Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail
21st March 2020
Water-mazing Experience
Amid all the chaos and uncertainty this week, I spent my birthday in the most wonderful way, wild swimming in a freshwater lake. I have been a fan of swimming outdoors since I was a kid and long before it became a ‘thing’. It wasn’t ‘wild swimming’ then, it was just swimming outdoors – wherever you could!
Wild swimming specialist, Angela Jones agrees. She said, “It is called wild swimming, but to me that means swimming with wildlife. It is so beautiful but equally important for us to respect that it is the habitat for wildlife and not just entertainment for us.”
Angela is one of the most remarkable women I have ever met. Her physical strength is easy to spot but her other strengths go so much deeper. As she watched me walk over to the lake she was naturally evaluating my postural strengths and weaknesses, as that enables her to help her clients get the best from her exceptional outdoor training methods. The international athlete and triathlete’s accolades are too numerous to mention and she has built a truly incredible skill set of awareness, expertise and empathy, resulting in remarkable results for her clients.
Whilst I had arranged to meet up with her to progress my ‘wild swimming’ to include the colder months and to be safe doing so, I was soon learning far more than I ever imagined about physiology, fun and overcoming fear. At a time where fear seems to be taking over the world, conquering your own personal fears step-by-step is such an important way to get the most out of your life.
Be Safe
Wild swimming is one of the fastest growing sports and as always with speed, it is all too easy to overlook the safety elements. Nature doesn’t suffer fools.
The water we were swimming in last week was a bracing 5 degrees – cold enough to be considered ‘ice swimming’ and cold enough to possibly kill you if you just jumped in. Having taking my temperature with a forehead thermometer before we got into the water, (and using an oxymeter to measure my pulse and oxygen levels) Angela was constantly assessing my demeanor as we swam. When we got out of the lake and changed into waiting warm dry clothes quickly, she asked if I felt cold. “Not too bad,” I replied honestly, not heroically. She took my temperature again and suggested some ‘energetic shaking’.
Later she admitted that I had been ‘very cold’ but if she had told me I could have panicked. Had I been on my own and either stayed in the water a bit longer or not warmed up with some ‘special shaking’ I could have been in big trouble.
And that’s why I chose to spend time with her and learn. We need to take responsibility for ourselves and be the safest we can be, and that means listening to an expert even in the realms of recreation.
Mostly S’Women
As well as wild swimming – interestingly 80% of Angela’s clients are women – Angela runs all sorts of outdoor-based activity courses and one-to-one training with the emphasis being on keeping safe and loving what you do. It is an amazing way to build confidence – no boot camps or beastings, just pure love of the countryside and how to be kind to it, and yourself, to get the most from it.
Of course, not all outdoor water is safe to swim in. A pool which is popular with locals, particularly in the summer, had a dead horse in it last year, sewerage does flow into the rivers in places and all the recent rain we have had has resulted in chemicals being washed out of the ground into the water courses.
Angela’s second home is the River Wye (and she has a book coming out soon sharing her adventures and advice), but due to the recent heavy rains we swam in a fresh water lake, thanks to Jeff at Broadstone Park. As well as being fed by several springs, it had the reassuring margins of bulrushes, which also help filter water and lots of watercress, which will only grow in fresh moving water. My skin felt amazing afterwards as did the rest of me.
Wild swimming is a nature-lover’s dream, and all nature lovers will know that wildlife isn’t just curtailed to daylight. Angela runs night swims and night kayaking, which will take you into a whole new realm of wildlife wonders – and fear management. And yes, that’s next on my list and I won’t be waiting until my next birthday either!
Be Happy
I have always noticed that out in nature it is natural and organic to open up and share thoughts with people in a way that you be less likely to do in a built up, peopley environment. Marvelling at her zest for life I asked Angela if she had ever been depressed – did she even know what it was like?
“Of course I have. Everyone has.” Was her astonishingly refreshing reply. “It’s not about avoiding those feelings, it’s about how you manage them, so you can enjoy life.”
Facilitating mindfulness, survival skills, fitness, emotional wellbeing, and just how to love life and everything that you need in order to do that, she has just contributed to a documentary called ‘Loving Life’. When we hear someone band the ‘loving life’ accolade around there is a tendency to think ‘lucky them’ but there are steps you can take, methods to use, to do just that. You don’t have to wait to get lucky, you can work at it. In times of such craziness, self centeredness and fear, as always I recommend spending time in nature but if you want to turbo boost your progress then spend time in nature with Angela.
You can find out more about her and the experiences she offers at www.run-wild.co.uk and/or follow her on Facebook
Another fascinating read Lynne. Though wild swimming has never been my thing I am enthralled by it now and eager to find out more about it. Thank you for continuing to write your always interesting blogs.