My first season of winter swimming

I started winter swimming the way most people do: a friend dragged me along and I did not want to look like a coward. The first dip in November was a shock. By February it had become the best part of the week.

A few practical lessons. Never swim alone. Get in slowly and get out sooner than your ego wants: two or three minutes is plenty in water below five degrees. Have your clothes laid out in the order you will put them on, because your fingers will stop cooperating faster than you think.

Many harbours have small clubs with a sauna and a pier. Membership is cheap and the regulars are friendly to beginners. The conversation in a hot sauna after a cold swim is some of the best I have had anywhere.