Scotland’s wild spirit: Cairngorms and Loch Lomond
Scotland’s untouched nature makes it one of the world’s leading centers of the “wild swimming” movement. In particular, An Lochan Uaine and Loch Morlich in Cairngorms National Park in northern Scotland are unique refuges for adventure lovers, with their surrounding pine forests and freezing mountain waters.
For those seeking a larger scale and a more demanding challenge, Loch Lomond is an ideal fit. Home to one of Scotland’s toughest open-water swims, the legendary marathon route that crosses the lake from end to end, this vast, deep lake tests even the most experienced open-water swimmers with its dark, freezing waters. As you swim among the majestic Highland mountains surrounding the lake, you feel nature’s pure power.
The best part is this: when you dive into these deep, dark Scottish waters, you may, for a moment, feel as if you have slipped into Hogwarts’ Black Lake. It is no coincidence. In the Harry Potter films, the Black Lake scenes at the foot of the school were filmed at real Highland lochs, including Loch Shiel near Glenfinnan and Loch Morar, the deepest freshwater loch in the British Isles. The place where this magic began is, without question, Edinburgh. J.K. Rowling wrote the first book largely in this city. You can explore the streets that inspired Diagon Alley and other magical stops in our Edinburgh travel guide.
To meet Scotland’s wild waters and explore Harry Potter geography along the same route, you can check flight options to Edinburgh and set off from Istanbul on a four-hour flight.
Water temperature: At Loch Lomond and the Cairngorms lochs, the water stays between 4 and 16 degrees all year. August is usually the warmest period and March the coldest.
Practical information: Thanks to Scotland’s right of responsible access, swimming in the lochs is free. No entry fee or permit is required. Loch Morlich has a beach, a cafe, and a watersports center on its shore. Parking here and around Loch Lomond is paid. On the Cairngorms side, the town of Aviemore is the main base for accommodation and dining. Around Loch Lomond, the village of Luss, the sightseeing boats at Balloch, and the lakeside walking routes are ideal for after your swim.
A Baltic classic in the heart of Helsinki: Allas Sea Pool
In Finland, which refuses to give up its title as the world’s happiest country, swimming in cold water is not a luxury but an inseparable part of daily life, social life, and wellness culture. The place to experience this practice in its most modern and accessible form is Allas Sea Pool. The Finnish word avanto refers to a hole cut into the ice for swimming.
This facility in the center of Helsinki brings together freezing seawater pools, drawn from and filtered from the Baltic Sea, and warm wood-fired saunas right next to them. After swimming for a few minutes in the freezing water, you can step straight into the nearby sauna and experience the Finns’ centuries-old formula in its natural setting. These lifeguarded pools are among the safest spots for those just starting cold-water swimming.
If you would like to try the rhythm of moving from the sauna to ice-cold water and back to the sauna, you can book a flight to Helsinki and fly directly to Finland.
Water temperature: In winter, the water can drop to as low as 3 degrees.
Practical information: A single entry ticket is 19 euros on weekdays and 24 euros at weekends (including after 2 p.m. on Friday). For children aged 3 to 12 it is 11 euros on weekdays. Tickets are valid for 3 hours, and students and retirees get a discount. The facility has five saunas, heated pools, Allas Cafe, the Seagrill restaurant, and a Sky Bar. Towels are available to rent. Allas sits right next to the Market Square (Kauppatori), a little over a kilometer from the central railway station, and is reachable by tram numbers 2, 4, and 5. On the way out, Helsinki Cathedral, Uspenski Cathedral, and the historic Old Market Hall are all within walking distance.
A freezing fairytale in the Arctic Circle: Lofoten Islands
If you want to push your limits to the fullest and have a truly Arctic experience, set your course for Norway’s Lofoten Islands. Located within the Arctic Circle, Lofoten is a fairy-tale land of snow-covered, steep fjords, turquoise, freezing waters, and traditional red fishermen’s cabins (rorbuer). When you see these red cabins and rugged fjords, you may feel as if you have stepped into the kingdom of Arendelle from Frozen. It is no coincidence that when designing Arendelle, the film’s creators drew inspiration from Norwegian geography and architecture.
