The world’s best wild swimming spots

Wild swimming: once viewed as a niche, eccentric hobby for adventurous types in bobble hats. Now there’s a renewed collective urge to reconnect with nature with seasoned urbanites deserting their local pools and lidos in search of a more elemental experience. For many of us, sun-dappled memories of childhood holidays cement a link with the water that feels intrinsic and essential (but might not have you itching to jump into your local lake). For others, there’s nothing like a dip in cold water to reboot mind and body and bring us right back to ourselves. It’s an experience that can’t be captured by the results of scientific studies, and is hard to adequately describe in words, but writers Freya Bromley and Orla Thomas share their thoughts, personal experiences and pick their favourite wild swimming spots in the coming pages.

Here, we explore some of the most wonderful wild-swimming spots on the planet, selected from the collection in Lonely Planet’s new book The Joy of Wild Swimming. Suitable for newcomers and experienced wild swimmers alike, each location delivers something unique: from Dublin’s favourite outdoor swimming spot, made famous by James Joyce’s Ulysses and featured in Apple TV’s Bad Sisters, to the relatively unknown oasis of Bagni Regina Giovanna in Italy, where Queen Giovanna of Naples allegedly took lovers to bathe in the 14th century.

01

RICH IN MINERALS SWIM

Kyrgyzstan
Issyk-Köl means ‘warm lake’ – warm in the sense that the whole lake doesn’t freeze over during the harsh Kyrgyz winters, although some bays and inlets do. In the summer, waters can reach up to 22°C (72°F), and this is the time to take the plunge into the clear depths. Fed by rivers, streams and glacier melt, the lake is rich in minerals and saline. Local legend says these come from the tears of a snow leopard; more prosaically, Soviet-era sanatoriums still operate along the shores.

The lake is worth more than it’s restorative minerals though. This is a sacred place for Kyrgyz tribes since time immemorial. Sunken Silk Road cities and settlements remain largely unexplored, mostly near present-day Cholpon Ata. Bronze -age artefacts turn up sometimes and, with a pair of goggles and a bit of luck, you could uncover a piece of pottery or a coin? In the marshes, it’s not uncommon.

03

FORTY FOOT

Dublin, Ireland
Join the community at Dublin’s favourite bathing spot. James Joyce’s description of the ‘snotgreen’, ‘scrotumtightening’ sea at Forty Foot brilliantly captures the appeal of this no-frills bathing place on Dublin Bay. It’s bloody cold swimming here – but just the right kind of cold. Enough to make your skin scream and every muscle clamp, but not quite cold enough to prevent you from feeling invincible once you’re back on the wet concrete on shore. For some, swimming here is a cult-like religion. Even in the depths of winter, with waves crashing into the rocks, and the slate-grey sky indiscernible from the water, hardy swimmers brave the elements, emerging with lobster-red skin and a heroic grin.

A historic swim
A male-only naturist bathing spot for 200 years, Forty Foot appears in the opening chapter of James Joyce’s Ulysses, his character Buck Mulligan launching himself into the water after a stroll down from the nearby Martello tower. Everything changed in 1974, however, when an invasion of women challenged tradition and set the scene for the Forty Foot to become Dublin’s favourite outdoor swimming spot. Today, you’ll find families and groups of friends huddled here, dripping wet and chatting amiably from dawn until dusk in summer.

A bracing dip
The water temperature is brisk year-round, so your best bet is to get in fast. Clasp the handrail as you descend the sodden steps or follow the locals and plunge right off the rocks. Hit the frigid water and blood rushes through your veins and every neuron seems to fire at once. Shrieks of shock and laughter fill the air around you, daredevils leap off the rocks and the old hands enjoy their daily ritual, stoically swimming out past the day-trippers and their giddiness. Once your body adjusts to the cold, the skin quietly tingles as you take in the expanse of Dublin Bay laid out before you.

A sense of community
Hauling yourself out of the water, the buzz hits you. Everyone is chatting and laughing, flasks get ripped open, gas rings set up and hot drinks passed round. Whatever it was that was rattling around in your head before you hit the water seems far less pressing, the shared sense of adventure and the pride in your hardiness shifting all priorities. You’ll probably swear you’ll never do it again, but soon enough you’ll find yourself back on the wet grey concrete, stripping off in the wind, your body already bracing itself for the blast of freezing cold water as you enter the sea.

05

WATERFALL SWIM

Ocho Rios, Jamaica
Dunn’s River, near Ocho Rios on Jamaica’s north coast, is the most beautiful and famous of the country’s waterfalls. It has featured in a James Bond film (Dr No) and adorned the front cover of many a guidebook. As a result, it’s mega-popular so be warned. In peak season, you can expect long lines of hand-holding cruise tourists climbing its steep cascades. Nevertheless, it’s an exhilarating and quintessential Jamaican experience.

06

HISTORICAL SWIM

Pont du Gard aqueduct, France
The Pont du Gard consistently ranks among France’s most visited tourist sights, yet swimming feels as ‘wild’ now as the day Roman builders started hauling 50,000 tonnes of golden hued limestone here by boat from a nearby quarry. Roman architects designed the original 360m-long bridge to fit in with the natural surroundings – a pastoral bend in the gentle Gardon River, backed by aromatic pine trees and Mediterranean garrigue (herbal scrubland). They’re now joined by silvery olives trees, planted 1,000 years ago. Wild swimmers seeking a sensual rendezvous with the heart and soul of southern France – you’ve met your match.