Swimming in natural water sources -or ‘wild swimming’ as I’ve always referred to it growing up - feels inherent to my connection to nature. I first remember feeling the joy and exhilaration of jumping into a cold body of fresh flowing water in the Lake District when I was about 9 years old. Throughout my 20s seeking out cold plunges became an essential part of any day in the outdoors. It was an activity you could always do in any weather, alone or with friends. My specific watermark is the Farrar River in Glen Straffarra in Scotland. Just as we came out of lockdown in the UK, my friends met up for the first time and took a trip up the Glen. We stopped at a widening with little pools and small waterfalls in the Farrar River. We swam, played, and basked in the sun, and for that afternoon we felt like kids again. We had so much appreciation for having contact with nature and with each other after such a long period of being inside. We slowed down for those few hours and just appreciated our surroundings, our health, our company and how water brings us life. So many of my memories with friends and family have been formed around water - taking a dip after a hot day climbing or hiking, using it as a way to get outside during the bleak UK winters, or drinking from fresh streams high up in the mountains. A statistic came out recently that 83% of rivers in England have evidence of high pollution from sewage or agriculture. This statistic broke my heart. Everyone should have access to safe, swimmable and drinkable water.