Wild Swimming

Wild swimming in England

Daniel Start is an award-winning writer and photographer and author of three books onWild Swimming. Married with a baby daughter, he works as an environmental consultant and lives at the confluence of two rivers in rural Somerset. The new, revised and expanded edition of Wild Swimming is released 1st May. Here he recommends his favourite places to swim in England…

Imagine plunging in a sparkling waterfall on a hot summer day. Or swimming in a hidden lake on a sultry evening at sunset. Nothing is more natural than enjoying a wild swim, and England, with its abundant rainfall and rivers, is nirvana for the wild swimmer, as long as you don’t mind the water temperature on the fresh side.

Farleigh river swimming club occupies a sweep of south-facing meadow by an old diving frame and gravel-bedded weir pool on the Frome in Somerset between Bath and Trowbridge. It is the home of one of the country’s last surviving river-swimming clubs and was founded in 1933. It has been popular ever since with camping parties and swimming galas. You can camp just upstream at Stowford Farm and enjoy a cream tea too.

Wharfedale in Yorkshire Dales at the southern end of the Yorkshire Dales is an idyllic river just a stone’s skim from Leeds. There is a ten mile of cascades, chutes and river beaches with some good places to camp and canoe near the delightful villages of Grassington and Appletreewick.

Wastwater is one of England’s wildest swims and a fantatsic lake for a longer swim. The lake is very deep and incredibly clear with white quartz beaches. There are many little white bays along its three-mile length, and a great pub at Wasdale Head. From here you can even try climbing Scafell Pike, the highest hill in England.

Nectan’s Kieve waterfall lies hidden in a valley only a few miles from the Arthurian castle of Tintagel in Cornwall. You’ll find an extraordinary double waterfall with water that pours through a perfectly round six foot doughnut hole. The upper pool is out of reach, but the lower ‘kieve’ (meaning pool in Cornish) is deep enough for an exhilarating and exorcising plunge. It was here that King Arthur brought his knights to be baptised before their quest for the Holy Grail.

Houghton Mill on the Great Ouse River, near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, is an idyllic stretch of river flowing through traditional water meadows. There’s the National Trust mill to visit, and tea rooms, and with several different streams and lots of space the area is perfect for splashing about with the kids, or taking a longer swim. It makes a perfect day out not far from London.

Mermaid’s Pool, high on the desolate moor, but close to the road, and just north east of Leek in Derbyshire, this is a legendary small lake, said to be bottomless, in which the spirit of a mermaid is said to either enrich or drown you, depending on her mood. The pool is certainly deep, and there are amazing views. Thankfully I have always emerged enriched. The Mermaid Inn is just down the road if your nerves have been shaken.

Double Waters is where the River Walkham meets the River Tavy on the western edge of Dartmoor. There are an enchanting series of river pools and waterfalls in ancient woodlands, with abundant wild flowers in May. The two rivers join under a high cliff but head downstream a few minutes for the wide beach.