About Alice – Cold Water Swimming Expert, Open Water Coach & Author

Alice Goodridge is a leading cold water swimming expert, open water swimming coach, winter swimmer, ice swimmer and wild swimming author based in the Scottish Highlands. She helps people of all levels discover the joy, adventure and wellbeing benefits of swimming in natural waters.

From Pool to Open Water

Alice has always loved the water. She began swimming as a child and moved from the pool to open water swimming in 2009. Always ready for a challenge, she completed her first 5km island-to-island swim in 2010.

In 2012, Alice achieved her dream of swimming the English Channel solo, covering 21 miles (34 km) in 13 hours and 55 minutes. After that, she qualified as a swimming teacher, open water swimming coach and wild swimming guide. Since then, she has led cold water swimming holidays, training camps and wild swimming adventures across the UK and overseas.

Exploring Wild Waters Around the World

Alice’s background in adventure travel operations and environmental research has taken her all over the world. Along the way, she has swum in glacial lakes in the Arctic Circle, mountain lakes in China and Kyrgyzstan, spring-fed rivers in Nigeria and tropical seas off Sierra Leone.

These incredible experiences deepened her passion for wild swimming and the connection between people and nature. As a result, she continues to promote safe, inclusive and environmentally responsible open water swimming wherever she goes.

Building Scotland’s Cold Water Swimming Community

In 2013, Alice moved to the Cairngorms National Park in the Scottish Highlands. There, she began exploring local lochs, rivers and waterfalls, often swimming beneath castle walls or through mountain landscapes. She quickly fell in love with cold water immersion and Scotland’s dramatic wild waters.

Alice helped set up several local wild swimming groups. Over time, these grew from small gatherings of hardy dippers into thriving year-round swimming communities. Through these groups, she has inspired hundreds of new swimmers to experience the physical and mental benefits of cold water swimming.

As a cold water swimming expert, Alice is passionate about helping others find confidence and joy in the lochs, rivers, and seas of Scotland.

Founding SwimWild

In 2018, Alice founded SwimWild, a company devoted to open water swimming adventures and cold water swim coaching in Scotland. The goal was simple: to share her passion for wild swimming and help others build confidence in open water. As a cold water swimming expert, she designed SwimWild to make open water accessible and enjoyable for everyone, from beginners to experienced ice swimmers.

Through SwimWild, Alice has created opportunities for swimmers to explore some of Scotland’s most beautiful and remote waters. She has pioneered wild swimming expeditions around Skye, the Small Isles, the Outer Hebrides and St Kilda, and guided cold water adventures to Ardnamurchan and Knoydart.

Event Director of the Scottish Winter Swimming Championships

From 2019 to 2023, Alice was the founder and Event Director of the Scottish Winter Swimming Championships. During this time, she built it into one of the UK’s most popular and highly anticipated winter swimming competitions.

The Championships attracted cold water swimmers and ice swimmers from around the world. Under her leadership, the event became a highlight of the winter swimming calendar and a celebration of Scotland’s growing cold water community.

Marathon Swims and Ice Challenges

Since launching SwimWild, Alice has continued to challenge herself in the water. She has completed solo crossings of two of Scotland’s largest freshwater lochs — Loch Lomond (the largest by surface area) and Loch Awe (the longest).

In addition, Alice is an IISA Ice Mile swimmer, officially recognised for completing one of the toughest cold water endurance challenges in the world. These achievements demonstrate her deep commitment to cold water swimming and her belief in its power to inspire confidence, strength and resilience.

Cold Water Swimming Expert & Author of Swimming Wild in Scotland

In 2023, Alice’s guidebook Swimming Wild in Scotland was published by Vertebrate Publishing. The book showcases her favourite wild swimming locations and provides practical advice for those wishing to explore open water swimming in Scotland.

Through her writing, Alice continues to inspire others to embrace adventure, respect the environment and discover the wellbeing benefits of cold water swimming. Her work as an author, coach and open water swimming expert has earned her recognition throughout the UK. Her perspective as a cold water swimming expert gives readers practical insight into swimming safely and sustainably in Scotland’s wild waters.

Alice’s Favourite Wild Swim Locations

Village Bay, St Kilda

Alice has swum at St Kilda twice during her SwimWild Outer Hebrides & St Kilda Expeditions. Her most vivid memory is swimming through a waterfall into a vast sea cave, then returning to the boat surrounded by puffins.

Loch Coruisk, Isle of Skye

This remote loch, part of the SwimWild Knoydart & the Isles Expedition, offers one of Scotland’s most spectacular wild swimming experiences. The clear water and mountain backdrop make it truly special.

West Beach, Berneray (Outer Hebrides)

Discovered while researching her guidebook, this beach remains one of Alice’s favourite cold water swim spots. “The sea was so clear I had to remind myself I was in Scotland, not the Caribbean.”

Loch Insh, Cairngorms

Alice’s local loch is close to her heart. “Sometimes there’s nowhere I’d rather be than floating in Loch Insh with my swim buddies, then warming up in the café afterwards.”

When She’s Not Swimming

Alice lives in the Cairngorms National Park with her husband Al, a mountaineer and horseman, and a lively menagerie of animals. When she’s not coaching or leading open water swimming adventures, she enjoys riding, hiking, camping and exploring new wild swimming locations with her little boy and Tora, her energetic Dalmatian.

She is also a talented illustrator and author. Alice regularly contributes illustrations to Outdoor Swimmer Magazine and illustrated Wild Waters: A Wildlife and Water Lover’s Companion to the Aquatic World (Vertebrate Publishing, 2021). Her creative work reflects the same love of water and nature that inspires her swimming.

Alice’s Greatest Achievement

Although Alice has completed many impressive swims — including English Channel crossings, Ice Miles and Scottish marathon swims — she believes her greatest achievement lies in bringing people together through swimming.

Through SwimWild and her local swim groups, she has built a supportive community of cold water swimmers, united by their love of nature, adventure and open water. 

Today, Alice continues to inspire swimmers around the world through her work as a cold water swimming expert, author, and community leader.