to swim in reservoirs? If it's your first plunge, do what you feel comfortable with. It really does depend on your biology, the exact temperature of the water, the air temperature,” Kate says.Calum: “If you’ve just started swimming, get out while you’re still enjoying it and keep it super short. Habituation to cold water is something that takes quite a long time, it can take a few swims or weeks and months. In winter, when wearing a wetsuit, I will notice that my pinkie goes wandering and won’t connect up with the rest of my hand. That’s a sure sign I need to get out, it’s to do with the cooling of a nerve in your arm. If I”m not wearing a wetsuit, I’d be getting out before that kind of time. Learn about your body over time, you might understand the signs better. Cold showers can be useful to see how cold feels, but it’s not the same as immersion.” Does it matter if you’re a weaker swimmer and poor at front crawl? I wouldn't look over your shoulder at what everyone else is doing. They might have swum all winter, they might have a completely different body mass or physiology to you - just do what feels good to you,” Kate explains. Kate: “Reluctantly. Among OSS members, I’m known for not being very good at cold, but I just can’t miss my swimming. I’ve been trying to work on building up my internal fire before getting in and I have a new qigong routine to help with that. I like to get in, put my hands in, dab water on my cheeks, my chest, and all the places that might make me gasp, then one big exhale and the path is set: I’m getting in.”

The Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook Book Club: Kate Rew - The Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook

One of the most lyrically written chapters is ‘Understanding Cold’, which we anticipate will be of particular interest to readers in this era of Wim Hof mania. We're ruining so many things by over-analysing them in life, maybe we should just let swimming be something lovely. The most powerful thing is probably to go for a swim and see how you feel,” she says. Finding 300 people with the same desire to swim In. A. Lake. drew gasps of surprise and column inches from everywhere in Britain,” she writes in her new book The Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook, describing one of the society's first events at Windermere. The United Kingdom is not renowned for its sunny weather, which means that outdoor swimmers are going to be immersing themselves in cold water for most of the year. As Kate explains in The Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook, “British outdoor swimmers have to embrace 12 to 16°C as their home territory - from May to October, this is the river temperature in the UK.”Through her profound creativity and enthusiasm, Rew’s efforts and publications have literally encouraged, guided, and inspired millions of people – first starting in the UK and then expanding globally – to take to the open water.