Wild Swimming in Nairn is so easy and so inviting. With approximately 6 miles of sandy beach in Nairn, a sandy beach which slopes gently into the Moray Firth, Nairn is ideal for wild swimming.

The sea is only a short walk from Altonsyde. I slip into my swimming costume, pull a tunic dress over my head, put on my DryRobe and walk down to the beach in the early morning of the weekend. I check XCweather first of all to see what the weather or more precisely, the sea will be doing in relation to waves and wind. A predominance of blues means that the sea should be pretty calm and perfect for swimming.

In my basket, I have my goggles, my swimming cap, keys, some water and just a handtowel. I have made the mistake before of stripping off at the shore line and leaving all my items carefully folded on top of the basket, only to have a dog (with owner) pee on everything! Now I place all my items on this concrete pipe cover, this ensures it is out of reach of a cocked leg and also it means I can easily wash the salt off my feet when I come out of the water.

What do you need for wild swimming?

• Dry Robe – you will be cold when you leave the water, wrap up fast
• Towel – you need to dry off as much as possible before you wrap up (I just use a hand towel)
• Swimming Cap – I have long hair and this is essential as I would get a chill if I let the mane get wet
• Goggles – if you don’t mind salty eyes, then don’t use goggles, but you might want to look out for starfish down below
• Water bottle/ flask – It’s nice to have a wee drink of something hot or cold when you leave the water, exhilarated
• Float? – I don’t use a float, I only ever swim if the conditions are calm and I only ever swim along the shore, I never swim out into the deep water. But if you are concerned then you may wish to get a float. (Great for ensuring you will be seen, and offering you support if you get tired out of your depth)
• Swimming Costume – skinny dipping might result in you visiting the local police station so keep it decent 🙂

What to consider when wild swimming in Nairn?

• Weather – check the weather forecast ensure it is calm
• Tides – is the tide in or out, some people prefer to swim when the tide is in as they won’t have so far to walk / leave their personal items far from where they are swimming
• Cold – yes the sea is cold but it can warm up more by the end of the day or prehaps near the harbour of Nairn where the sea is a little more settled in the lee of the jetty. Personally I have learnt that 10 minutes of swimming is enough for me. I never put my head under due to the danger of getting a cold shock to the brain (this happened whilst snorkelling at Gairloch once, never again). I’ve also stayed in the water for 20 minutes once, and my fingers were so numb I could hardly tie the laces of my trainers when I managed to get them on again
• Direction – I tend to swim into the waves and along the shore. I never swim out into the sea. I wade out to a depth I am comfortable with and then I swim into the waves. This is incase I become tired, I turn around and the waves with help me back to where I started from (where my robe and basket are)
• Let someone know – let someone know where you are going swimming and when to expect you back, just in case

Are there local wild swimming groups in Nairn?

Yes, a quick search on Facebook uncovered some local groups

• Nairn Jelly Fish Appreciation Society
• Nairn Selkies (not too sure if they are the same group)
• Lossiemouth has Lossie Cod Heids (what a fabulous name!)

What’s in the water at Nairn?

• Dolphins
• Seals
• Starfish
• Jellyfish (usually just the non-dangerous moon jellyfish)
• the highlight for me is a Bird Fly Over, flocks of birds often fly over my head to try and figure out what I am!