I’ve seen a lot lately about the benefits of wild swimming or cold water swimming outside all year round. “Cold water therapy”, including year-round sea swimming, recently featured in the BBC’s “Easy Ways to Live Well”, with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall taking a dip in the sea. Apparently there are benefits for physical and mental health, particularly dealing with stress.
Here in Cornwall there are people who swim in the sea all year. Even on the coldest day, if I walk on the beach I will usually see surfers, paddle boarders or kayakers in the water. A friend has recently started a weekly dip in the sea with the Bluetits Chill Swimmers group, just down the coast in Newquay.
Bude has its own beautiful Sea Pool on Summerleaze beach where you can try cold water swimming even if the sea is rough. You often see groups of swimmers there all year round. Some wear wetsuits, others just a swimming costume. I love the sea pool and in winter on a calm day it looks very inviting. I haven’t braved it yet though between September and March – maybe this will be the year!
Bude also has an annual Christmas Day swim from Crooklets Beach when lots of people run into the sea – and usually straight out again, screaming. This must be a good way of working up an appetite for that Christmas dinner.
Bude’s Sea Pool is just 10 minutes away from our cottages. Even better, you can always warm up in the hot tub afterwards. Or perhaps curl up in front of a wood burner with a hot chocolate to recover.
