If you just want to walk barefoot along a beach and occasionally dip a toe in, or sit on a river bank with your feet in the water, then that’s more than ok. There will never, ever be any pressure from me. Just like I will never, ever share photos of you on social media or this website, unless you want me to, so no one need know if on the day you decide that the water can wait and you just want to pootle.
It doesn’t matter if you think of yourself as slow, or if you have to take lots of breaks. It doesn’t matter what size you are. It doesn’t matter if you have a disability and/or a chronic health condition. And it doesn’t matter if you have to use walking poles – I use them all the time! I have Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and PoTS – Postural tachycardia syndrome, and whilst I am fit, I know what it’s like to live with conditions that can sometimes be disabling. So if you can only move at a certain speed, then that’s the speed at which we move!
If you’re worried about meeting new people, whether because you’re autistic, and/or experience social anxiety, or are painfully shy, or just don’t want to talk much, if at all, rest assured that unless you want anyone else present as part of the group (and you’ve booked a one-to-one), it’ll just be you and me, and I’m good at reading body language. If you need silence, we’ll be silent. If you hate small talk, then there’ll be none of that. And if you’re deaf or hearing impaired, I lip speak very well, so am more than happy to make sure that you can lip read me. I don’t use sign language, but we can quickly make up some signs to communicate the essentials when in the water. Or of course you can teach me some!
I have worked with adults and children who have a disability, since I was a teenager. My late husband Rich was profoundly deaf and had various other physical issues caused by NF2 – Neurofibromatosis type 2, that meant that our life together was lived through a different lense. But we loved the outdoors and making things happen, so we were determined to overcome the obstacles. We wanted to walk up big hills, and swim in the sea and lakes and rivers all over the world, so that’s what we did. I think it only fair that others be given the same opportunities.
You don’t have to be super fit, or even remotely athletic, to enjoy wild swimming. Yes you need to be able to swim – even if it’s using just one type of stroke, and to tread water or keep yourself afloat with your arms if leg mobility is limited, or vice versa. But as long as you’re fit enough to exercise, then I can work with you to put together an experience that will give you a taste of wild waters, without scaring you silly!
And if the thought of being seeing in a swimsuit or shorts is too much to bear, never fear – you can wear whatever you feel comfortable in, as long as it won’t weigh you down too much in the water.
