STUNNING images of East Lothian’s coastal hotspots feature in a newly released book promoting Britain’s wild swimming communities.
Anna Deacon and Vicky Allan are no strangers to the area and are celebrating not only the benefits of wild swimming but the communities it has formed in their book, The Ripple Effect.
There has been a rapid surge in the popularity of the hobby on the back of the coronavirus lockdowns.
Anna, who lives in Edinburgh, told the Courier that being out in nature was part of what made the experience so important.
She said: “You are immersed in it all – the big sky, the seas and it feels like a completely different world from the normal day-to-day life.
“It is free and easy and everybody can do it.
“Also, just for myself, the health benefits have been fabulous. It has helped a lot with anxiety and aching joints – it has really helped with that.
“The community part of it is huge. That’s why we have done this book. Swimming with a group of people lifts you out of what you have been feeling at the time.”
Anna, 46, was a regular outdoor swimmer when she was younger.
Living in London, she would return north of the border to visit her parents in the Highlands and continued to enjoy the great outdoors.
However, it was returning to Scotland on a permanent basis that saw her fall in love with outdoor swimming.
The photographer said: “I moved to Edinburgh seven years ago and my cousin, who lives in East Lothian, took me out swimming at Gullane.
“I absolutely fell in love straight away.
“Coming out to East Lothian on a regular basis was too much with work and stuff and I started swimming in Edinburgh.
“I found a group and it went from there – but I still try to come out to East Lothian as much as possible.”
The Ripple Effect looks at various groups the length and breadth of the country – from “menopausal mermaids to student dippers, male mental health groups to Wim Hof enthusiasts, addiction recovery communities to skinny dippers”.
Anna added: “A lot of the time, going wild swimming is just bobbing around and not doing great long swims.
“There is a group in Fife called ‘bob and a blether’, which is very much what we do. Sometimes, there is barely even swimming, we just potter about and chat.”
Now Anna, who singled out Gullane as her favourite wild swimming spot in the county, and Vicky, who is a journalist, are visiting East Lothian for two special events.
The duo will stop off at The Bonnie Badger, in Gullane, on October 6 at 9.30am for brunch.
Two days later, they will be at East Linton Village Hall with Night Owl Books, from 5pm.
On both occasions, members of the public can buy a copy of The Ripple Effect.
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