The Oxford wild swimmers throwing caution to the wind in lockdown

Council signage aiming to prevent wild swimming in Hinksey Lake is being ignored by the city's wild swimmers

Taking the plunge into the unknown is never an easy feat in life, but for many in Oxfordshire’s wild swimming circles, the reward appears to outweigh the risk.

Ever since the beginning of lockdown in March last year, a number fitness enthusiasts in the county have sought an alternative to the abundance of closed gyms and well-trodden tracks.

Open-water swimming is nothing new in Oxfordshire, particularly in more remote spots like Port Meadow and Rose Isle. Yet, the number of wild swimmers in Hinksey Lake has rapidly increased in recent months.

Hinksey Lake has attracted a small number of wild swimmers in the past, but many have been put off by the council signage warding off prospective swimmers.

Hinksey Lake in South Oxford

However, in these unprecedented times, Hinksey Lake has become a hot-spot for open water swimming, primarily because of its close proximity to the city centre, making it a location inside the remit of the COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Many Hinksey Lake regulars cite lockdown as their reasoning behind getting into the popular pastime, with nation-wide restrictions prohibiting so many other forms of maintaining health and fitness.

Helen Edwards, an Oxford-based wild swimmer, said: “The number of wild swimmers has increased dramatically over the past year, even before lockdown and COVID the number was already increasing, but winter 2020 has seen a big increase in numbers all swimming in rivers and in Hinksey and other lakes.”

In just the last few months, Hinksey Lake’s swimmers have had to grapple with challenges such as flooding and freezing temperatures, alongside COVID-19 restrictions and Oxford City Council’s attempts to deter open-water swimmers.

“There are all sorts of challenges,” Helen said. “Of course, with COVID guidance, people are trying to find a swim buddy and swim in a safe place, but not meet up with others as this isn't allowed during lockdown. Also, travelling has not been allowed so there are a limited number of places to swim… There are more swimming groups no doubt about it, local outdoor swimming groups have sprung up in areas of Oxford amongst friends and local communities which didn't exist before.”

However, while Hinksey Lake offers Oxford’s wild swimmers a land of plenty that satisfies both their need for regular exercise and social interaction, Oxford City Council has been eager to ensure all are aware of the dangers present in Hinksey Lake.

Chris Bell, the council’s Green Space Development Manager, said: “My staff regularly warn people they see swimming in the lake that it is not a safe place to swim. There is buried metalwork and other debris at this former industrial site [Hinksey Park was created on the site of the old water/sewage treatment works/ gas works and quarry], and the water is subject to varying levels of contamination and urban run-off in this city centre location. There are also regular blooms of toxic blue algae and a high risk of Weil's disease.

“We are in the process of commissioning some new updated permanent signage to warn of the dangers… If people still choose to go in there having been warned of the dangers, they do so at their own risk. Sadly, I suspect it will take an accident or someone to get seriously ill before they take it seriously.”

A number of the signs erected by the City Council are in a state of complete decay

Yet, there are those in the community that have criticised the council’s stance on wild swimming in Hinksey Lake, suggesting that cleaning the lake would be by far the more appropriate course of action.

One individual, who wished to remain nameless, said: “Isn't it easier for authorities to let open waters be polluted than ban swimmers to avoid liability rather than make them safely accessible? Wild swimmers of today are not just exercising the body and spirit, they are on the forefront of an environmental counter-offensive for the sake of all of us.”

With restrictions on health and fitness due to lift over the course of the next few months, and Hinksey Outdoor Pool also set to open, it remains to be seen how popular Hinksey Lake will be moving forward.

Yet, if current activity is anything to go by, it appears that Hinksey Lake’s wild swimming scene is here to stay.