Diving into the icy waters of the fjords here takes courage, but the water’s clarity and the surrounding scenery instantly turn the cold shock into unforgettable exhilaration. Jumping from portable saunas set up by the fjord into the freezing ocean is a favorite among extreme cold-water swimmers, “ice swimmers.” The same region also hosts the northern lights from October to March. For those who want to dive into ice-cold water by day and watch the sky dance by night, this is the perfect place. You can find the best places and times to see the northern lights in our northern lights guide.
The most practical way to reach Lofoten is via Oslo. With a flight ticket to Oslo, you can fly directly from Istanbul to Norway and then continue to the islands with a domestic connection.
Water temperature: Sea temperatures around the Lofoten Islands are quite cold all year. They sit at 3 to 5 degrees in winter and reach 12 to 14 degrees in summer (July to August).
Practical information: Swimming in the fjords and on the beaches is free. The portable and floating saunas set up along the shore charge per session and require advance booking, especially in summer and during the northern lights season. The region has white-sand beaches such as Haukland and Kvalvika, fishing villages such as Reine and Henningsvær, the surf center at Unstad, and numerous hiking routes. Traditional rorbu cabins are the most authentic option for accommodation. Weather conditions can turn harsh in winter, so it is worth keeping your swimming plans flexible.
Freezing clarity between tectonic plates: Silfra Fissure
Silfra Fissure, located in Thingvellir National Park in Iceland, is one of the world’s most extraordinary spots for cold-water swimming and diving. It is a vast geological fissure where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are drifting apart. The water filling the fissure is glacial water from Langjökull, Iceland’s second-largest glacier, filtered through underground lava rock for 30 to 100 years. Because it filters down from the Langjökull glacier, it stays very cold in every season.
The water temperature remains steady at 2 to 4 degrees Celsius throughout the year. This freezing cold gives the water incredible clarity; underwater visibility exceeds 100 meters, and you feel as if you are floating through outer space. Thingvellir’s otherworldly terrain has also been a favorite among filmmakers for years; the region has hosted productions such as Game of Thrones. Guided tours are available in Silfra; this swim, done with a special drysuit or, if you have the courage, a wetsuit, is one of the most distinctive natural experiences on Earth.
Water temperature: The water temperature in Silfra Fissure stays steady between 2 and 4 degrees throughout the year.
Practical information: Entry to Thingvellir National Park is free; only those entering Silfra pay a site fee of 1,500 Icelandic krona, and this is usually included in the tour price. Car parks inside the park charge a daily rate. Swimming here is possible only on guided tours, and snorkeling tours run at roughly 150 to 200 dollars per person. There is no food for sale at Silfra, but there is a restaurant at the Thingvellir Visitor Center about 3.5 kilometers away. Most tours offer hot chocolate and cookies after the swim. Silfra is part of the Golden Circle route along with Gullfoss waterfall and Geysir, about an hour’s drive from Reykjavik.
A literary century-old ritual: Forty Foot (Dublin, Ireland)
Forty Foot, south of Dublin, the capital of Ireland, is one of the world’s most famous cold-water swimming spots, known for its centuries-old history and literary ties. This rocky promontory opening onto the Irish Sea has long been a traditional meeting point where Dubliners gather every morning, even on the coldest winter days and on Christmas morning, to jump into the sea.
Forty Foot’s connection to literature runs as deep as its waters. James Joyce’s masterpiece “Ulysses” opens in the Martello Tower in Sandycove, right next to this very spot. The famous scene in which Buck Mulligan calls out to the Irish Sea in the early morning takes place here. In the novel, the sea is described as a compassionate, embracing mother. Today, this spot, where locals still brave the freezing waves and then sip hot tea from thermoses, remains one of the most compelling proofs that cold-water swimming strengthens social bonds.
If you would like to discover Joyce’s homeland, you can take the first step by booking a flight to Dublin.
Water temperature: The water drops to 8 to 10 degrees in winter and stays fairly cold for the rest of the year.
