You’d have to be living on Mars – or the outback – not to notice the leap in popularity in forest bathing, wild or open-water swimming in the past few years.
News reports, magazines and social media have been immersed with images of people striding into lakes, rivers and the sea for a bracing dip, even in the middle of winter.
The Outdoor Swimming Society saw a 36 per cent membership leap in 2020. While part of the interest can be put down to the Covid-19 pandemic, when indoor pools were closed, the practise of open water swimming has been increasing for years.
In Dorset, which is blessed with what is probably the UK’s most beloved coastal feature – Durdle Door – there are plenty of amazing spots and now these, and the walks people can take to visit them, are the subject of a new book in the Wild Swimming Walks series.
Written by Sophie Pierce and Matt Newbury, the book reveals 28 coastal, lake and river wild swims in Dorset and East Devon. Written in a conversational style, it helps readers to find the kind of walk and swim which best suits them and their abilities, as well as adding plenty of useful local tips and fascinating facts.

There are walks in the Frome Valley, walks in which incorporate ancient sites, such as Hod Hill and walks which take you to Corfe Castle and the Green Pool.
If you prefer a seaside amble, then check out the Arne Peninsula Circular which, say the authors, ‘will make you feel like a castaway’ and the far more taxing trip to Chapman’s Pool and Dancing Ledge, the man-made sea pool thought to be the inspiration for the one in Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers.
Here are three of the book’s walks:

• Walk 18: Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door Circular
This ‘energetic but endlessly rewarding walk’ takes in what is arguably Britain’s most famous geographical feature and the unofficial symbol of Dorset.
The 6.5-mile hike can start with a swim at Lulworth cove whose white stones ‘give a Mediterranean feel’ and continues with a hike over Hanbury Tout. Go through a field, past Scratchy Bottom to join the South West coast Path at West Bottom. The walk takes you up and down steep hills, past Bat’s Head and Swyre Head, and eventually to Durdle Door where, says the book, ‘a swim through the arch is a magical thing to do’. The walk ends at the Lulworth car-park.

• Walk 21: Wareham Rivers Double
The two-mile walk starts at Howards Lane car park in Wareham and along the way you can swim in the River Frome at Abbot’s Quay and the River Piddle at Wareham common.
Accompanied by a fine potted history of Wareham’s Roman and Anglo-Saxon heritage, the walk takes you past St Martin on the Walls church, with its stone effigy of TE Lawrence, and along the River Piddle to the weir at West Mills, the first swimming spot in the book.
The walk continues to Abbot’s Quay where the authors describe a ‘quiet set of steps’ to allow for entry to the water. Because of the boats and other watercraft, using a float or a brightly coloured swimming cap to ensure you are visible is advisable, says the book.
The walk continues past the Priory church of Lady St Mary and back to the beginning.

• Walk 22: Shapwick and White Mill circular
This walk starts at the car park by St Bartholomew’s church and takes you 4.5 miles through Shapwick, incorporating a potential dip in the River Stour.
Travel through Hardy-esque fields and past the Book and Bucket cheese company’s farm. Passing White Mill, continue to the swim spot where, the writers say: “You have to scramble down the bank to enter the water.” While you’re there you can contemplate the legend of the ‘lost bells’ of Knowlton church, said to have been discarded in the river by thieving Sturminster Marshall villagers, who allegedly stole them for their own church!
The walk takes in the Charles Bennett Village Green, named after the village’s illustrious Olympian, and the Anchor Inn.
Wild Swimming Walks by Sophie Pierce and Matt Newbury (Wild Things Publishing) is out now priced £14.99.

By Faith Eckersall

Beware of the dangers
Open water swimming is a potentially dangerous activity undertaken entirely at your own risk as are the walks mentioned here.
Cold water can be dangerous to health and you should never jump or dive in before checking the depth of the water and also your exit point.
The book warns that few of the locations have lifeguards and all are prone to currents, tidal-immersion and sea-state changes. Some landowners do not welcome swimmers.
The legality of access and use of open water is discussed at www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com/is-it-legal.

More information on open water swimming safety can be found at www.rlss.org.uk/pages/category/open-
water-safety-tips