Cold-water swimming at Pool Bridge Farm, Wheldrake, York

IT is just below seven degrees Celsius outside and a day for layering up and lounging indoors with the latest Netflix series.

So I am pinching myself as I strip down to my swimming costume, ready to plunge into a lake near York where the water temperature is 4.6C.

People - mostly women over 50 - have been making pilgrimages to Pool Bridge Farm at Wheldrake for almost two years since the owners, the Fletcher family, turned their fishing lakes into wild swimming ponds.

I had visited in the summer, when Yorkshire was sweltering in a heatwave and where the prospect of taking a dip in the cool lake water was as appealing as an ice-cold Solero.

But today is another kettle of, er, fish - (don't worry, most of our slippery friends have gone from the swimming lakes).

Maxine and Lara in their dry robes for their cold-water swimming adventure at Pool Bridge Farm at Wheldrake, York

Joining me for the adventure is Lara Fawcett, a seasoned cold-water swimmer who at the age of 56 represented GB at the International Ice Swimming Championships in the Alps last winter, competing in the 50 and 100 metre breaststroke races - in just a swimsuit.

It's perhaps not surprising that the mum of three, who lives just outside York, has a taste for a challenge - she is the elder sister of TV action man Bear Grylls.

I've recruited Lara as my swim buddy and guide in the hope some of her derring-do rubs off on me.

My first instructions come in a voice note from Lara, telling me to bring clothes that are easy to put on after a swim: so joggers, sweatshirt, hat, wellies, warm socks, hat and gloves. She lends me a dry robe - like a long coat with a fleecy/towelling lining - to keep me toasty after our dip.

At the farm, a swim will set you back between £5 or £6, depending on whether you are a member, but we wanted to also use the sauna, which costs £15 for the hour, including access to the swimming lakes.

Owner Mike Fletcher gives us a guided tour before leading us to a converted barn where we get changed. He advises us to get warm first in the sauna before taking the plunge.

The sauna is in a converted Shepherd's hut by the edge of the M lake - one of four large lakes on the site.

Inside it is like a furnace - so much so Lara and I have to remove our jewellery as it is searing our skin, and then we have to open the door to get some relief.

Hot and sweaty, suddenly the thought of jumping into a cold lake does not seem so unappealing.

Before we make our move, Lara shares how she steels herself to face the cold water: "It's all in the mind. I love a hot bath and, for me, anything else is not going to be hot - whether that is 23 degrees or three degrees. If you go into the Med on a hot summer's day, it is still going to be cold."

She advises me not to swear (!) not to scream (!!) - and instead breathe steadily and relax.

We leave the sauna and take the ten steps or so the the lake's edge, where a set of wooden stairs descend into the dark, expansive water.

Maxine Gordon, right, and Lara Fawcett cold-water swimming at Pool Bridge Farm at Wheldrake, York. Photo: Mike Fletcher

Wearing just a bright orange swimsuit and bobble hat, Lara goes in first, starts swimming out, and calls me in. It's now or never - so I follow her example and just go in: confidently lowering myself down the stairs before thrusting myself forward with a big splash.

I do not swear or shout and focus on feeling calm, and in the present, breathing slowly and concentrating on moving my body forwards through the dark, chilly lake. I count ten breaststrokes forward and notice I am about a third of the way across the lake (by now Lara is on the far side), but already feel my arms starting to sting from the cold, so I about turn and swim ten strokes back.

As I pull myself up the stairs and on to dry land, I feel incredible. My skin has gone bright red and is tingling all over; it's not an experience you can easily replicate, and it feels fantastic.

I sprint back into the sauna and moments later am joined by Lara. Mike told us the combination of hot and cold makes for a huge rush of the happy hormone dopamine. After repeating the sauna/swim routine, we dash to the changing area to dry off and pull on our warm clothes. I am buzzing - on a genuine high, with a rare feeling of wellness throughout my body.

Strange thing is, I don't feel cold, but Lara says that something to beware. "When you get out you must get dry and warm right away. You have a five to ten minute window to get out and dressed before the afterdrop happens."

Afterdrop relates to your body's temperature continuing to fall once you get dry so that you feel colder ten or 40 minutes after you exit than you did in the water. The key to minimising this is to pile on the layers afterwards and drink something warm.

Settling in the Pool Bridge Farm cafe for a hot drink, I notice Lara has her dry robe on over her winter clobber as well as her hat and gloves. She has even pulled her hood up over her hat. I follow suit and notice my feet feel freezing. As we sip our hot coffee, I stomp my feet up and down and wriggle my toes to shake some life back.

We are joined by Mike, who tells us that cold water swimming is not only great for mental wellbeing, but can aid fat loss too.

"We have a lady who has lost five stone in seven months - all through cold water swimming." He describes some of the science behind this, telling us that cold water swimming activates our stores of brown fat which use sugar and fat from the bloodstream as fuel to increase our body temperature - acting like a mini internal radiator.

He points to research by Danish scientist Dr Susanna Søberg who found that activating this brown fat can have health benefits because it uses suspended calories in our bodies and increases insulin sensitivity.

Not surprisingly, Søberg is a huge advocate of cold-water swimming. Encouragingly, she has calculated that a short dip pays massive rewards and that just two minutes in the cold water can activate brown fat and boost dopamine and serotonin levels, which help lift our mood.

Mike concurs and encourages dippers to acclimatise and build up the length of time they stay in the water.

"A rule for beginners is to stay in for one minute per degree of water temperature."

For me, that seemed ambitious - I reckon I managed about 30 seconds on each of my attempts. But considering how amazing I felt after such a short immersion, I am definitely planning on a return trip - maybe I can last a minute next time!

Find out more at: poolbridge.co.uk

This article first appeared in Yorkshire Life magazine. The latest edition of Yorkshire Life is out now, available from newsagents and supermarkets across Yorkshire and magsdirect.co.uk.  Subscribe at greatbritishlife.co.uk/subscribe/yorkshire/