Campsie Fells waterfall
One of the best things about our wild swimming journey has been finding/building a community of like minded souls and being able to introduce friends to the cold water.
One such friend is Neil Dickson, who has been doing cold water immersion since January. In this blog, Neil tells us about his recent trip to the Campsie Fells waterfall and shares his thoughts on how ‘dooking’ outdoors has positively impacted his life.
Over to Neil…
“I first heard about Wim Hof and cold water immersion from Chris (one of the Wild Swimming husbands) on one of our bi-weekly lockdown walks during which we would sound off to each other about work, family, football, trainers, music and wondering if the pub was ever going to open again!
I never gave it much thought at the time as I considered waiting for the shower to heat up in the morning enough of a challenge. However, later that day I was on the phone to my boss and he also started talking about Wim Hof and cold water therapy, something his wife had suggested to him to help him deal with work pressures (primarily having to manage me I don’t doubt!). This felt like too much of a coincidence for me so I bought the Wim Hof Method book and started to practice his breathing exercises, taking cold showers and doing a bit of yoga. I haven't looked back since.
This was in early January 2021 and about 30 cold water 'dooks' later I was invited to join my boss for a visit to his local spot at the Campsie Fells. Up early doors and at the car park in the sky for 8am, we did a 5 mile hike up and back down. Both of us had cold flasks of tea at the top. He had put cold water into his and mine must have been left over from my last dook. Not to be undone and fairly used to cold water at this point we headed to the waterfalls just below the car park.
The trek down to the waterfall and pool was not for the faint hearted and relied on far higher concentration levels than I’m used to when dealing with my boss! Once we got there it was more than worth it. There's a great pool with a sloped edge that is deep in places and the amazing waterfall that looked to me like something out of Lord of the Rings.
Once we had submerged we got under the Waterfall and for those of a certain vintage we must have looked like something out of a Timotei Shampoo advert from 1985, but far less exotic!
All joking aside, cold water immersion and the encouragement of people like my boss, Chris and Nicola has undoubtedly changed my perspective on life. I feel mentally and physically stronger, I'm more considerate according to my wife and becoming less materialistic (with the exception of all the great gear you need to buy to do this!). I have made new friends and know full well that embracing nature and the cold water is a truly positive new aspect to my life.”
Q & A with Neil
What first attracted you to cold water therapy/immersion.
The concept of seeing Chris in his trunks, what else could you ask for?
What, if any, benefits have you felt, e.g. physical, mental, social etc?
I feel more mentally in control and able to cope with work pressures more effectively. I feel physically stronger and, for example, have been able to run longer distances and can manage aches and pains better during and after a run.
I am calmer in my home environment and less snappy than I have previously been.
Meeting new people and having a great laugh.
What would you say to anybody thinking about giving it a go? Any tips, recommendations etc.
If you fancy it go for it, everyone is very supportive.
Breathe!
If you could swim/dook anywhere, where would it be?
Loch Ascog, Isle of Bute - hopefully get there in the not too distant future!
We’d like to say a big thanks to Neil for sharing. See you soon, Neil!
If you’ve caught the wild swimming bug or are thinking about giving it a go and would like a chat about it, get in touch at wildswimmingwomen@gmail.com.
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Happy Swimming
The Wild Swimming Women xx