British Travel Journal | Summer 2020
As we went to print with our last issue never could we have imagined a world in which travel would be completely stopped in its tracks. Never again will we take for granted our freedom to visit our magnificent cityscapes, captivating coastlines and peaceful countryside. It has been a difficult year for the hospitality and travel sector, but as this issue of British Travel Journal shows many are beginning to reopen, delighted to welcome back visitors and guests once more. We speak to these resilient hoteliers, destination managers, and others in the UK tourism industry about how they have responded to COVID-19. Our Cultural Agenda takes on a new direction, exchanging theatre performances for outdoor art, sculptures and natural wonders. And, in a time when remote locations are being sought after, all you need to know about wild (and nearly wild) camping is covered in our Sustainable Travel series. If camping isn’t for you, help is at hand to find the perfect holiday home in our 10 of the Best Self-Catering Properties. If you’re dreaming of strolls along the shore, fresh sea air and gently lapping waves, then you will love our coastal specials; Revival of the Beach Hut, England’s Coast, Wild Swimming and Secret Islands. Enjoy a taste of Cornwall in our Interview with Rick Stein before heading to the beach workshop of wooden bellyboards in our Meet the Maker: Wave Rider article with Dick Pearce. Finally, thank you to all our subscribers for your support, keeping our spirits high with words of encouragement and understanding the unusual delay in receiving this issue. Together we continued to dream of the extraordinary places we can explore, staying inspired with online and digital features, and hopefully by the time of reading this issue our next great adventures will have become reality.Travel safely, and together we will continue to support our wonderful tourism industry.
As we went to print with our last issue never could we have imagined a world in which travel would be completely stopped in its tracks. Never again will we take for granted our freedom to visit our magnificent cityscapes, captivating coastlines and peaceful countryside. It has been a difficult year for the hospitality and travel sector, but as this issue of British Travel Journal shows many are beginning to reopen, delighted to welcome back visitors and guests once more. We speak to these resilient hoteliers, destination managers, and others in the UK tourism industry about how they have responded to COVID-19. Our Cultural Agenda takes on a new direction, exchanging theatre performances for outdoor art, sculptures and natural wonders. And, in a time when remote locations are being sought after, all you need to know about wild (and nearly wild) camping is covered in our Sustainable Travel series. If camping isn’t for you, help is at hand to find the perfect holiday home in our 10 of the Best Self-Catering Properties. If you’re dreaming of strolls along the shore, fresh sea air and gently lapping waves, then you will love our coastal specials; Revival of the Beach Hut, England’s Coast, Wild Swimming and Secret Islands. Enjoy a taste of Cornwall in our Interview with Rick Stein before heading to the beach workshop of wooden bellyboards in our Meet the Maker: Wave Rider article with Dick Pearce. Finally, thank you to all our subscribers for your support, keeping our spirits high with words of encouragement and understanding the unusual delay in receiving this issue. Together we continued to dream of the extraordinary places we can explore, staying inspired with online and digital features, and hopefully by the time of reading this issue our next great adventures will have become reality.Travel safely, and together we will continue to support our wonderful tourism industry.
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The Lowdown<br />
WILD<br />
SWIMMING<br />
As your senses heighten and<br />
your mind calms, feel the<br />
benefits of connecting to nature,<br />
by immersing yourself in the<br />
outdoors and soaking up its<br />
awe-inspiring beauty<br />
Words | Lydia Paleschi<br />
As an island nation with close affinities to the<br />
water there has long been a tradition of wild<br />
swimming in Britain. Wild swimmers take to<br />
nature’s open water spaces for an alfresco dip<br />
in all weathers and seasons, freeing themselves<br />
from the confines of indoor exercise spaces and<br />
chlorinated pools. In England and Wales, a ‘right<br />
to roam’ law means that we are permitted to swim<br />
in most rivers and lakes, whereas in Scotland all<br />
waters are accessible as long as swimmers uphold<br />
the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. In essence, as<br />
long as we respect the environment, each other<br />
and don’t trespass, Britain’s waterways are an<br />
easily accessible place to experience a fun form of<br />
exercise and a sense of adventure.<br />
It is unsurprising that there has been a surge in<br />
the popularity of wild swimming in recent years, as<br />
people take to the water to reconnect with nature.<br />
I caught up with Lauren Biddulph, who runs<br />
swimming retreats as part of the Salt Sisterhood<br />
based in Cornwall, to learn more about wild<br />
swimming and the benefits of immersing oneself in<br />
the open water.<br />
Lauren starts by clarifying to me that wild<br />
swimming can be in the sea, rivers or any open<br />
80 <strong>British</strong><strong>Travel</strong><strong>Journal</strong>.com
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