The Scottishist is here to examine our national cultural icons and find out why they just seem to be the most Scottish things you can think of. If you have any questions you want answered about the icons of Scottish culture, then you can get involved we have a Patreon. Members can submit questions and find exclusive content. However what i really n…

Welcome to Wild Wimmin the wild swimming podcast, I’m Laura Macdonald Today on WildWimmin I am Talking to writer and dipper Josie Lloyd. She tells me all about her love of sea swimming in Brighton and shares the inspiration behind her twentieth novel, Lifesaving for beginners. We chat all things changed perspectives, community and the guaranteed fr…

Today I am chatting with The YouTube star, Every Day Athlete - Rachel Andrews. We chat everything frequently asked questions, keeping the momentum and how you too are an everyday athlete. Links: Everyday Athlete Rach Website: https://www.everydayathleterach.co.uk/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/EverydayAthleteRach Faebook: https://www.facebook.…

Hello and welcome to Wild Wimmin the Wild Swimming podcast I’m Laura Macdonald Today I’m chatting to the lovely Rob Grey, the creative mind behind the Wild Swim app. Rob is so keen to get people out swimming and sharing their info whilst also being respectful and offering many well presented and educational nudges. We chat all things safety messagi…

Hello and welcome to Wild Wimmin the wild swimming podcast, I'm Laura Macdonald Today I'm chatting to @outdorswimgirl Lousie Studd about getting in the cold water every day in January for the homelessness charity Crisis. I sat down with her to hear all about her experiences of swimming and dipping everyday in January and to get some of the stories …

Welcome to Wild Wimmin the Wild Swimming Podcast - I'm Laura Macdonald. Today I am here to fill your ears with all the hints and tips you could possibly need about wetsuits! Yes, clear out the kit bags, it's a neoprene fiesta! Where does it come from? Is it a total planet killer? Why does it tear so easily? How should we look after it, dry it and r…

Hello and welcome to Wild Wimmin the wild swimming podcast, I’m Laura Macdonald. Today we have the lovely Susan McKay of Curly Sunami, who is a wild swimmer who is building a business out of her passion for healthy curls and a healthy planet. We talk all things saltwater goodness, being the jelly fish lookout, and cutting the plastic crap from your…

Hello and welcome to Wild Wimmin the wild swimming podcast - I’m Laura Macdonald Today I’m chatting with Roxanne Woolcot, an NHS nurse from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, who only took to the sea in March 2021. Since taking up sea swimming though she has built up a community swimming group of fellow NHS workers, which has become a vital support syst…

Hello and welcome to Wild Wimmin the wild swimming podcast - I’m Laura Macdonald Paralympic gold medal winner(!) Melanie Barratt is a fairly recent convert to swimming outdoors. Because of her visual impairment (she’s registered blind) she originally thought that swimming in the great outdoors might not be for her, but a friend encouraged her to gi…

Welcome to season 2 of Wild Wimmin the wild swimming podcast, I'm Laura Macdonald. Today’s Wild Wimmer is Lou Jones, a swimbler and occasional serious swimmer who took her love of outdoor swimming and passion for all things green into the world of business. Lou started Sea and Stream, an online shop for swimmers with the focus on sustainability. Lo…

Hello, and welcome to Wild Wimmin the Wild Swimming Podcast, I’m Laura Macdonald. Owen Wells is a swimmer, Green town councillor and all round excellent fellow and we chatted back in April about his life as an outdoor swimmer and the achievements that he gained in later life. During Lockdown Owen has been swimming in the River Wharfe upstream of Il…

Hello, and welcome to Wild Wimmin the Wild Swimming Podcast, I’m Laura Macdonald. Today I am chatting about access rights to waterways in England with the utterly lovely Chantelle Grundy. She's an Access & Environment Officer with British Canoeing and very generously agreed to talk Wild Wimmin about the work that she does to bring clarity to the la…

Hello, and welcome to Wild Wimmin the Wild Swimming Podcast, I’m Laura Macdonald. I’ve got a bit of a different episode for you today: two interviews both about the work of the Ilkley Clean River Group. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure, Ilkley is a delightful little Spa town in West Yorkshire in the North of England, and running throug…

Welcome to Wild Wimmin, the Wild Swimming Podcast - I'm Laura Macdonald. Today I sit down for a natter with athlete, coach and riddle ponderer. We get into her swimming evolution, her epic pier to pier, supportive swimwear and the importance of thinking about food. You can follow Jo on Instagram and her website here. You can support the podcast via…

Welcome to Wild Wimmin, the Wild Swimming Podcast - I'm Laura Macdonald. Today I sit down for a natter with Sarah Redman, a new swimmer who has gone from zero to sixty in swimming terms. We chat about her reluctant swimming past, to taking the lead and her sheer enjoyment of the wild spaces around her. You can follow Sarah on Instagram and if you l…

Welcome to Wild Wimmin, the Wild Swimming Podcast - I'm Laura Macdonald. Today I sit down for a natter with Neil Adams, a high school teacher who has taken his passion for wild swimming into the classroom (and beyond). We get into the importance of the proper safety qualifications, the swimming landscape and what must be any swimmer’s dream commute…

Welcome to Wild Wimmin, the Wild Swimming Podcast - I'm Laura Macdonald. Today I sit down (in my wardrobe, because that's how you get to Narnia) with author and sea-swimbler Sarah Kennedy Norquoy. You can follow Sarah on Instagram and her blog. You can buy Salt on my Skin from her website For more on swimming safety: https://www.wildswimming.co.uk/…

Welcome to Wild Wimmin, the Wild Swimming Podcast - I'm Laura Macdonald. Today I sit down with Giorgia Cavalli, a new wild swimmer, for a natter about what first prompted her to get her feet wet. We bonded over the stunning Perthshire countryside, Calum Maclean fandom and ice swimming envy. You can follow Giorgia's swimming adventures on Instagram …

Welcome back to Wild Wimmin, the Wild Swimming Podcast - I'm Laura Macdonald. Today I sit down with Jude Hunter from the Southside Dippers swimming group to hear all about her experiences helping to set up the group, her tips for a quick post swim change, and how wild swimming became her answer to questions about the menopause. You can find out mor…

Welcome to Wild Wimmin, the Wild Swimming Podcast - I'm Laura Macdonald. In this first episode I speak to Chris Sifleet of Inchbaggers Loch Lomond Island Swims about her life in wild swimming. We get into all things swim safety, channel crossings, goose nurseries and how you too, might bag an inch. You can find out more info about Inchbaggers here …