Over the past 12 months, wild swimming has enjoyed a near 300% surge in popularity as waves of new swimmers take the plunge.
This Sunday, October 31, novice and experienced swimmers alike are being invited to give their costumes a creepy makeover and dress up for a spooktacular dip at Portobello Beach, with prizes up for grabs for the scariest swimsuit.
The Spooktacular Swim event is taking place to celebrate the launch of Scottish authors Anna Deacon and Vicky Allan’s new expert guide on The Art of Wild Swimming: Scotland.
The focus for the book is placed on sustainability, responsible tourism and community building across Scotland and showcases over a hundred of the most invigorating and rewarding wild swim spots around the country.
From the peaty lochs of the Cairngorms to the beautiful gem that is ‘Porty’ beach with the chance to spot the porpoises and even a whale in the Forth, the book is full of hidden gems, windswept beaches and perfect ponds.
So if you fancy a wild swim with a difference and the chance to win some fantastic prizes for the creepiest costume, including a signed copy of the book, plus a full swim kit bag with mermaid flask and waterproof changing mat then head down to Portobello Beach this Sunday from 10am. Halloween themed hot drinks and terrifying treats will be served in Bellfield Hall after to warm up.
The Art of Wild Swimming: Scotland author Anna Deacon said: ‘We’re encouraging everyone to come along to experience the bewitching benefits of a spooktacular wild swim.
‘The perfect swim is a matter of finding the right place, knowing how to be safe, sourcing the appropriate kit and maybe even finding the nicest spot for a warm-up cuppa and cake afterwards.
‘We have been privileged to work with passionate swim enthusiasts across the UK to tap into their knowledge and to select the best wild swimming spots. The Art of Wild Swimming: Scotland aims to be the ultimate guide as to how to be the safest, most joyous and invigorated wild swimmer you can be – and where to do it.’
If you’re planning to go on a wild swim this weekend, but can’t make it down to Portobello, then you can still enter the competition by sharing your spooktacular swim snaps on instagram and tag #spooktacularswim @wildswimmingstories on Instagram.
The authors are conscious of the dangers of over-tourism in some of the UK’s beauty spots, and the books offer essential information and advice, such as accessing water safely, wild camping dos and don’ts, biosecurity and how best to be a responsible swimmer.
Anna continued: ‘Within the books we focus on locations that don’t have too delicate an infrastructure but which offer wild swimmers the brilliant experiences they’re looking for and exciting, unexpected new places to swim.’
Published by Black & White Publishing, The Art of Wild Swimming: Scotland is released this week and The Art of Wild Swimming England and Wales will be published on November 11. Both are available for purchase at all good bookshops.
For further information visit www.blackandwhitepublishing.com
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