Wild Swimming

Wild Swimming

Definition: noun
  • the practice or activity of swimming for pleasure in natural waters, typically rivers and lakes.

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    This unique book puts flesh on the bones of British history, exposing for the first time the dramatic impact that wild swimming has had on British culture and morals. It explores the reason for a change in attitudes that has shaped the lives of every man woman and child in Great Britain and to varying degrees the world.

    Wild swimming History Hung Out to Dry Swimming and British Culture
    2,000 Remarkable Years - British Swimming History

    Chris Ayriss - ISBN 978-0-557-12428-2

    wild swimming

    Chris Ayriss: a family man and swimming enthusiast presents his work after a decade of research and discovery. His book fills the conspicious gap in understanding that envelops this controversial and thought provoking subject.

    Wild swimming

    In Britain outdoor (wild swimming) was once so common and accepted, that happy swimmers filled the lakes, rivers and canals of England. The British set an example to be followed by the world. How then did these sportsmen, the pride of the nation, find themselves chased out of the water, rounded up and confined to indoor swimming pools? Discover how pride turned to prejudice as a nation of skinny dippers sparked the development of the unique British culture of prudery. Discover  how the Church, the seaside holiday, sunbathing and  even the lido shared in changing our culture and daily lives. Visit the city of Leicester Swim City, where the  wild swimmers history is revealed and discover how wild swimming is now re-emerging against the odds.


    'Hung Out To Dry is a serious work of dogged research, personal experience and an insightful indictment of our times where to have water fun is now so regulated that it will cease to be fun at all! Read this book and wake up to what has happened to the English.'

    Roger Hutchinson 
    wild swimming: Wild Swimming history: river swimming- lake swimming - lido swimming - sea swimming - swimming history - British Culture

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    Even before the late Roger Deakin published his book Waterlog, I was researching and writing Hung Out to Dry. Due to the abundance of swimming restrictions in my home city of Leicester, I was determined to find out why outdoor swimmer (wild swimmers) came in for so much prejudice. My journey has not been easy; hampered by dyslexia and having no computer skills whatsoever, the process of researching and writing a book seemed a formidable task. Finding a publisher was the next obstacle; most felt that a lack of interest in such a specialized subject would make the project unfeasible. Yet even when an offer to publish was secured, the cost of reproducing the photographs, many of which come from the Hulton Getty collection, meant that I would be out of pocket to the tune of thousands of pounds even if the book sold well. In the end I decided to do it all myself, and Hung Out to Dry is now finally in print. 

    Wild swimming in the Grand Union Canal Leicester. Wild Swimming history: river - lake - lido - sea - history

    Today wild swimming is making a comeback. Yacov Lev and Rob Fryer launched the River and Lake Swimming Association and have been championing the cause on the internet. Swimming guide books such as wild swimming by Daniel Start and Wild Swim by Kate Rew (founder of the Outdoor Swimming Society) are helping to change people's perception of swimming in the great outdoors. Hung Out to Dry records the 2000 year history of the wild swimmer. I hope that through its publication readers will gain a deeper understanding of our rich culture. More importantly I trust that you will be tempted to look again at our rich and varied landscape and enjoy its pleasures by swimming in the water itself rather than just walking along its edge.

    The hidden history of
    British Wild Swimming in rivers, lakes, lidos and the sea.