My bones have never hurt so intensely and immediately as they did when I plunged myself into the ocean off the Ayrshire coastline. It was early evening, the sun casting a golden glow over the water, and I could see the Tunnocks teacake outline of Ailsa Craig on the horizon, an island that’s in sight of so many of the beaches in this wildly underrated part of Scotland. I’d stripped off in front of fifteen or so women, put my water shoes on, and followed a group of strangers into the sea.
The benefits of cold-water swimming
Many extoll the virtues of cold-water swimming. It’s good for your circulation, immune system, inflammation and metabolism apparently. And the endorphins and adrenaline do wonders for the brain, too. But for me, the core benefit isn’t about my physical health – it’s the social aspect, especially when I’m travelling solo.
After several weeks of travelling alone with my dog in the Scottish countryside, camping alone, eating alone, sleeping alone and only making passing, surface level conversation with strangers in the washing up area, the loneliness had crept in like a tide returning to shore, and I couldn’t shake it. There are many upsides to solo travel: you can d...