Publisher, writer, small business owner

I am the founder and publisher of Outdoor Swimmer magazine, which I launched in 2011. As well as outdoor swimming, I write about swimrun, fitness, publishing and business. I'm also the author of Swim Wild and Free: A Practical Guide to Swimming Outdoors 365 Days a Year, published in 2022.

Why I love swimming

At a basic level, I love being in the water, whether it's a pool or outside. But it's much more than that. Swimming helps me keep fit and supports my mental well-being. It's taken me to incredible places, been the source of memorable adventures and connected me with people around the world. Not bad for a simple activity.

In a world beset by trauma, conflict and poverty, and threatened with catastrophic climate change, it may seem trivial to spend time and effort on swimming, but swimming is one field where I can make a difference. If I can help other people improve their health and fitness through swimming, then I'm at least doing something positive. If I can encourage people to take action to improve the environments we swim in, then I'm playing a small part in making the world a better place to live.

On Medium

Here on Medium, I often repost stories I've written for Outdoor Swimmer. If you're interested in more on swimming, please take a look at Outdoor Swimmer's website or social channels. I also occasionally write about other topics as inspiration strikes me (quite often while swimming, interestingly) and many of those I post here. These cover other subjects that interest me, or that I have experience in, such as publishing, writing, language learning, running, swimrun, marketing and small business development. One day, I may even organise those writings into sensible topic areas.