River and lake swimming

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River and Lake Swimming Association

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Kate Rew on wild swimming (Sunday Times 28/9/08)

'This is the world of outdoor swimming, where rivers, lakes, ponds, coves and even lidos are being rediscovered and celebrated. Advertisement Wild, or outdoor, swimming is quite simply the thing to do this summer. It chimes perfectly with our craving for a simpler, more honest way of life. It's free (or cheap) and fun. It's also deliciously uninhibited: there's something about the silkiness of natural water that almost demands that you strip off your clothes and slide in for a spot of discreet skinny-dipping, however strait-laced your everyday persona. It is cousin to organic food, nephew to slow living and brother to our collective yearning for the wild'
Dont miss Top 50 places to swim outdoors by Adrian Tierney-Jones, published in the Telegraph 9th August 08

Britain's best wild swimming spots in the Times
Wild swimming on the BBC Green website
View the recent BBC Breakfast Show item on wild swimming

Goodbye summer 2008?
Steve and Sally from Stockport on a rare sunny Sunday at Hatchmere [taken by Pete Roberts 21/9/08]

THE IGNORED MAJORITY A recent survey carried out by a consortium of commercial organisations, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the Royal Yachting Association show that outdoor swimming and spending leisure time at the beach are, by far, the most popular water-related leisure activities in the UK. The results, published in a document titled ‘Watersports and Leisure Participation Survey 2006’ (download it) show that 12.35% of UK’s population (5.95million) participated in outdoor swimming and 12.49% (6.01million) participated in spending general leisure time at the beach. Outdoor swimming includes swimming in the sea and inland water both in the UK and abroad. Around 4.1 million swim outdoors in the UK.
Participation in some other popular leisure based watersport and coastal activities. are given as: 2.21% canoeing, 1.09% small sail boat activities, 1.19% motor boating cruising, 1.12% angling (from boats), 2.27% angling (from shore) and 12.21% Coastal walking
Furthermore, participation in outdoor swimming increased by 1.75% (from 10.74% to 12.49% of the population) between 2005 and 2006 – the largest increase of participation in any watersport. By comparison, Spending general leisure time at the beach increased by 0.99%, angling from the shore by 0.34% and canal boating by 0.25%.

The 4.1 million who swim outdoors in the UK average about 7 swims per year thus creating 28,660,840 ‘swimming events’. Of those, 16,915,562 are in the sea and 11,745,278 in inland waters. Swimming constitutes the highest number of inland water events followed by angling from the shore (8,366 783), rowing (3,844,669) and canoeing (3,012,295).

Clearly, whichever way one looks at the figures, swimming outdoors is the most popular UK watersport. It is therefore extraordinary that the activity is, at best, totally ignored by Government bodies, local authorities and other public bodies.

Too cold to swim in English rivers - well, what about Scotland? Those who appose swimming in inland waters often suggest that English lakes and rivers are too cold to swim in safely and so, you might expect that no one would be swimming out-of-doors in Scotland. Yet a recent survey by Scottish National Heritage reveals how many do. A small minority, but not so small as those taking part in several other outdoor activities that are regarded more favourably by the authorities that encourage us to explore and enjoy the countryside. The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 opened up the countryside to walkers and gave a legal right to people to swim, and to explore in non-motorised boats, most of Scotland's rivers, lakes and reservoirs. Scottish Natural Heritage now has a programme of conducting annual surveys of how people use the countryside (see www.snh.org.uk). Unlike similar surveys in England in recent decades, they are not forgetting to ask questions about wild swimming. The results for 2004/05 showed that, as we would expect, walking was by far the most popular outdoor activity; 67% of the sample had been walking during July to September. After that we find, for the same period, 8% had been cycling, 6% had been fishing, and 4% had swam in rivers, seas and lochs. Twice as many people had been swimming than had taken part in all other watersports and four times as many as went horse riding (that local authorities actively promote in their Rights of Way Improvement)!

NEW BOOKS
Don't miss Tom de Castella review of the new books in the Financial Times Click here SWIMHIKING IN THE LAKE DISTRICT AND NORTH EAST ENGLAND By Peter Hayes
Swimhiking is based on a simple idea: instead of leaving your clothes on the shore, take them with you in a swimsac.More...
See also BBC TV item
WILD SWIM By Kate Rew
Wild Swim is a lovely book in all its aspects. Its tone accommodates comedy, glee, beauty, discomfort and hard fact. More...
WILD SWIMMING By Daniel Start
Daniel's book is a 'must have' for seasoned wild swimmers who will be introduced to scores of new magical swimming holes all over the UK. More...

