What does swimming mean to you? In this strange year, how has swimming outdoors been important to you? We want to hear your swimming story – whether it's a lockdown swim in a wheelie bin, your first post-lockdown dip or if this year has been your first foray into swimming outdoors. Your story will become part of a short film celebrating our outdoor swimming community screened at the Outdoor Swimming Session at the Kendal Mountain Festival. Whatever your story, share what swimming means to you. 

10 days of films, live-streamed events, literature, free talks and more – including the Outdoor Swimming Session presented by Outdoor Swimmer Magazine. Join us for an exhilarating journey through rivers, lakes and the sea, as seen through the goggles of swimmers from around the world. 

Presented by Swimming coach, FINA Open Water correspondent and inductee of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, Colin Hill, we will be joined both in studio and via Zoom by elite open water swimmers, environmental campaigners and incredible marathon swimmers – plus we will be showing a collection of amazing swimming related films.

Guests include Team GB marathon swimmer and co-founder of the Black Swimming Association, Alice Dearing; Guinness World Record holding ultramarathon and ice swimmer, Jaimie Monahan; environmental campaigner 'Wild Welsh Swimmer' Laura Sanderson in conversation with Ella Foote; and swimmers from The Gorée Project, a sports-based cultural exchange preparing swimmers for a 3.5 mile swim following a slave route in Senegal. 

Save 20% on event tickets and Festival passes with the code OutdoorSwimmer20.