{"id":42823,"date":"2020-04-16T16:44:23","date_gmt":"2020-04-16T15:44:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=42823"},"modified":"2020-04-16T16:44:23","modified_gmt":"2020-04-16T15:44:23","slug":"the-water-cure-the-benefits-of-wild-swimming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/04\/16\/the-water-cure-the-benefits-of-wild-swimming\/","title":{"rendered":"Taking the water cure: The benefits of wild swimming"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A group of Gower women say that cold water swimming has improved their bodies, minds and friendships <\/h4>\n\n\n

I STRUGGLE to catch my breath as soon as I enter the water. The cold hits me instantly, numbing feel my hands and feet. I\u2019m in the same stretch of water in Swansea\u2019s Langland Bay that I splashed around in during my childhood. But I\u2019ve never quite experienced it like this before. <\/p>\n\n\n

It\u2019s a dark, grey morning and the women around me are whooping and cheering, diving into waves and swimming out into the deep. They are the Gower Bluetits cold water swimming group and, in their one-pieces and bikinis, look far hardier than me as I try not to get any icy water inside my wetsuit. <\/p>\n\n\n

The Bluetits was started in Pembrokeshire in 2014 by Sian Richardson and Tracey Sharratt. Since then, flocks of Bluetits have emerged all over the world. Alison Owen and Trish Woodhouse joined one of the Pembrokeshire group\u2019s moonlight swim events in 2018. It was such a buzz that they set up the Gower Bluetits. Since the 25 people that attended their first event, the group has taken off and 80 people turned up to a swim in Caswell Bay in February last year. <\/p>\n\n\n

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