Practical information: Forty Foot is open to the public and completely free; there is no entry fee, registration, or facility, only simple changing areas and handrails. The James Joyce Tower and Museum right next door can be visited free of charge. The museum is 14 kilometers from Dublin city center and 2 kilometers from Dún Laoghaire, reachable on the DART train from Sandycove & Glasthule station. Nearby, Dún Laoghaire harbor and its pier walk, along with the cafes in Sandycove and Glasthule, are perfect for warming up after a swim.
The lake where Frankenstein was born: Geneva and Coupe de Noël
Switzerland, set at the foot of the Alps, is one of the few countries where cold-water swimming is part of urban culture. Bains des Pâquis, on the shore of Lake Geneva (Léman), is a legendary meeting point open year-round, where swimmers enter the icy water and warm up immediately afterward in the sauna and hammam. As at Allas in Helsinki, the rhythm of hot and cold is part of daily life here as well.
The peak of this culture comes every year, one week before Christmas, with Coupe de Noël. Held since 1934 and considered one of Geneva’s most established sporting events, the race draws thousands of swimmers in costumes to swim a short but brutal course of several hundred meters in the lake at around 5 degrees, without wearing neoprene. It is known as one of the world’s most crowded cold-water races. Farther north in Zurich, swimmers wearing red Santa hats jump into the icy water of the Limmat River every December for Samichlausschwimmen.
Lake Geneva’s cold waters have a connection to literature that is just as powerful as its scenery. On a rainy night in the summer of 1816 at Lord Byron’s Villa Diodati on the shore of the lake, young Mary Shelley had the first idea for the most famous monster in literary history, Frankenstein, or rather Frankenstein’s creature. As you swim in the lake’s calm yet mysterious waters, you, too, can feel this magical source of inspiration as you lift your head and look toward the Alps.
You can check flight options to Geneva to meet the lake’s ice-cold waters.
Water temperature: During Coupe de Noël, the world’s largest cold-water swimming event, the water drops to between 5 and 10 degrees. In summer, Lake Geneva can rise to 26 degrees.
Practical information: Entry to Bains des Pâquis is 2 Swiss francs for adults and 1 franc for children aged 6 to 15; under 6 is free. The sauna, hammam, and steam bath section, open from September to May, costs 20 francs a day and 13 francs on Mondays; on Tuesdays the facility is reserved for women only. Showers, lockers, and a cloakroom are available for winter swimmers. The site’s well-known buffet, Buvette des Bains, is famous for the fondue it serves on winter evenings. The Jet d’Eau fountain, the English Garden, and the old town are all within walking distance. Taking part in the Coupe de Noël race requires advance registration.
A New Year ritual for tens of thousands: Scheveningen, The Hague
Scheveningen, the seaside town of The Hague in the Netherlands, hosts the year’s most crowded cold-water gathering. Every January 1 at noon, nearly 10,000 people run into the ice-cold waters of the North Sea, which are around 5 degrees. This New Year’s dive, called Nieuwjaarsduik, began in 1965 when Jan van Scheijndel and seven brave friends jumped into the sea. Today, it has become the country’s biggest tradition.
The ritual itself is as warming as the waters are cold. Participants wear the orange hats handed out by the event’s sponsor, Unox, and warm up with hot pea soup (erwtensoep) as soon as they come out of the sea. This dive, which takes place simultaneously along many coasts of the country, from Amsterdam to Arnhem, symbolizes a new beginning and collective joy. Since it is more of a short, cheerful shock lasting a few minutes than a long swim, this lifeguarded event is also an accessible gateway for those stepping into the cold-water experience for the first time.
If you would like to start the new year by jumping into ice-cold water with tens of thousands of people, take the first step by booking a flight to Amsterdam.
Water temperature: Sea temperatures range from 3 to 9 degrees in winter. In August, the warmest month, they hover around 18 degrees.
