Wild-Camping, Wild-Swimming........

As a student in Devon, thirty years ago, entertainment was limited. "Shall we go down to the Dart?", someone would ask, and we'd all pile in a rusty car, drive to the edge of Dartmoor and throw ourselves into a raging torrent of barely melted glacial water. Or at least that's what it felt like. The same place is now lauded as one of THE places to go 'wild swimming' despite being next to a huge car park, ice cream van, and probably several coffee franchises and overpriced pop-up boar burger shacks.

I hate the phrase 'wild swimming'!

I've just bought my first Wild-Cycling™️ specific saddle

Wild-Cycling™️ specific saddle

Rumor is that Rapha are releasing a full clothing range later this year, alongside a suitable event called a WildAudaxx.

WildAxx!!

I arrived home yesterday from a weekend away with mates MTB'ing - bikes covered in mud. Son was outside fixing a mates car (quite a few 'mates' had turned up). Whilst I was busy cleaning the bike up, they asked my son what I'd been doing - 'Oh Mountain Biking' he said. 'It's really hard mountain biking' they all said - these are all modified car nerds though !

Is gravel biking Mild Cycling

Is gravel biking Mild Cycling

It depends if you're riding with curly bars or a hybrid.

I hate the phrase ‘wild swimming’!

Amen brother. These descriptions make my teeth itch.

Nah, it just makes it clear that's it's not Pool Swimming.

FWIW Garmin refers to it as Open Water Swimming. There are many OWS groups in Facebook too.

Lol.
Been in Ambleside this weekend. Yesterday whilst I was having a look in a bike shop my missus went off and came back with a book just entitled “wild”. It seems to be a list of all the places in the lakes and dales that are about to be ruined by wild swimmers, campers, paddlers, foragers etc etc.
The irony of me saying this having just spent a weekend in an Airbnb in order to go for a 6 mile walk and have some nice food afterwards is not lost on me, don’t worry!😂

In the UK, mountain terrain is defined as anything over 610 metres. On that basis, most folk on here rarely, if ever, go Mountain Biking so there's already a miss-naming going on.

‘Adventuring’ is the one that gives me the dry, acidic boak.
Especially when combined with having an ‘adventure dog’, along idiots Instagramming themselves ‘adventuring’ at the Fairy Pools on Skye or some other tourist trap 100m from a main road.

Nah, it just makes it clear that’s it’s not Pool Swimming.

Weird that we didn't need that phrase years ago, and nobody turned up at the river/beach/lake expecting an indoor heated swimming pool.

In the UK, mountain terrain is defined as anything over 610 metres. On that basis, most folk on here rarely, if ever, go Mountain Biking so there’s already a miss-naming going on.

Bingo! 😀

The same place is now lauded as one of THE places to go ‘wild swimming’ despite being next to a huge car park, ice cream van, and probably several coffee franchises and overpriced pop-up boar burger shacks.

there is only one ice cream van, and I think it's probably the same one...

i find 'down country' far more ****ing annoying than anything else.

Weird that we didn’t need that phrase years ago, and nobody turned up at the river/beach/lake expecting an indoor heated swimming pool

For me it's more useful to me having a conversation about the thing, rather then needing to label the activity as I do it

The same place is now lauded as one of THE places to go ‘wild swimming’ despite being next to a huge car park, ice cream van, and probably several coffee franchises and overpriced pop-up boar burger shacks.

there is only one ice cream van, and I think it’s probably the same one…

I'm glad of that. It's just taken me ten minutes to find the place on Google maps - it's been a long time... 😀

having an ‘adventure dog’

See also : Trail Dog

Weird that we didn’t need that phrase years ago, and nobody turned up at the river/beach/lake expecting an indoor heated swimming pool.

Yep, but I think that most folk never had that beach/river/lake experience so this makes it clear.

For me it’s more useful to me having a conversation about the thing, rather then needing to label the activity as I do it

I agree.

