Wild Swimming, and the urge to throw yourself into icy cold water...

Well, those lovely chaps who published Cool Camping have done themselves proud and brought out a lovely book called Wild Swimming.

Yup, it does exactly what it says on the tin. Written by Daniel Start, it's packed full of glossy pictures and evocative text detailing 150 rivers, lakes and swimming holes that just, well, make you want to jump in a river.

Now here at GTC we'd hate to recommend anything we hadn't tried ourselves, so that's exactly what Becci did, with her two month old son Wilf and her poor dear mother watching on aghast from the river bank at Figheldean, "sort of near Stonehenge".

The icy pool was filled by the crystal clear chalk stream of the Avon, and was punctuated with tiny fish and the odd weed, waving in the current. Apparently, according to the book, it was always packed in the war with airmen from the local bases, and also Land Girls whose naked bathing was said by some to "distract the village from the war effort."

I imagine that if it had been a nice day it would have been quite a pleasant experience, but "brass monkeys" were the only words that Bex could choke out as she clambered back out, dripping wet and shaking slightly. Nor was she clad in a lovely polka-dotted two-piece with her locks neatly tied back, but a slightly tatty Citroen Saxo sweatshirt and a pair of her husband's shorts found in the boot of the car (that bogwitch from that Legend film with Tom Cruise springs to mind). "Marvellous fun," she choked through chattering teeth, drying herself off on a handy nappy, "the highlight of my summer."

Actually, weather apart, it was a wonderful location, as recommended on page 65 of the book. It's very well laid out, with map references, easy instructions and even a guide to water clarity for each site; the UK is divided into regions with maps showing all the swimming places for each area, and particular highlights. Next on Bex's list is the Silent Pool near Albury, having done Frensham Ponds (nice and warm, slightly squishy bottom.... actually, not unlike Bex herself.......).