Practical information: Scheveningen beach is free and openly accessible all year. Taking part in the Nieuwjaarsduik New Year’s dive costs 4 euros per person; registration takes place on the beach only from 10.30 a.m. on the day of the event, advance booking is not possible, and capacity is limited to around 10,000 people. Public transport or cycling is recommended on the day because of the crowds. It is a 15 to 20 minute tram ride from The Hague’s train stations. Nearby are Scheveningen Pier and its Ferris wheel, the Beelden aan Zee sculpture museum, the Sea Life aquarium, and the restaurant-lined boulevard along the shore.
Practical and vital tips for cold water swimming
Never swim alone: To reduce the risk of cold-water shock and hypothermia, always have a partner with you or choose supervised stations such as Allas Sea Pool.
Progress gradually: Instead of jumping into the water, enter slowly to allow your body to adjust. Limit your first swims to 1-2 minutes.
Choose your equipment wisely: Neoprene booties, gloves, and a swim cap significantly increase your cold resistance. Since a large part of heat loss occurs through the head, the swim cap is especially important.
Pay attention to warming up after swimming: Shivering can start the moment you get out of the water, a condition known as “afterdrop.” Dry off quickly, put on windproof layers, and drink a hot, sugary drink. However, do not step into a hot shower immediately, as this can cause your blood pressure to drop suddenly.
Consult your doctor first: The sudden load that cold-water shock places on the heart can pose a serious risk, especially for those with an underlying heart condition. Be sure to consult a physician before your first swim.
Essential equipment for safe cold water swimming
Cold-water swimming is not only about courage. Having the right equipment and following safety rules is essential too. It is also recommended that you consult your doctor and get professional medical guidance before swimming. Here is some of the equipment you may need to make the experience enjoyable and safe:
- Wetsuit: A wetsuit is strongly recommended for insulation. Choose a thickness suited to the water temperature; suits between 3 mm and 5 mm are generally suitable for cold-water swimming.
- Swim cap: Cold water can lower your body temperature quickly; a swim cap helps retain heat. A brightly colored cap also improves visibility.
- Diving gloves and socks: Hands and feet lose heat fast. Dive-appropriate gloves and socks will help keep them warm.
Frequently asked questions
At what water temperatures is cold-water swimming done?
Water below 15 degrees is generally considered cold. In winter months or during ice swimming, the water temperature often drops to between 0 and 5 degrees.
What should I do to protect myself from hypothermia?
Keep your time in the water very short; a common rule is no more than 1 minute for every 1 degree of water temperature. After getting out, dry off immediately, dress warmly, and drink hot beverages.
Do you need experience to snorkel in Silfra Fissure?
Guided tours are available in Silfra, and since a drysuit is used, knowing how to swim is enough. Still, you need to be mentally prepared for the freezing temperatures.
When is the best time to swim in Silfra Fissure?
The water temperature in Silfra remains steady between 2 and 4 degrees year-round, so it can technically be visited in every season. However, the most popular period is between June and August, when visibility is highest and daylight lasts the longest. Meanwhile, winter tours with the northern lights offer a very different experience.
What does avanto mean?
In Finnish culture, the freezing swimming holes, specially cut into lakes or sea ice, with ladders lowered into them, are called “avanto.”
What is the best starting point for cold-water swimming?
For beginners, the safest option is Allas Sea Pool in Helsinki, which has lifeguards and warm saunas. For those seeking a real adventure in the wild, the shores of Scotland’s Loch Lomond offer an ideal route.
Is cold-water swimming harmful for heart patients?
Yes, it can carry risks. Sudden entry into ice-cold water can rapidly increase heart rate and blood pressure. For those with an underlying heart condition, this can lead to serious consequences. It is recommended to have a doctor’s examination before starting cold-water swimming.
Is the Wim Hof Method connected to cold-water swimming?
Yes. The breathing and cold-exposure method developed by Dutch athlete Wim Hof is one of the practices that popularized cold-water swimming. The method combines controlled hyperventilation, breath-holding, and gradual cold exposure. It is not recommended to practice it without professional guidance.
What is the most suitable water temperature for those entering cold water for the first time?
For beginners, water temperatures between 15 and 18 degrees are generally a good starting point. This range is cool enough to challenge the body but mild enough to be safe. It is important not to stay in the water for more than 1-2 minutes on the first attempt and to always make sure someone is with you.
