GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 38

Need to know The official website for Sark ( W www.
sark.info) has details on how to reach the island from
Jersey or Guernsey, as well as full accommodation
listings and details of attractions. La Sablonnerie
Hotel W www.lasablonnerie.com; T +44 (0) 1481
832 061. La Valette campsite: W www.sercq.com;
T [phone]. Bike hire: W atobcycles.
sarkpost.com; T [phone].

055 wild SwimmiNG

Forget chlorinated pools, swimming lanes and
locker tokens; take a dip in the wild. Britain has
lots of clean rivers, lakes, ponds and coves where
you can swim in the fresh air. All you need is a
swimming costume (or not even that, if you're
feeling brave) and perhaps a pair of goggles.
Then off you plunge into crystal-clear waters
where you can potter around a tree-lined lake,
swim among lilies or be gently carried along by
the river's flow…
Like camping, outdoor swimming in Britain has
enjoyed a renaissance in recent years. Urbanites
are flocking back to lidos - a halfway house
between indoor swimming pools and the great
outdoors. There's now an Outdoor Swimming
Society, whose founder has recently published a
book that lists many of the best places to swim
outdoors in the UK.
You can even go on a dedicated swimming
holiday with professionals. Swimtrek ( W www.
swimtrek.com; T [phone]) organizes
holidays in the Scilly Isles and the Scottish
Inner Hebrides as well as overseas, including
Croatia, Greece and Finland (see p.95). In each
destination you'll swim several kilometres a day
across lakes, rivers and sea under the eye of an
experienced guide. For a taste of their holidays,
try a weekend “short escape” in the Norfolk
Broads, th River Wye or the Lake District,
where you'll swim the dramatic Western Lakes
of Crummock Water and Buttermere, and spend
a full day crossing the isolated, picturesque
Easedale Tarn.

The swing before the plunge

Need to know Outdoor swimming does have
risks - that's part of its charm - but as long as
you're not reckless it needn't be dangerous. The
River and Lake Swimming Association ( W www.
river-swimming.co.uk) gives information and safety
tips, while the website of the Outdoor Swimming
Society ( W www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com) has
a map of excellent places to swim outdoors in the
UK, along with swimming tips and events lists.