JUST PUBLISHED: Without Britain, Europe risks losing its grip on the Arctic
For much of modern history, the Arctic has been a stage on which European ambition, science and strategy have played out, and in the 21st century, melting ice and a changing climate have only intensified its importance, shifting it from
JUST PUBLISHED: The Tokyo war crimes trial: an explainer 77 years on
This November marks 77 years since the verdicts of the Tokyo War Crimes Trial, formally known as the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE). Convened by the Allies in the aftermath of the Second World War, the tribunal
JUST PUBLISHED: Diving in to…Berlin
Wild swimming has seen a surge in popularity in recent years as more and more people take to the open seas, lochs, rivers, and lakes to harness the health benefits of an ice-cold dip. There are more than 8million wild
JUST PUBLISHED: Exclusive: Breaking boundaries at the top of the world
A snowball whizzed by my head as I watched in stunned disbelief. On the edge of the Arctic Circle, a free-for-all was breaking out. In a lifetime of polar exploration, I’d never seen this. Within sight of a glacier — near
JUST PUBLISHED: Will the Great Icelandic Swim break Ross Edgley?
In 2018, British adventurer Ross Edgley became the first person ever to swim around the coast of Great Britain, a 1,780-mile journey that he described as going from “a swim as most people consider it, as a sport, to being
JUST PUBLISHED: The cold truth: why wild swimming is riskier than you think
In November 2023, Joel Ineson, a 55-year-old swimmer, suffered a fatal cardiac episode while taking part in a swim in Sunderland Lake. According to the Coroner, no safety briefing had been given. No one was counting people in or out
JUST PUBLISHED: The hidden cost of wild swimming: how our cold water craze is harming the planet
Once dismissed as the eccentric pastime of pensioners in woolly swimsuits, wild swimming has become one of the UK’s most explosive outdoor trends. Over 11 million people took to open water in 2022 alone — a surge driven first by
JUST PUBLISHED: Diving in to… The Isle of Wight
You wouldn’t expect what I assume to be one of the world’s most expensive ferry crossings to be just three nautical miles long, but that’s exactly what I paid: £280 return from Lymington to Yarmouth for a 45-minute crossing. It
JUST PUBLISHED: Diving into…The West Country
British summertime has well and truly arrived, and on the back of a rare heatwave the West of England – home to cream teas, rolling hills, and breathtaking scenery – is basking in brilliant sunshine. The region spans Somerset and Gloucestershire,
JUST PUBLISHED: Diving into… Haute-Savoie, France
If open-water swimming for you means murky, silt-filled lakes, rivers strewn with litter, or endless laps in a chlorinated pool, then Haute-Savoie is here to blow you out of the water—literally. Here you’ll swap chlorine for glacier-fed clarity, lane ropes