Midwinter Swimming in Shetland

Across Britain midwinter has been a significant date in the calendar with ritual fires and feasts to mark the longest night and celebrate the promise of returning light. A central focus of these community events was to invite health and good luck to help survive the long winter.

Today, midwinter traditions have changed, with Christmas and New Year often getting more of the attention but decorations, gifts and gatherings of neighbours and loved ones remains an important way of spreading light and happiness during these darkest months.

Shetland’s solstice is a little different from what might be familiar on the mainland as many Yule traditions are still celebrated here.

The 24 days of Yule begin at midwinter, and in the past, a dance would be held each night and today some communities will still hold dances to correspond with that date in the Yule Calander. Because of our latitude and the extent of our winter darkness, the shortest day brings some relief as we know from this point in the year, it will slowly begin to get lighter.

One of my favourite solstice activities is to swim, even at this time of year.

People are often surprised at the popularity of wild swimming in Shetland. After all, at 60º North we are officially sub-arctic, and the water is cold! The warmest sea temperature you can expect is 14ºC towards the end of summer with the coldest temperature of 7º around March.

Despite this, our beautiful beaches and clean water prove irresistible for many of us. Although many brave people will wear only a swimsuit, I prefer the comfort of a wet suit, and it allows me to stay in the water a little longer during the winter months.

I prefer winter swimming, in many ways, as the water has an extra clarity to it. Looking below the surface you can see patterns in the sand and details of myriad seaweed species on the rocks. Often, beams of sunlight shine through the water, and the combination of gold and blue is truly magical.

Although there are many beaches that I love to swim at, for the solstice I usually choose Minn in Burra. Being on the west, it feels like there you can catch a few extra moments of daylight before the sun sinks into the sea.

On the solstice, I don’t go in for long, just enough to feel the chill of the water and reflect on how the changing season would have felt here in the past.

I love to take a moment to acknowledge this milestone in the year, the changing season and celebrate being in such a beautiful place to enjoy it.

Midwinter is not all about solitude and serenity, it's also a busy time for music, socialising and fun. Check out the blog to discover how we embrace the shortest day in Shetland.