I am sitting in a bright orange tin tub, deep in the woods of rural Aberdeenshire. The water is 8C cold and I am being led through breathing exercises by Britain’s first female commando. This is not a military exercise or some kind of cult initiation, but an activity offered at the new Discovery and Adventure Centre on the Glen Dye estate, where I have signed up as a volunteer.
“Tell yourself it’s cold, but you can do it,” says Pip Delamere-Wright. “Remember to think from top to bottom, you’re in control. Just keep breathing.” The cold water feels like needles on my skin at first, and I have to breathe deeply to stay in the water, but eventually I manage to calm my mind. After the required two minutes, I’m running across the forest floor back into the sauna, pine needles sticking to the soles of my feet, waiting for my next bathroom call.
Contrast bathing, or Nordic cycling, involves alternating between sauna and icy cold water and is surprisingly good for you. The peaceful 6,000-hectare (15,000-acre) Glen Dye estate, with its beautiful forests and meandering river, is the perfect place to try it, and Pip is a patient and gently encouraging coach. While sauna culture is spreading across the UK, Glen Dye may be a little ahead of the curve in offering such experiences.
Cold water immersion has been linked to reducing arthritis, reducing stress, and aiding sleep.
Over the years, the Gladstone family has renovated the old workers’ cottages and farmhouses on the property, adding off-grid cabins, riverside cabins and a small campsite. We’re staying in the Coach House, a chic stone farmhouse decorated in rich tones with striking modern art hanging in every room. It’s available for private use (sleeps 12) and now, for the first time, as room service throughout the week. A jukebox, board games and stacks of books encourage relaxation and connection. Every place you stay has wood-fired outdoor hot tubs, barbecues and fire pits, and there’s a quirky BYOB pub for mingling by the fire with other guests.
Aberdeenshire day trips are a great base for impressive Dunnottar Castle on the cliffs near Stonehaven, the gleaming granite of Aberdeen or the beautiful curvaceous bay of St Cyrus beach. But most guests don’t venture far and those looking for more action can sign up for activities at the centre. Aimed at helping families and groups of friends enjoy the great outdoors together, there’s a range of activities on offer, from cold water to bushcraft, offered by Pip’s husband Stu Wright.
Contrast bathing is a bit different from the increasingly popular cold-water swimming, but it shares many of the same benefits. Cold-water immersion has been linked to reduced arthritis, improved cardiovascular health, reduced stress, and aided sleep. With contrast bathing, you must control the very real mammalian urge to get out of the freezing water as quickly as possible.
“Your body doesn’t know what the danger is, it’s almost like when you’re about to fall,” says Pip. “You get a huge rush of energy and adrenaline, stronger than morphine.” It’s absolutely thrilling to push yourself in such a fundamental way. “You’re talking to your prefrontal cortex and taking control,” says Pip. “That’s where people take that cold-water experience and apply it to the rest of their lives. That’s where you build resilience and grit.”
Pip knows a lot about bravery. After studying human biology and sports science, she spent 17 years in the army and achieved the distinction of being the UK’s first female army commando. After becoming a parent, she left the army and retrained as a wilderness health instructor in rural Aberdeenshire. Last year, she appeared in Channel 4’s Alone, A winter survival challenge in the Canadian wilderness. Contrast bathing is a key part of Pip’s Channel swim training – and eating doughnuts to insulate against the cold.
There is no shocking ice cream headache, instead there is a frothy cocktail of adrenaline and joy
My second cold dip is surprisingly easy. Three minutes pass before I really realise it, and as I approach the maximum of five minutes I try Pip’s suggestion and stick my head under. No shocking ice cream headache, instead a frothy cocktail of adrenaline and exhilaration.
I find the third and final dip more challenging; I didn’t warm up enough in the sauna, so after two minutes I’m ready to put on a swimsuit and wrap my cold hands around a mug of freshly brewed pine needle tea. The aim of the reverse bath, by contrast, is to finish off the cold and force the body to warm itself up. Plenty of walking, squatting and walking are recommended. For lunch, Caroline Gladstone, co-founder of Glen Dye Cabins and Cottages, made us a big bottle of asparagus and spinach soup, with fresh sourdough bread and a plate of perfectly ripe local cheeses. We’ve learned that reverse bathing leaves you hungry, along with “swimmer’s high.”
In the afternoon we return to the Discovery and Adventure Centre with Stu. He is also a former soldier and dedicates his time to teaching “skills that people can actually use outdoors”. Much of his work helps fund Operation Cairngorms, a charity that focuses on helping military personnel spend time with others in nature and improving their mental health in the bush. We learn basic whittling skills, a push and a pull cut, and as a practice project we make our own tent pegs. Then Stu teaches us how to make a coat hanger using a piece of branchy twig – often a waste material in forestry – and how to tie a simple knot in a piece of rope to tie it to a tree. “Use it to hang your towels when you’re swimming in the open air,” he suggests. As we sit around the fire, staring at our projects, conversation flows freely: it’s easy to feel the therapeutic benefits.
The next day we set out on a walk to Clachnaben (589 metres), starting along the river and through the ancient forest dotted across the estate. A gentle six-mile round trip from the windy summit to the prominent granite peak on the horizon, offering magnificent sweeping views across the Aberdeenshire hills. Glen Dye is half an hour’s drive from the eastern fringes of the Cairngorm range, but there are many wonderful walks starting in and around the estate.
In the afternoon I enter the cool waters of the River Dye for a swim, repeating Pip’s words in my head and drawing strength from them. The water is deliciously refreshing. It’s cold, but I can manage it.
Trip provided by Glen Dye. Rooms at the Coach House start from £175 per night, with a £1,000 privy fee one night (12 people capacity), minimum two-night stay. Wellness and nature sports sessions at Discovery and Adventure Centre from £25 per adult, under-15£15.