Winter Wild Swimming Guidance in Lochs and Rivers
For many of us, inland wild swimming doesn’t stop when the temperature drops—it simply changes. Winter swimming can be deeply
24th July 2021 –Yair to Dryburgh (20.19km stretch)
The day dawned on day 3 of our Tweed Challenge. It was an incredibly exciting day for me as I’d be swimming in water I was very familiar with, passing Galashiels my hometown. It was going to be another warm weekend so revelled in the fact that we had really hit gold weather wise.
With our earlier decision to only swim over weekends to capture the available time away from the day jobs we had 5 days recovery under our belts. (There is a little caveat here, as we did have a ½ day swim mid-week to help us with time in the water for our final days swim into Berwick, but more on that in day five).
We had the dream team of Callum and Cammy as river support in their Kayaks and my swimming buddies Wendy and Sarah. Wendy was back for more, not having been put off from the slog over the last stretch of river, and now armed with an insight into what the adventure was all about. Sarah had planned on a ½ day but loved it so much decided to do the full days stretch, and Jane joined us at Gattonside, also coming back for more shenanigans in the water.
After the obligatory photos, we entered the river on the opposite side of the Yair bridge to miss some of the difficult rapids but had the excitement of catching some fabulous swooshy water before the river calmed itself down into a more gentle but very swimmable stretch. We passed the fabulous Sunderland Hall, then under the old Tweed Bridge before catching our next joyride at the meetings of the Ettrick Water and Tweed. There was a family with young children playing on the banks of the calm side of the river and the squeals of excitement from the young people really made me giggle and touched my heart.
Tweed Bridge
The Old Tweed Bridge, located near Sunderland Hall in the Scottish Borders, was constructed in 1831 and designed by the Scottish engineer John Smith. It served as a key crossing of the River Tweed, linking Selkirk and Galashiels, before being replaced by a modern A7 bridge. This historic structure features two main stone arches and an additional flood arch, blending functionality with classical design.
The bridge holds significance as it was inaugurated by Sir Walter Scott, reflecting its cultural and historical value.
The river starts to widen and naturally as a result the river becomes incredibly shallow. There were pockets of swimmable pools, but these were few. My favourite quote of the day was from this stretch ‘taking my kayak out for a walk’ where the water was too shallow even for our paddlers.
With walking this stretch it did give us an opportunity to take in the magnificent Abbotsford House as it stands proud as a back drop to the river, and also chat and wave to the many well wishers who had come out to support us.
I reminisced of fording the Tweed as we neared Galafoot bridge as this is where the horses cross the river on the Galashiels Common Ridings before opening up into a canter up the track spraying mud onto the bystanders. I had been on horseback on a number of occasions as well as been a mud splattered observer.
There was work being done on the rail bridge to underpin the structure and as a result the water was being channelled which we had to navigate. Cammy, always up to add a little more to the day kayaked through one of the plastic pipes.
As we turned the bend towards Lowood the water deepened and we managed to get a good swim stretch in on our way to Gattonside passing under one of my favourite bridges in the Borders, the Bottle or Lowood Bridge. I often see a heron on this stretch of the river, and she did not disappoint being present to watch us go by.
The river widens again as we reach Gattonside and crawling along the riverbed on this stretch was where my costume hooked onto the handlebars from a toddlers bike embedded between the rocks. Although shallow the pull of the water was still strong enough to make my detanglement interesting. With a slight rip in the costume, but modesty intact we carried on the swim.
With the weir ahead of us, the swimmers walked along the river side with Wendy leaving us here and Jane joining. This is an areas always busy with dog walkers and dippers which enabled us to tell our story and awareness for our cause. We re-entered the river under the swinging bridge and headed down stream to Leaderfoot bridge, passing the iconic red sandstone high banks.
Swimming under the Leaderfoot Bridge for me is surreal, its steeped in history where the 3 bridges cross and where the original Roman Bridge was thought to stand. The river was used by Romans as a transport system to the sea at Berwick, with Deer Street used as the inland infrastructure. I love the romance of this and the intrigue that Roman artefacts could be buried under us as we swim along the riverbed.
Trimontium
Trimontium is considered the largest and most significant Roman fort complex in Scotland. Established around AD 80, it was strategically located on a mound above the River Tweed, near the Eildon Hills, to control trade routes and facilitate Roman military operations. This auxiliary cavalry fort played a vital role as a supply base for the Roman frontier, particularly during campaigns in southern Scotland and the construction of the Antonine Wall.
As we carried on down the river alongside Old Melrose we hit another stretch where industrial waste had been used to realign the river for Salmon fishing. It made for a very difficult and uncomfortable swim/ walk but adds huge value to the economy through the sport.
Although difficult, it was an incredibly beautiful stretch of river seldom explored in the water, with lush vegetation and active wildlife.
Once we went around the bend in the river the foot bridge crossing could be seen ahead of us which was the final destination for the day.
The day was much gentler in the way of bruises but more difficult with the longer stretches of shallow water and last stretch of slippery underfoot rocks and bricks but with the Temple of Muses looking down on us from the opposite bank it was a perfect spot to stop for the day.
My ever-present mom was there to pack our tired bodies into the car, feed us and whisk us away for some well earned rest.
Temple of Muses
The Temple of the Muses is a beautiful neo-classical structure located on Bass Hill near Dryburgh Abbey in the Scottish Borders. Originally dedicated to the poet James Thomson, it was commissioned in 1817 by the Earl of Buchan. Thomson, born in nearby Ednam, is celebrated as the author of The Seasons and the lyrics to “Rule, Britannia!” The Earl of Buchan was a great admirer of his work and sought to honor him with this tribute.
The temple, with its domed roof supported by nine columns, once featured a statue of Apollo surrounded by the Nine Muses, symbolizing the arts and inspiration. However, the original statues were lost, and in 2002, artist Siobhan O’Hehir installed new bronze sculptures depicting the Four Seasons. A small bust of Thomson can also be found on the roof of the temple, emphasizing his lasting legacy
For many of us, inland wild swimming doesn’t stop when the temperature drops—it simply changes. Winter swimming can be deeply
I reached out to the pals I swim with as the magic of water resonates with so many people and
I asked my swim buddy to share with me his experience of cold water dipping and what I received was