As Christmas Day traditions go, an outdoor swim is not for the faint-hearted.
However, the chilly winter temperatures across the UK did not stop hundreds of people taking the plunge at lakes, ponds and in the sea.
In London, the Serpentine Swimming Club held its Peter Pan Cup race, which first began in 1864.
Elsewhere, hardy swimmers were sponsored for charity, including at Boscombe Pier in Bournemouth, Dorset, where the White Christmas Dip event raised money for Macmillan Caring Locally.
A hammerhead shark costume was among the marine-themed fancy dress in Dorset (Andrew Matthews/PA)One cold-water fan combined a flotation device with his chosen costume (Andrew Matthews/PA)Dozens took to the waters of King Edward’s Bay, Tynemouth, in the north-east of England (Owen Humphreys/PA)Ducks watched as one man paused during his swim in the Serpentine in Hyde Park, ahead of the annual Peter Pan Cup race that is held every December 25 (Aaron Chown/PA)The Serpentine Swimming Club’s Christmas Day race has been held every year since 1864 (Aaron Chown/PA)It is called the Peter Pan Cup race after author J M Barrie became associated with the club in 1903 (Aaron Chown/PA)Many of those taking part adopt fancy dress (Aaron Chown/PA)In Dorset, swimmers were in the sea as dawn broke at Boscombe beach (Andrew Matthews/PA)A man in a Santa hat braves the waves during his bracing swim (Andrew Matthews/PA)Not everyone was keen on taking a watery dip, with this dog content to watch in his Santa suit (Aaron Chown/PA)Swimmers take part in the Blackroot Pool Christmas Day swim at Sutton Park, Birmingham (Jacob King/PA)Santa hats featured on many of the hardy swimmers bobbing in the water (Jacob King/PA)
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