Wild Current

Gather at the top gate twenty minutes before entry so we can pair up and walk down together. One slow 400m loop, hugging the near bank where the flow is softest.

• Tow float on every swimmer, no exceptions.
• Two spotters stay dry and walk the bank.
• Flasks and dry robes wait on the shingle, not in the car.

Runs all year · shortened below 8°C

Standing depth only. The point is breath control, not distance — we wade to the chest, settle the breathing for ten minutes, then warm up on the bank.

Head torches from October onward. We leave before full dark.

Best first session for new swimmers

Thirty minutes before either regular session, one of the spotters walks newcomers through the entry: where the shelf drops, how to read the gravel underfoot, and how to leave the water calmly.

No swim required. Plenty of people stand in the shallows the first time and come back the following week.

Say hello at the gate · no sign-up

Through the cold months we mark two swims a month in the shared logbook — date, water reading, how long each of us stayed in, and one line about how it felt.

Entry is skins only and strictly time-capped. The book lives in the shed and anyone who swims can write in it.

Dates posted here each Monday

We throw a stick from the gate and count how long it takes to pass the second marker. Slower than a walking pace, we swim. Faster, we stand in the shallows instead.

• Brown water after rain means debris, not just speed.
• A smooth, glassy strip usually hides the fastest channel.
• If two people read it differently, we trust the cautious one.

One reading is taken at the entry point before every session, at knee depth, and written on the board in the shed alongside the air temperature.

The gap between air and water matters more than either number. A warm morning over cold water is where people misjudge their time in.

Current reading · 11°C at Ravensbeck

Dry the top half first, then layers from the head down, then something warm to hold. Hot showers come much later, once the shivering has settled.

• Hat and gloves before trousers — heat leaves from the extremities.
• Keep moving gently on the bank for ten minutes.
• Nobody drives until they have finished their flask.

Borrow before you buy. There are spare floats and a few pairs of boots in the shed, and most of us started with a towel and an old jumper.

• Bright swim cap and a tow float.
• Neoprene boots and gloves below 12°C.
• Two warm layers, a hat, and dry socks in a bag.
• A flask of something hot, filled before you leave home.

• Tell your buddy your plan before you enter, and stick to it.
• Leave the water earlier than you think you need to.
• Park on the hardstanding and close the gate behind you.
• Keep voices low at dawn — people live along the lane.
• Carry out everything, including other people's litter.
• Never pressure anyone to stay in longer.