Wild swimming in York at Pool Bridge Farm, Wheldrake

And no, I'm not talking about having a dip in the Ouse or the Foss, which carries huge safety risks and is not recommended.

Instead, pack your swimming cossie and towel and head to Pool Bridge Farm at Wheldrake where the Fletcher family are inviting you with open arms to have a splash in their fresh-water lakes.

There are three lakes to swim in at the former organic farm and fishing space which has been turned into a nature reserve and campsite.

The farm has been in the Fletcher family since 1952 and his now run by brothers Steve, Mike, Andrew and Richard and their cousin Trevor.

Monet lake at Pool Bridge Farm. By Maxine Gordon

Once fishing lakes, the expanses of water are now exclusively for wild swimming - and are becoming increasingly popular, in all weathers.

Mike tells us the story: "We started offering wild swimming after Covid which affected everyone's business as well as their physical and mental health.

"We started with a charity event in January 2022 which went really well and people asked if we could do it again."

Fast forward 18 months and the site is now popular with wild swimmers not just from York, but across North Yorkshire and further afield.

On the day I visited, I met a woman who was a regular and came over from Wakefield.

Mike says most of the users are women between the ages of 40 and 60, adding that there has been a lot of reports of wild-water and cold-water swimming being beneficial to health, especially for those in menopause.

Cafe at Pool Bridge Farm

But he stresses the lakes are for everyone. (Indeed, there were people of all ages there on my visit, and one man told me how he came regularly even in the ice because it was so good for his mental wellbeing).

There are three lakes: the adult-only Monet (so called because it is full of water lilies); M which is for all the family, and the Horseshoe, preferred by people wanting a work-out swim and also used by paddleboarders and kayakers on Thursdays after 5pm.

The site hosts a variety of spin-off activities too, from female-only skinny dipping to the Squelchy Plodders' run and swim every Wednesday at 7pm.

There is an on-site sauna too, in a converted shepherd's hut.

Toilets and changing facilities are available and a cafe with outdoor seating is open Thursday to Sunday.

Tickets are bookable online at: www.poolbridge.co.uk and cost £7 for an adult, £5 for a child under 16. The price gives admission to the site from 7.30am to 9pm . It is open daily.

Given the recent hot weather, water temperature is a pleasant 22C at the moment, says Mike, and people can manage in just a swimsuit and do not require a wetsuit. But he has swum in the lake in 2.8C and has seen people break the ice for a dip. In cold weather, he says, the advice is to stay in for one minute per degree of temperature.

Mike and his brother Steve say they have had hundreds of emails from happy swimmers who say the lakes have been beneficial to their health.

Steve said: "We have created a haven for wildlife and swimmers. In 2008 we turned the farm into a nature reserve and see an amazing amount of wildlife. We have ducklings on the pond, moorhens, herons, barn owls, stoats, kestrels, and kingfishers that dart about people's heads as they swim.

"We have a very friendly jackdaw who we call Captain Jack and who now has his own Instagram page."

Steve said swimmers come for many reasons, but many have health issues ranging from anxiety, grief and depression to cancer.

He added: "We have had so many emails thanking us for providing a place for them to heal."

The farm recently held its first wellness weekend and plans to run more.

So what is it like to wild swim at Pool Lake Farm?

I visited with my friend H two weeks' ago during the June heatwave.

Despite the continental temperatures, I packed my summer wetsuit, afraid the water would be too cold.

I needn't have worried. Fresh would be the word I'd use to describe the water temperature.

It felt chilly - but no worse than braving the North Sea in summer.

But given the heat outside, it was quite delicious, and most welcoming.

Swimming among the lilies

We headed straight for the Monet lake, and it is a name that lives up to the billing. So-called because of the pretty green lily leaves that cover the long, river-like, stretch of water (and are the subject of the French Impressionist's famous paintings), the first thing I did was to take a photo. Utterly beautiful.

I had packed swim shoes, normally used for pebbly beaches, but again, you could manage without.

As we swam - heads up (although the Fletcher brothers say the water is clean and has always passed its tests) - we chatted and soon acclimatised to the temperature. As we gently moved forwards (breaststroke all the way) we passed through warmer patches of water where the sun had made its presence felt.

We dried off in the sun, sitting on our towels by the river bank, then headed over to the M lake, which is larger and wider with an island in the middle, and spent a good 10 or 15 minutes slowly paddling our way around it. Dragonflies buzzed ahead of us, their bejewelled blue catching our eyes as we took in the absolute beauty of the surroundings.

After a drink at the cafe, relaxing at one of the outdoor tables, we checked out the third lake where paddleboarders were pumping up their crafts before taking to the water.

We thought that looked fun - now to find someone with a paddleboard!