Tonight was the first night I have started to feel a bit chilly after a dip in the lake, although it was mainly the feet on the walk out afterwards. Been a pretty good year overall but I think the fun is about to end.
Our local lakes are now winding down for winter. The one behind my house has ended the weekend morning sessions but will keep an early evening Saturday slot for a little while longer. Basically it is season end.
Still in 3 swims a week for those who want to go. I am once a week still in skins absolutely no training benefit, pointless 30 minute swim followed by a hour of shivering…great fun tho
I guess the water is warmer now than in the early Spring. Isn’t the sea warmest around Sept time in the UK?
Yep, it’s still quite mild (though i haven’t been swimming in it). I waded in after my ultra on the weekend to wash the mud off my legs and to relieve some very sore feet. Was surprised at how mild it was.
Local lake advertised it’s last swim at the end of Sept!
We always finish mid Sept (although it was earlier this year due to algae). We generally find that the numbers drop right off after August bank holiday, most people will have raced whatever they are training for, and it just isn’t economic to continue. (We’re all volunteers but have to pay the venue and lifeguards)
Duckhen’s comments are interesting as, in my experience, those that continue into the winter do very little actual swimming so there’s no real training element.
Salford Quays you can swim up to the end of October at the Helly Hansen one.
The U-Swim one near me has closed for the season, but they do a few events over the winter, both there and at Salford Quays.
My last OW swim at the lake was the week before Hamburg. Obviously I got some seas swims done in the Scillies, but that would be rude not too. But effectively my ‘season’ ended on 29th July this year!
There are a bunch of guys/girls that are still swimming pretty much every day in the sea at Gorleston, considered it myself but then I realized that I don’t like swimming enough to be dipping in the North Sea in October! 
Some folk swim year round in our local lake. Not unusual for them to break ice. Nutters.
Defo no training element, I have no idea why I continue. I could go to my local pool, swim in a 50 m lane which is not too busy, work through a schedule, shower and get a coffee afterwards…instead My mate and I moan about how cold wet and pointless it all is, go through some arctic shock at the beginning, swim like a loon, get very cold shiver as I get dressed and then laugh all the way home “same again next week then mate”
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Mate and I tried to ‘go through Winter’ sea swimming, minimum half a mile, two swims a month. Idea was to go as long as possible non wetsuit, then wetsuit.
We completed November’s swims, last was 8 degrees non wetsuit. The last was grim and I think dangerous given the hypothermia symptoms afterwards.
Wetsuit we got to end Jan, water temp 1.5deg. Binned it after that, it wasn’t fun, it wasn’t really training and we proved a point as it was pretty much as cold as the sea got that year.
Some of the swims in stormy seas were great fun. It certainly cured my own apprehension about cold swims and rough sea swims,so it was worthwhile just the once.
There is a group here who go all year.
Swam O/W this morning…non wetsuit…
EJC where did you swim I think you are localish to me…I will be dipping again on Saturday morning non wetsuit before the rugby
i cheated…am in Mallorca 
Where are you based?
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Two friends of mine in the delph at Eccleston today
There married too…!
Nutters
I know London docks are still going. There advertising a Halloween themed special coming up. But in all honesty, cold water swimming just doesn’t appeal. As TRO says above, I can’t really see any practical benefit, unless you are doing something like the channel!
I am still wakeboarding 2 or 3 times a week and sneak a bit of a swim in whilst there. Season ends 10Nov though.
Willen Lake, Milton Keynes are having a Halloween swim, and also there is a cold water swim session once a month at the weekend from Nov through to Mar.
North Herts currently dipping in the ‘Blue Lagoon’ at Arlesey.
So called because it bears absolutely no resemblance to a Blue Lagoon.
Affectionately known as ‘The Pit’