My Personal Wellbeing Story: Wild Swimming in Pembrokeshire and Cardigan Bay.
- penny6064
- 5 days ago
- 7 min read
Hi I’m Penny, I live in Pembrokeshire with my two beautiful girls and I’ve recently started working at Top of the Woods, an eco-friendly camping and glamping campsite set in 27 acres by a large woodland in Pembrokeshire, West Wales.
Starting my new role at Top of the Woods, I feel incredibly proud to be part of a place that bring people back to Nature, to slow down with quality time together and creating memories that last a life time. I wanted to share a little of my own experience of being in nature, wild swimming, and how time outdoors and cold water have supported my wellbeing and created a life time of friends.
Moments of calm in a busy life...how it started
For me, wild swimming has been about more than the swim itself. It’s been about community, confidence, getting outside in all seasons and finding moments of calm in a busy life.
During the lockdowns in 2020, it was a difficult time, as it was for many. I missed the freedom we had all taken for granted. Being stuck indoors with two young children, navigating home schooling and helping my husband run his tree surgery business was a lot, to say the least. Along the way, I started to lose myself. I think many of us felt like this at sometime or another, quietly running on empty without really noticing.
Do you fancy swimming the English channel ? Yeah, why not!!
As restrictions were being lifted, I was approached by a friend to ask if I would like to swim the English Channel as part of a team for charity. Loving an adventure, of course I said yes. But little did I know at the time what it would come to mean, and I what I would learn about myself. Friendship, trusting my body, body confidence and spending time outdoors all became essential, not optional.
Training to swim the English Channel
It was early spring of 2021; there were six of us taking on this challenge together, to raise £12,000 for Cosmic, a neonatal charity supporting babies and young children in intensive care.
Until I started training I had never really done much open water swimming. If I am honest, I was scared. The depth of the sea, the unknown beneath me, that feeling of being small and not fully in control. However, I loved what swimming gave me, the chance to be fully present, focusing on my breath and my stroke. It became a kind of moving meditation and helped me to keep present and at times reduce my stress.
Early morning dips...
We'd meet up at the beach at 7am a few times a week, initially just getting used to being in the water in our skins (no wetsuit), it was completely new to me. I had always worn a wetsuit and only swam in the sea during the summer months - I was very much a fair-weather swimmer.
Learning to trust the cold
The first few dips were full of screaming and more than a bit of swearing. I couldn’t even get my head under the water. How on earth was I going to swim the Channel a year later wearing nothing but a swimsuit? It felt completely impossible.
Meeting at Aberporth Beach, one of my favourite swimming spots. Standing on the sand, cold and half-dreading it, looking out at the sea and thinking, 'oh God, it’s going to be freezing'.
Five years on, that feeling hasn’t really gone away. I still know it will be cold. The difference now is that I trust my body. My breathing instinctively begins to slow, reminding me that I’m safe.
Looking back, those cold, early mornings taught me more about slowing down and listening to my body than almost anything else has.
Finding my people
The best part was getting in together, catching each other’s faces, hearing the whoops and nervous laughter as we all took that first cold plunge. What’s funny is that, at the beginning, we didn’t really know each other at all. We were just a group of people showing up at the same place, for the same challenge.
Afterwards, we’d light fires on the beach. Sitting together, warming up, sipping hot drinks and talking. Over time, those early mornings and shared swims turned strangers into friends, and friends into something deeper. A real sense of connection. My swimming family.
These are the moments I value most. When time feels slower and you know you’re exactly where you’re meant to be. Shared fires, warm drinks and good friends. A quiet reminder of how powerful simple moments can be when they’re shared.
Falling in love with where I live
Living here in Pembrokeshire and Cardigan Bay makes it easy to fall in love with outdoor swimming. This stretch of coast is incredibly rich and varied, with long sandy beaches, quiet coves and hidden inlets, constantly shaped by the sea and the seasons. There is an abundance of wildlife, with resident dolphin pods (the largest in all of Europe), migratory seals, porpoises, whales, sharks and seabirds such as puffins and choughs.
A regular training route for us was swimming from Aberporth to Tresaith and sometimes as far as Penbryn, a National Trust beach. Swimming along that coastline always feels special. Cliffs rise above you, caves open and disappear as the light shifts and the water colour changes beneath you. As you swim past rugged rocks and lift your head for a breath, you catch glimpses of walkers on the coast path and fishing boats further out to sea. It’s impossible not to feel a quiet sense of awe at being part of that wider natural landscape.
Swimming With Cardigan Bay Dolphins
On one swim, we were joined by dolphins. Before I saw them, I could hear them, a high-pitched squeaking carrying across the water. When I lifted my head, they were there swimming towards us, curious about who or what we were. They stayed for a few moments, then drifted away and left us to our swim.
I’d love to say it was magical, but if I’m honest, I was completely petrified.
It’s Time! Swimming the English Channel
July 2022, we were ready to swim the Channel. We got the call on a Sunday morning and drove straight down to Dover that day. If conditions were kind, we would swim the next morning.
And wow, were the conditions kind. It was like a mill pond for the entire crossing.
Starting at 6am, the klaxon went off and signalled the start of the swim. Swimming for an hour at a time, we rotated like this for 16 hours until we reached France (approx. 23 miles). Everything we’d trained for came down to staying steady, focused and working as one.
When I think about that day now, I feel quite emotional. All our hard work had led us to this moment. We were more than a team; we were six best mates swimming to France.
What wild swimming has taught me
Over time my idea of wellbeing has changed and shapes so much of how I live and work today. It is not just about how you look. It’s about friendships, quality time together, feeling strong in your body and confident in your mind and being in nature to feel connected, after all - we are wild!
Take time for yourself - slowing down is not a luxury, it’s essential.
Listen to yourself - listening to your body matters more than pushing through.
Be in the moment - cold water teaches you presence in a way nothing else does.
We are stronger together - community makes the hardest challenges feel lighter.
Showing up - wellbeing is built in small moments, repeated gently over time.
These days, when I think about wellbeing, it’s not about how far I can swim or how strong I feel in the water. It’s about how present I am in my own life, mornings that begin with the sea, evenings spent around a fire, and the people I choose to share those moments with.
Top of the Woods feels like a natural place for me to be.
I’m super happy to have started working at Top of the Woods because so much of what I value, time outdoors, shared experiences and feeling connected to place is what Top of the Woods is all about.
Whether you are staying in one of our glamping tents or camping pitches, spending time in the Wild Spa after a day in the sea, or exploring the many things to do across Pembrokeshire and Cardigan Bay, it’s a place to help you reconnect in nature with others and with yourself.
It’s also makes the perfect camp base for outdoor activities like wild swimming, with easy access to rivers, waterfalls, estuaries and sea swims across Pembrokeshire and Cardigan Bay. Find out more what our favourite swimming spots close to the campsite.
Tips for new outdoor swimmers..
Take time with your breathing - slow it down, it helps your body & mind settle.
Start gently - don’t rush the cold. Let your body adjust will make all the difference.
Swim with others - feeling supported changes everything.
Warm up slowly afterwards - enjoy that moment around a fire or with a hot drink.
Be in the moment - let it become a moment to enjoy, not a challenge.
Ready to book your stay with us yet ?
Why not check out availability for your perfect dates.
Comments