Children do it, pensioners do it and even toddlers have been known to do it. Plunging into the bath at White Wells, Ilkley, has become something of a New Year tradition over the years, inspiring hundreds of hardy souls aged between two and 82 to wash away the past.

In fact, plunging at Christmas or New Year has become something of a national craze in Britain, with people of all ages queuing up for wild swimming, diving into lakes, rivers, streams, bogs and canals, whatever the weather.

In Otley, hardened swimmers braved icy temperatures to swim in the River Wharfe last Friday.

They stripped off on the snow-covered riverbank before jumping in and swimming – clad only in their trunks.

So why on earth would anyone want to dip into cold water during the harsh winter climate?

I went up to White Wells on New Year’s day to investigate. And what I found inspired me. Although not enough, it has to be said, to strip down to my thermals and take the plunge – especially in front of the camera.

It took some time to trudge up through the ice and snow, which led up the steep hill to the famous White Wells.

The scenery was perfect – a dusting of snow gave the rugged moorland a seasonal feel – and it was wonderful just to be able to take in the excellent views of the snow-topped town below.

But the temperature was definitely below freezing. By the time I reached the famous white building I was absolutely perishing, gloved hands thrust deep into my pockets for extra protection.

It was around 2.30pm and there was a huge queue of people – all waiting to take the plunge. These were perfectly sane, respectable people. So what on earth inspired them to take a dip in the ice-cold water?

An icy wind whistled round my ears as I tried to enter the busy pool area. Once inside I immediately felt warmer – could it be that this was actually a warm bath people were queuing up for? Now that I could understand.

Apparently not. Dipping my little finger in I soon realised that the heat generated in the room was coming from the crowds of onlookers waiting to cheer on their friends and family and not from the water.

The temperature in the pool is kept consistently at around seven degrees throughout the year.

So it was, in fact, warmer in the water than it was outside but that’s not much consolation. Water is 25 times better at conducting heat than air. So when water travels across your skin, you lose heat much more quickly than in air. This means you are more likely to get hypothermia in water than on land On top of that, the New Year dunkers were wearing nothing more than their swimming trunks. The first person to jump in was Louisa Rumsey.

Aged just 15, the Prince Henry’s Schoolgirl, who lives in Bramhope, showed me up for the wimp that I am by plunging straight in.

Unfortunately, my hands were so frozen that I missed the photograph. Could she possibly get back in and pose? Laughing, Louisa obliged. She has been plunging at White Wells for the past two years at New Year.

Normally she is joined by the rest of her family but this year – perhaps significantly, the coldest New Year for a while – her dad, Tracy, had a cold and mum Janet wasn’t having any of it.

Louisa said: “It’s warmer than you think but it’s cold enough to give you a bit of a shock and make you shiver. I do it because it’s tradition. This has definitely been the coldest year yet but I believe it brings me good luck for the rest of the year. I feel fantastic when I get out – really refreshed.”

Once dried, I could immediately see the benefits on Louisa. Her young skin was positively glowing, next to my icy palour. Would she consider swimming in the Wharfe? ‘Maybe’ was the answer.

I dipped my finger again – a little deeper this time but not for long – brrrrrr!

Next in was Bryan Websdale, 39, from Ilkley. Bryan and his friends had been walking on Ilkley Moor dressed in Victorian gear. For them it was a double celebration. For as well as being New Year, it was friend Rob King’s birthday. Bryan took the plunge alongside Cindi Fewlass and her daughter, Millie, aged just nine.

Bryan, like most other dippers, opted to jump straight in rather than tiptoe down the steps.

Freezing water splashed everywhere. Cindi and Millie followed suit, giggling and shrieking when the water hit them.

Again, their faces were bright and blooming, and by the time I interviewed them in their towels they were very much ‘alive’. “It’s a bit of fun,”’ laughed Bryan. “A nice start to 2010.”

Millie, a pupil at All Saints Primary School, Ilkley, agreed. “My friends think I’m bonkers,”she said. “It is pretty cold but I enjoy it.”

Cindi said: “It’s a local tradition and when we moved here we decided we must join in. Ilkley is such a beautiful place to live – it’s like fairyland in the snow, real Enid Blyton country.

“You can imagine her characters jumping into the water at New Year. It’s fantastic but, yes, it is chilly.”

As I interview Cindi I become aware of my right hand swelling. It’s bright red and I can no longer feel my fingers. My feet, too, are starting to nip like crazy. I have to get warm. Cindi, clad in her towel and swimming costume doesn’t flinch. I feel like a wimp.

As I warm up, even more people are slipping past me to take the plunge.

Aren’t they worried about hypothermia? According to experts it would take a person 30 minutes to develop hypothermia in freezing water. But the shock to the body of plunging in to cold water can cause a heart attack.

Because those at White Wells are just plunging in for a few seconds, rather than swimming for any length of time, they are confident that the benefits outweigh the risks. Also, the water is not quite freezing.

White Wells has a wonderful history. Legend has it that the spa was first developed after a shepherd injured himself on the moor. He bathed the injury in a spring and was amazed at how quickly it healed.

The first bath was developed in 1700. By 1829, hydrotherapy had become a pseudo science and was developed at Ben Rhydding, Wells House and the Craiglands, later that century, earning Ilkley the reputation of a spa town.

But it wasn’t until 1995 that Bradford Council’s countryside and rights of way department came up with the idea of opening the plunge pool at White Wells to New Year’s revellers.

Much to their surprise, hundreds of locals took up the challenge. The highest number of dippers to date has been 167 – the youngest aged two-and-a-half, the oldest aged 85. This year, there were 129 in total.

Mark Hunnebell, who runs the White Wells café, said: “The place has a real history to it. It’s great to see everyone coming up here at New Year. We try to encourage them to sign the register so we know how many have been in. I don’t think the bath has any medicinal purposes now, other than being invigorating. I’ve been in at this time of year and you come out exhilarated.”

Mark has been so inspired by White Wells that he has written a book about its history, due to come out later this year.

Charles Darwin is said to have taken a dip back in 1859, and in 1791, local girl Anne Harper, nine, drowned at the Spa after running an errand for her dad – the local butcher. A plaque in her memory has been placed above the door of the café.

Mark said: “I have found out all sorts of amazing things about White Wells. I’m sure it will interest many who live here.”

Back in to the pool area, Rob King, 51, his daughter Laura, 10, and family friend Matthew Sturgeon are eagerly preparing for the dip.

Rob said: “It’s my birthday. I felt it would be a good way to celebrate. We have been walking on the moor dressed in traditional Victorian climbing gear. It’s been a real laugh. Some of my friends came up last year in their dressing gowns. I think it’s great. A wonderful start to the year – that’s why we do it. It feels great.”

But despite their enthusiasm I am afraid nothing would convince me to do the dip. My eight-year-old son, however, thinks differently. “Will we do it next year, Mummy?” he asks. “I’m definitely going in.”

I button up my jacket and swipe his balaclava, pulling it down over my ears. His enthusiasm and determination is worrying me. By the time I return home, I’m already looking up flights for Majorca New Year 2011.