Wild Swim - Kate Rew - Book Review

When we first set out on our wild swimming journey, three brothers, a battered GoPro, and no clue what we were doing, it was Wild Swim by Kate Rew that helped us believe we weren’t entirely mad.

This book, with its mossy banks, tidal pools, and plunges into forgotten rivers, felt like a friendly hand reaching out from the reeds, saying, “Come on in. You belong here.”

But more than that, Kate Rew, both through this book and in real life, was one of the first people to back us. She didn’t need to. We were just three clueless lads with big plans and even bigger egos. But she supported our early swims, gave us some promotion on the Outdoor Swimming Society and championed what we were trying to do, and never made us feel like we had to earn our place in the wild swimming world. That kind of quiet encouragement goes further than people realise.

A Book That Opens Up the Water

Wild Swim isn’t just a guidebook; it’s a kind of cultural permission slip. With each page, Rew reintroduces us to our land through its liquid veins. Chalk streams, city docks, mountain tarns, suddenly it’s all there, ready to be dived into.

What I love most is that it isn’t about bravado. It’s not “how far, how fast.” It’s about connection, place and joy. She writes with a gentleness and clarity that makes you want to go out, find a river bend, and float for hours.

For me, it gave wild swimming a texture. It showed that it wasn’t just an escape, it was an experience.

The Grassroots Guardian

Kate’s always had this grounded way of looking at swimming. While others chased records, she was busy building access. She helped form the Outdoor Swimming Society and made sure that wild swimming didn’t become an exclusive club, but a wide-open gate.

She’s been there for the beginner nervously stepping into a loch for the first time, just as much as the hardened long-distance river swimmer. That matters. Without her, I honestly don’t know if wild swimming would’ve spread in the way it has.

When we were planning our swim down the River Eden, or finding routes through Hell Gill Gorge, something was comforting in knowing people like Kate were out there, rooting for us not just as swimmers, but as storytellers trying to share something wild and ancient.

A Trailblazer in a Swimsuit

Wild Swim is a book you don’t just read, you pack it in your dry bag. You scribble notes in it. You fold the corners. It becomes a part of your kit.

And Kate Rew? She’s more than a writer. She’s a trailblazer, a leader, and one of the most important figures in the wild swimming world. Her work helped shape the movement quietly, fiercely, and without ever needing to shout about it.

If Roger Deakin lit the fire, Kate carried the torch steadily, generously, and always with others in mind.

So here’s to her to the swims, the stories, and the support that helped people like us believe we had a place in the river.