Ever since the heady days of lockdown, I have noticed a troubling phenomenon creeping into everyday life: a spike in the number of people extravagantly sticking “wild” in front of the word swimming. Essentially, wild swimming is exactly the same thing as normal swimming, but much more smug, and with a greater risk of accidental sewage inhalation.
And, predictably, despite the fact that going for a quick dip in a nearby body of water is essentially a free activity, all of the associated wild swimming clobber continues to gain popularity, too. Most notorious of all? The changing robe: a vast hooded poncho with a towelled interior for wild swimmers and other fans of aquatic activities to don post-dunk.