I really don't have an issue with language changing to reflect circumstances. Much like some folk hate "gravel biking", I think it makes clear, in a succicnt manner, that it's not Cyclocross which is where a lot of the confusion was coming from.

'wild cycling' did you say...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wild-Cycling-pocket-beaten-Britain/dp/1472139798

and as if that is not enough there is 'really wild cycling'...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Really-Wild-Cycling-off-beaten-track/dp/1472143728

The book
My wife bought- I got the title wrong…
Wild Guide Lake District and Yorkshire Dales: Hidden Places and Great Adventures - Including Bowland and South Pennines: 4 https://amzn.eu/d/hYVAvxF

This is a classic case of "thing that has been around for years and years, is now becoming more popular so I'm angry about it".

Just because you hadn't heard the phrases until recently doesn't mean they're new things. Get over yourself, it's just a word!

As a student in Devon, thirty years ago, entertainment was limited. “Shall we go down to the Dart?”, someone would ask, and we’d all pile in a rusty car, drive to the edge of Dartmoor and throw ourselves into a raging torrent of barely melted glacial water.

We locals have been going to Spitchwick for generations. It didn't need the wild swimming rebrand. It is however, ALWAYS cold!

And of course there is always the beach...

Could be worse :

Dog Friendly Tea Room & Cafe Walks - Lake District

We locals have been going to Spitchwick for generations.

I prefer sharrah to spitchwick. The walk in keeps the chavs at bay.

This is a classic case of “thing that has been around for years and years, is now becoming more popular so I’m angry about it”.

Or, this is something that’s been around for generations but I’ve just started doing it and need to rename it so that it sounds modern and edgy. Wild, even. 😁

No, because the terms wild camping and wild swimming have also been around for ages.

Just because you haven't heard of it until now doesn't mean it's new.

What if the route is officially wild?

Just because you haven’t heard of it until now doesn’t mean it’s new.

Why do you think I’ve only just heard the term? Alice Roberts did a TV thing about it 10-12 years ago, and it wasn’t a new term then. It was a ridiculous phrase back then.

Do people really say "I'm going mountain biking" with a straight face when they go to the peaks or round Cannock? i thought that was a term to describe the bikes rather than the activity. When I go out it's just a 'bike ride' or a 'ride', whether it's to the pub, into the peaks or up the canal.

Wild Camping/Swimming? Do me a favour. it's just swimming/camping. If someone needs further clarification on where you were swimming can't you just add on 'in the sea/pool/reservoir/river'.

Or, this is something that’s been around for generations but I’ve just started doing it and need to rename it so that it sounds modern and edgy.

Like Mountain Biking then? Blame those crazy 'Muricans!

i thought that was a term to describe the bikes rather than the activity. When I go out it’s just a ‘bike ride’ or a ‘ride’, whether it’s to the pub, into the peaks or up the canal.

Hey Scotroutes, fancy going biking at the weekend?

Yeah, sure. 

Mountain biking or road biking?

Hey Scotroutes, fancy going biking at the weekend?

Yeah, sure. 

Mountain biking or road biking?

Fair enough. Makes sense.

So it's mountain biking if you drive to the mountain then have a bike ride, and road biking if you go on a bike ride to the mountain but turn back just before the mountain. Go it. What about if you don't have a car so have to ride to the mountain on your mountain bike. Assuming the majority of the ride would be on road, what would it be then?

Mountain biking or road biking?

Now you can add Wild Cycling 🥳

‘wild cycling’ did you say…

There’s always one!

and as if that is not enough there is ‘really wild cycling’…

But sometimes two!

Just because you hadn’t heard the phrases until recently doesn’t mean they’re new things. Get over yourself, it’s just a word!

But definitely “always one” 🙄

I regards STW as a substitute to sitting in a pub and talking guff. I am currently talking guff. Sorry for having a laugh!

I think its encouraged a load of people that may not otherwise spend much time in the outdoors to get out there, and feel good about themselves into the bargain, so thats good.
I bloody hate that 'holding your arms out wide' instagram pose tho.