Last Saturday I met up with Wild Swimming brothers Jack and Calum Hudson, along with their friend James Wight from Adventure Uncovered, for an exploratory swim of the River Mole near Esher in Surrey. The original plan was for me to paddle while they swam but then I
discovered my board had a puncture, so I put on a wetsuit and swam with them instead. We spent about three hours in the water, swimming slowly (mostly head-up breaststroke), chatting, laughing and admiring the grand houses along the way. We stopped for a picnic, spoke to people along the way, and added in a short walk to get around a weir. It was great fun, moderately wild, and free, of course. Jack even gave me a copy of his new book, Swim Wild, which we managed to keep dry through the
swim.
One of the great things about river swimming is that you are almost certainly guaranteed an adventure when you set off. You never quite know what's coming up around the next bend, especially if you haven't studied a map in advance. But even the best maps don't give you all the detail. So, pack a drybag with a picnic, set off and see what you
find.
Swim wild and free,
Simon Griffiths
Founder & publisher,
Outdoor Swimmer
p.s. Next week I'm off to BEST Fest (from Monday to Friday). Hopefully see some of you there.
