Wild swimming in North Wales means cold, clear mountain water, hidden waterfall pools and quiet coves that most visitors drive straight past. Guided swim days across Eryri, the Conwy Valley, the Llŷn Peninsula and Anglesey …

If water racing up your nose ruins every backstroke set, a nose clip fixes it in seconds. For most swimmers, the Speedo Competition Nose Clip is the pick worth starting with: it's the clear best …

Wild swimming in Hampshire gives you chalk streams, sheltered coastline and managed lakes within a short drive of almost anywhere in the county. Guided outdoor swimming sessions across Hampshire are the safest way to start, …

Most swimmers who plateau are not short of fitness. They are short of feedback. Swimming drills break your stroke into small pieces so you can feel one thing at a time, fix it, then put …

Open water swimming around Leeds gives you a proper taste of West Yorkshire water without driving for hours. Managed sessions run on lakes, docks and quarry sites within easy reach of the city, with lifeguard …

Open water swimming in Manchester happens at supervised venues with safety cover, marked courses and staff on the bank. Sessions run from short dips through to multi-mile training swims, and you book a slot in …

Searching "open water swimming near me" gives you a map full of pins, but a pin is not permission. Some of those spots are supervised lakes with lifeguards and a booking system. Others are reservoirs …

The fastest way to stop your goggles fogging takes about thirty seconds on the poolside. Rinse both lenses in cool water, shake off the excess, and pull them on while the inside is still damp. …

Open water swimming near Birmingham gives you a proper lake swim without a long drive. Managed venues sit within 30 to 45 minutes of the city centre, most of them in the wider West Midlands …

Swimming with a strong prescription is a strange experience. You can count the tiles at the bottom of the pool but the clock on the wall is a smudge, and finding your kit bag afterwards …

El Niño shifts huge amounts of heat around the Pacific Ocean, and that heat changes weather patterns across the planet. What it will not do is tell you whether the water at your local beach …

Picture yourself stepping out into freezing Icelandic air, then sinking into water that sits at a steady 37 to 39°C. Steam rolls across black lava rock, the surface glows a strange milky blue, and your …

Swimming is one of the few workouts where your usual earbuds are useless. Water blocks sound, tugs at anything sitting in your ear canal, and, crucially, kills the wireless signal your phone relies on. That …

You do not need a chef, a nutritionist, or a 6,000-calorie shopping list to swim well. If you train two to five times a week at a local club, fit lengths in before work, or …

Treading water means staying upright in deep water with your head above the surface, using small arm and leg movements to hold your position without touching the bottom. It is one of the most useful …