The official South Queensferry loony dook has been cancelled again – though the presence or absence of any overseeing organisation seems to make little difference to whether people, make a New Year’s dash into the sea, possibly whilst sporting a fancy dress costume or silly hat.

The ‘loony’ spirit, after all, is hardly one that waits for tickets or official stamps. Though, if what you want is the full experience of thundering into the water as a herd, it helps if a specified time and place is set.

Hence the appeal of the various official loony dook events that are still happening: Broughty Ferry, Portobello, Helensburgh, St Andrews, Kirkcaldy, Kinghorn, Loch Venachar. You know the crowd will be with you.

Of course, you don’t, these days, need the first day of January for a dook. With the rise of wild swimming, Scotland is now a 365-day loony dooking venue.

What struck me, having done a year documenting wild swimming groups and communities for my book The Ripple Effect, is that group wild swimming is essentially the spirit of Loony Dook expanded throughout the whole year. Yes, it’s centred more around what many call a “bob and a blether” than the quick in-out – but its essence is similar, and it too frequently does involve silly hats.

New Year, in other words, like all festive things has spread.

This year's upcoming loony dook is also a reminder of how people use dips, not just for health reasons, but to mark special moments. When we start our........

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