This is a wonderful – in the old sense of that term – and joyful romp of a book. Roger Deakin would have approved. Dive in.” I am super excited to have been able to group it all together in what I hope is a really accessible, beautiful fun to read book. It’s a very poetic kind of handbook, with beautiful community photography (thanks to all the contributors!) and illustrated field guides. So many swimmers have helped create this movement and form and articulate this knowledge over the years – may it help make water accessible to millions more.’ The hat will keep you visible, which will help keep you safe. A tow float - basically a lightweight inflated bag - performs the same function, although Kate doesn’t believe they’re necessary if you plan on staying close to shore. Goggles are also important if you’d like to swim with your face in the water. Kate recommends tinted ones for sunny days and clear ones for overcast days. Night Swimming’ is a love letter to “the hour of the day when colours fall out of the world, day slips into the water, and a rich inky-blue night slides in, bringing with it a stillness, a quietness.” From practical pointers - such as how to be more visible in the water to poetic descriptions of moon bathing and bioluminescence, it’s pretty much guaranteed to inspire you to hit the water after dark. Owen: “I don’t even do front crawl, so I hope not! Just do whatever you want – dance like no one’s watching. As long as your head is above water and you can breathe, do what you like. I do a bit of breaststroke, but a bit strange with one arm over here and the other over there, and I do side stroke as well. It’s just whatever’s most comfortable, not all of us are doing mammoth swims. Make it your own, this is not a race, Get into two foot of water and sit down, if you want. I do that a lot of the time.” Does anything bug you about how outdoor swimming is portrayed?

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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. Kate has several strategies for dealing with it. One of them is making sure you have someone swimming with you. Another is counting strokes, and focussing on the feeling of the water against her hands. 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.Water quality has been in the news a lot. Is that something that swimmers need to be aware of before they get in the water? On 16 October world-famous athletes Dame Kelly Holmes, Sir Chris Hoy and Ross Edgley will embark on a ‘Tri for the Sea’, to raise awareness for Talisker’s ongoing marine conservation with Parley for the Oceans Between now and then our community has shared adventure and misadventure, philosophy and practical tips, as we have discovered and articulated what we need to know to swim in lakes, rivers and seas, from how to read weather to how to survive cold. Now Kate has wrapped this collective knowledge on the art, sport and science of swimming in a new book, The Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook (Rider, also available signed in The OSS Shop).

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It’s arguably the thought of that cold water that prevents people taking the plunge, especially on a cloudy day. But Kate has plenty of strategies for coping with the cold. Learn how to handle the fear of deep water Many swimmers have a "fear of the deep", especially on dull days. Photo: Getty. This includes making the choice of how many people you would like to swim with. Although much of the media coverage of wild swimming shows large groups of people, it’s perfectly okay if you prefer going out alone, or with one other person.One of the best-kept secrets in Greece is its brown bear population! We speak to Callisto, a conservation NGO working in the Pindos Mountains, about the fascinating brown bears in Greece Kate: “Word of mouth is good, there’s a lot on the media now about swimming spots, guidebooks, lots of wild swim groups as well. So it’s really easy these days just using Google. I would add there is no such thing as a safe swim spot, only a safe swimmer. So it’s really important that you consider what your own swimming ability is. The guides you find online are guides, but you really have to think about it when you get there and assess if for yourself, and take responsibility for yourself. Think about cold – it’s much easier to start swimming in summer. We’ve got this situation that I don’t think anyone in the OSS would have predicted of people starting swimming in the midwinter. Normally people build up to it with a few years of summer swimming.” This is like an overheard catch up of everything that’s been learnt and experienced in the last 16 years of The OSS,’ says Kate, ‘everything that we, as a community, have learnt about understanding rivers, lakes, sea, about the physiology of cold, planning swims, night swims, and how to swim better.

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The Channel More team’s swim took place after months of training with Professor Greg Whyte to get the participants, all of whom had no sea swimming experience, ready for the swim of their lives in the English Channel 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. There is a perception that you need lots of kit when getting started with wild swimming - in particular, the much maligned Dryrobe. This is not necessarily true.

Kate Rew is the Founder of The Outdoor Swimming Society and author of The Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook (Rider) and Wild Swim (Faber), (both also available signed in The OSS Shop). On insta: kate_rew. 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. What drives all this? Passion. Almost by definition outdoor swimmers are both fiercely independent and free-spirited, so making a community out of ourselves is somewhat of a challenge. We are a society of people who don’t follow, a tribe of non-joiners, but one thing many of us share alongside a love of water is the desire to share our finds, questions and experiences. 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.