SwimWagen

We’re open water swimmers. We swim in rivers, lakes, and the sea. We do it once a week, every week, even through the winter.​

Emma and Jo's story

We first met at antenatal class and have been friends for 24 years. We have a great friendship. We've been there for each other through all sorts of ups and downs.

Not a day goes past when we don’t message.

Taking the plunge

Me and my husband have an ID.Buzz and we've got an ID.4, too. We're a two-dub family. They're just great for taking us to the beach. We started open water swimming at the end of 2019. My head space wasn’t very good. The menopause made me very angry all the time. I’d heard a lot about open water swimming and the benefits of it.

I said, “Come on Jo, let’s just go and try it,”

Cold water. Warm hearts

When we first began swimming, we used to wear wetsuits, but a short while later I broke my collarbone in a bike accident. I couldn’t put a wetsuit on, so we just wore normal swimsuits. For those 10 minutes you're in the water you just forget about everything that's in your head because you can't think about anything else but being cold. When you're out, you can't do anything but laugh. The feeling you get is just fantastic.

Dipping our toes in

We started swimming in a lake as beginners. It felt safer. Even though the swimming area was small and there were lifeguards and lots of other swimmers around, I still felt connected to nature in a way I’d never really experienced before.

I remember one day, it was quite windy, we got nearly to the end of the swoosh as we call it, and there were these tall slender trees blowing in the wind. It sounded like they were clapping us as we floated past, as if nature was saying she was happy to have us down there swimming in her water.

A bigger splash

We mainly swim in the sea these days and as you know, the sea is always changing. You never get two dips the same.

We've been in the sea where the waves are just constantly coming at you and you have to be totally aware of what's going on around you, to make sure it doesn't take you out. Then you get other days where it's a millpond.

Switching to electric

Making the decision to go electric was partly to do with spending so much time with nature. You feel like you’re helping her. You try to persuade people that they should get one, and they’re like, well, it doesn't do this, and it doesn't do that. But none of that matters, because the driving experience is so great. You’re saving the planet, as well as saving money on petrol and tax and everything else. I would never go back to petrol now.

A nice warm bum

Yeah, the heated seats are a big bonus come the winter. We’re giggling as we get dressed, looking forward to our hot drink and warming our bums in the car. They creep up on you. You turn them on, then suddenly you get this warm feeling just going up the backs of your legs.

We'll always have this

Over the years we’ve visited some wonderful shorelines. What with COVID and everything that's happened, all during our ups and downs in our relationships, and life in general, our swimming has been a constant for us.

Meet the Volks and their Wagens

This film is dedicated to our fans. Each story within it reflects the sincere affection Volks hold for their Wagens. It includes people from every corner of the country, from all walks of life, driving all kinds of Volkswagens, from vintage Beetles to contemporary SUVs and the all-electric ID Range.