Thousands of swimmers are heading for beaches up and down the UK today to take part in the annual Boxing Day Dip.
The events, which are taking place at locations from Moray to Devon, are touted as a great way to burn off Christmas excesses, beat the hangover and raise a chunk of money for charity.
Tenby’s famous Boxing Day Swim will be splashing out from the resort’s North Beach for the 48th time and will include a canoe race, crazy raft race, and fancy dress parade. Swimmers can look forward to the reward of the warming beach bonfire, hot soup and a commemorative medal on their return to the beach.
Cromer’s event, run by North Norfolk Beach Runners, will see a fun run ahead of the dip, with all money raised going to MIND (Norwich and Central Norfolk) in memory of young runner Niall Brown who passed away earlier this year.
Meanwhile in Whitby, the Lions Club expects to see 150 swimmers brave the ice cold waves of the North Sea. The event, which has been running for 45 years, raised over £10,000 for local causes in 2017, an amount organisers hope to top this year.
Many swimmers opt for fancy dress to mark the occasion, with costumes ranging from Christmas turkeys to elves and superheroes, though some prefer the more minimalist bikini and santa hat.
Less hardy souls are encouraged to attend their local event to cheer on the swimmers and help raise more cash for local good causes. To find out what’s on in your area visit wildswim.com.
Photo: Folkestone Boxing Day Dip, Graham Ó Síodhacháin, Creative Commons