My main obstacle is a huge aversion to being told off or being naughty, so I need to find places/advisors that are calibrated for me in that regard.

There are places I can happily go for a splash; to go for an actual swim I'd need to drive much further or get over myself a bit.

(Actually that's another thing. The public swimming pool is on my way home from work, when I go to work, but any outdoor swimming places would need me to drive there first.)