'Look, everyone is out of step except our Johnny!'

There is now little doubt that the attitude of some UK organisation towards swimming in natural water, inland water in particular, is not only unique - it looks increasingly irrational and obsessive.
Take, for example the following extract from the official website of the Yosemite National Park in the States MORE....

The dangers in the water - the lies, damn lies and statistics

'For water safety advice talk to the cool people in swimsuits not to the wet people in grey suits'
[Pete Roberts] Have you ever been bewildered by quoted UK drowning statistics? Warned of catching Weil's disease or of the threat posed by poisonous algae?
Click here to discover how the health and safety merchants manipulate the media.

Extracts from the judgement in the Tomlinson v Congleton BC HSE clarifies scope of 'Blue Book'
Heath ponds court victory Environment Agency clarifies its attitude to swimming

The verdict is unanimous: the H&S Bonkers must be stopped Judges, politicians, those at the helm of the Health and Safety watchdogs, a writer and a scientist (to mention just a few) have voiced their concern over the proliferation of irrational restrictions on recreational activities which has plagued our society in recent years. [Click on the images to read what each celebrity had to say on this issue.]

Libby Purves - writer and radio presenter

So who are the Health and Safety Bonkers? Click here to find out.

Britain's waterside beauty spots still under threat: Click here to find out why RoSPA must be stopped

LIDOS AND SWIMMING POOLS NEWS
The Pooling Resources Group has been set up to help people campaigning for their local pools

Local authorities, concerned at the rising cost of energy, are looking for savings. With every swim costing on average £5, and being subsidised to the tune of £3.30 (so swimmers only pay £1.70 per swim) they are fully justified in doing so. Among proposals being considered are: lowering the temperature, delaying refurbishment plans and even closure of some of the UK's 5,200 pools. There is of course, as our members are very well aware, a much cheaper alternative to heated pools. It just needs to be permitted! Do we really need to tell Richard Caborne the Sports Minister? Surely in hot weather provision for outdoor swimming, perhaps in depth-restricted areas of lakes could be considered. There'd be no heating bill to pay.
Read about the joy of open air pools in Lidos for cool kids published in the Times on June 18, 2007

Click here for links to lido and other media articles.

Campaign to save Broomhill pool
Opened in 1938, Broomhill Open Air Swimming Pool has been central to summer leisure activities for many generations of Ipswichians. The Pool building is one of the most attractive Lido style structures in Britain The pool is the only Olympic sized open air pool in Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex and offers the only 5 metre diving board in the county. In addition to its appeal to recreational swimmers, many local groups have used Broomhill Pool for a wide range of water sports including Live Saving Training, Canoeing and even Dinghy Sailing.
The 1970's and 1980's saw as many as 50-60,000 swimmers use the pool during the 90-100 day opening period, but lack of investment, a steady reduction in opening hours, a reduction in the period of opening and increasing health and safety restrictions have all led to a reduction in the number of swimmers using the pool.
In 2003 the Council took the first step on a path which put the pool under threat of being demolished. The Friends of Broomhill Pool group was set up to safeguard the future of the pool and has so far raised a huge amount of support for saving this unique facility. A nine-months feasibility study is currently in progress (Jan-Sept 2006).
For further details Click here to visit their website
or here to read an article by Sally Wainman publishe on the 999today.com website.

RIVER & LAKE CAMPAIGNS

Black Park Click here

Bury Lake
Following the latest legal clarifications of operators liabilities regarding swimming in open water there is no longer a justification for keeping traditional inland water bathing sites, such as at Bury Lake, Rickmansworth closed to the public. More..

RALSA is an association of clubs & individuals representing wild swimmers. Membership is free and we make no demands. Please join us to show your support[Click here]

Please contact us by emailing to: yacovlev@hotmail.com
Media enquiries: 0151 428 3990 (9 till late) 0793 0810 316(M)
Postal address: 26 Baroncroft Rd. Woolton Liverpool L25 6EH

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