The Cold Fix

by Sara Barnes

‘The cold water has given me the key to unlock myself within a place I didn’t know the community of cold-water swimmers right around the world. What binds us all together is the cold and how it makes us brave enough to tackle even the toughest of life’s issues.’ Having been a keen runner and cyclist all her life, in 2017 Sara Barnes was diagnosed with severe osteoarthritis and found herself facing major surgery and a future of limited mobility. Rather than obsessing about what she could no longer do, she decided to focus on what she could do and took to the water of the tarns, river pools and lakes in her home county of Cumbria. A new appreciation of being in nature and love of cold-water swimming and immersion was born. In The Cold Fix , Sara takes the reader on an enthralling journey, from her first tentative steps into the water, to meeting other swimmers from around the world who share her passion and who can help her answer the what is it about cold water that proves irresistible to an increasing number of people?

192 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2023

About the author

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Reviews

[Gráinne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t like this one. I stopped reading about 70% through . I would’ve preferred a book more based on the author, her life and experiences - as those were the most interesting parts of the book. Instead this is a collection of repetitive, surface-level summaries of why a group of random people like to cold water swim. I did not connect with the individuals as the stories were too short - we spent very little time with them other than understanding the mechanics of how they did it - which isn’t the most interesting part of the story.

A bit disappointing as we don’t usually hear stories from older women on these types of topics and, for me, that would’ve been a more interesting read.

[Kirst · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book explores the psychological side of cold water immersion from the perspectives of a collection of people from the cold water swimming community. It’s inspiring but also acknowledges the importance of safety in the process of cold water swimming.
Some approaches seem psychologically healthier than others but they each seem to be helping the individual.
Contributors from North America and Europe as well as UK
Not a particularly diverse book in terms of race but that is likely reflective of the online community used to recruit the people involved.
Worth a read if you’re interested in the area!

[Rachel Fryer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really reeled in by the introduction, which felt very personal, open and gave me a connection to the author. I loved the writing style. I think I lost that feeling a bit in the other sections, probably understandably so, because the other sections are written about other people. But it was still interesting to read about other's experiences in life, of cold water, and why they dip or swim in cold water. The book then circles back round to the authors journey. There are some nice good quality photos of the different people talked about. It's nice to put a face to the experience and I think the photos told me a bit more, helped with that connection to the person.

[Chickpea · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me this is probably 3.5 stars.
I loved the beginning and it resonated with me and my long term health issues. It put into words how I feel.
However, I wasn’t always interested in all the stories from other people and maybe there were too many?
I’m glad I read it, although at times I had to force myself to read it.

[Ciara H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably a little too much mysticism for me with the five personalities. Besides that I really enjoyed hearing the experiences of the writer and others, where and how they enjoy their cold fix.
This book is very niche.
I enjoy outdoor swimming but I'm not going to start traipsing over mountains to find tarns in which to swim.....yet!
Enjoyable but probably only to a few.

[Elaine J Bolton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the different stories in this book and found it a really engaging read (so read it in a couple of days!). Now to find some suitably cold water to swim in myself!