Many people see in the New Year or celebrate Christmas or Boxing Day with a cold water swim - often in fancy dress or just a swimsuit to get chilly in the winter water.
"Research suggests that cold water swimming has a wide variety of health benefits including mood improvement linked with the release of 'feel good' brain chemicals, reduced depression and improvement in general wellbeing. Cold water swimming can also have cardiovascular benefits," says GP Dr Nina Aslam from Puressentiel (puressentiel.com).
However, safety is obviously something to be wary of when it comes to cold water swimming - also known as winter swimming or ice swimming.
