Nationwide, there is a boom in wild swimming. Even the fashion pack, rarely ones to embrace the great outdoors, have got involved. Anne-Marie Curtis, editor-in-chief of Elle, swims regularly at the Kenwood Ladies’ Pond on Hampstead Heath in London, as does designer Louise Gray.

Nearby, writer Eliot Haworth of Fantastic Man magazine can be found braving the often icy water at the men’s pond. “I wear a pair of quite skimpy ultramarine Adidas Lycra trunks and nothing else,” he says. “They are the same pair I bought when I was living in Finland and started going ice swimming. I find their utilitarian sportiness sets me in the right frame of mind for the task ahead. It might seem counterintuitive to bare more skin when it’s cold, but I prefer to have as little wet clothing on me as possible. They also dry quicker.”

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