We love the Lake District. We spent most of our childhood weekends camping and swimming in its breathtaking beauty.
The Lake District is home to 16 lakes, 197 tarns (small mountain lakes), 26 miles of coastline, 21 rivers and countless streams (or becks). With such an immense choice, the National Park is a wild swimming paradise. Here’s our favourites:
Best river:
For clear water, boulders, deep pools and trout it’s hard to beat the River Duddon. This alluring river is easy to get to by car with lots of roadside parking along the best section between Duddon Bridge and Ulpha. Ulpha Bridge is a hotspot (and can get busy in Summer) with both shallow and deep pools. There’s parking and you can jump off the low bridge into a deep pool. We love the Duddon for lounging on smooth pebbles and chasing the trout.
Best lake:
We would choose Derwent Water every time for the spectacular scenery and wildlife. Derwent Water is large, dotted with bays and islands and has spectacular mountain views. The lake has rivers and streams feeding into it and abundant wildlife. We’ve swum with kingfishers, otters and cows over the years. Ashness Jetty (an instagram favourite) is a perfect entry point and quieter than the Keswick end. Just push off and take in the fell views.
Tip: Derwent Water does have boat traffic, so make sure you’re visible (bright hat and float) and avoid the ferry routes. On the plus side, you can use the regular circular boat trips to explore different aspects of the lake.
Best tarn:
For us, swimming in tarns is what wild swimming in the Lakes is all about. Most tarn swimming involves a hike, a sense of remoteness and a picnic. Most have clear, invigorating water and 360 views. Head to the dramatically glaciated Scales Tarn under Blencathra‘s sheer Sharp Edge for the most awe inspiring view. Take a dip in Watendlath Tarn and surround yourselves with green lushness. Then indulge in the the Caffle Tearoom and check out the protected 18th century Packhorse Bridge and Surprise View on the way down. Our favourite tarn will always be Styhead Tarn. We first swam here on a school trip and have returned numerous times. Perched under the towering heights of Scafell and Great Gable, this mountain top tarn is a delight. The water is crystal clear and chilly with rocky edges and you feel like you’re swimming on top of the world. It’s unforgettable. Styhead is two miles from the tiny hamlet of Seathwaite in Borrowdale. It’s a perfect half day walk, or you can extend your walk and wild camp by the tarn.
Best plunge pool (or pot):
Black Moss Pot is possibly the most famous plunge pool in the Lakes. It’s in the Langstrath Valley section of Borrowdale. It’s often busy, but its cool, turquoise waters are intoxicating. A waterfall at one end develops into a deep, swimmable ravine. It’s about an hour’s walk from Stonethwaite and you can combine it with the equally tempting Galleny Force (cascades and clear blue pools) on the way and only 15 minutes from the Langstrath Inn.
If you want a less busy dip, then head to the adjacent valley and swim in the aquamarine waters of the Stockley Bridge plunge pool on the River Derwent. It’s our favourite due to the azure waters and the picturesque bridge, plus you can easily combine it with Styhead Tarn.
Best pub swim:
The Lakes is packed with good pubs, but our favourite is the welcoming Wasdale Head Inn. This remote inn is nine miles from the nearest main road at the head of isolated Wasdale. It’s in the shadows of England’s highest mountain, Scafell, and overlooks England’s deepest lake Wastwater – which has to be on any list of ultimate swims…
Wastwater is deep, cold and ridiculously clear. It’s three miles long, half a mile wide and 260 feet deep. It sheers away steeply from the shore and can be bitterly cold, so it’s not everyone’s ideal swim. But the views are world class with a panorama of Red Pike, Kirk Fell, Great Gable and Scafell Pike. It also has the desolate, cascading screes along the eastern shore- piles of rock fragments reaching from the lake’s bottom up to around 2000f feet. If you don’t fancy a swim, then you can enjoy the views and get back to nature at the Wasdale Campsite our top campsite in the Lakes.
Safety tips:
Don’t swim alone.
Limit your swim time if you’re not used to cold water swimming.
Stay close to the shoreline on the larger lakes in case you get into trouble.
Take warm clothes, snacks and a hot drink for afterwards. We’re addicted to our Dry Robe for post swim warming.