12 Best Spots for Wild Swimming In The Lake District (+ Map)

There are so many excellent locations for wild swimming in the Lake District it’s hard to choose where to go. Our selected list includes fairy pools, remote tarns, family-friendly lakes and hidden pots.

The Lake District is an excellent destination for open-water swimming.

Tiny pots and fairy pools are hidden along beautiful mountain trails. Glacial tarns high up in the valleys provide a secluded escape, while vast lakes with grand views offer space for a proper swim.

Paul and I love the Lake District. We regularly take a dip on long day hikes, so over the years, we’ve found our favourite wild swimming spots.

Some are wild and remote and require a hike to get to. Some have few facilities but spectacular views. Others are perfect for families with toilets, cafes and easy parking.

In this guide, we have provided all the details you need, including a map, how to get to each location, where to swim, where to park and the available facilities.

MAP – WILD SWIMMING SPOTS

All our favourite spots for wild swimming in the Lake District are on the map below. We have included parking locations for each, along with the best spots for jumping in for a swim.

To help you decide where to base yourself, read our article on the best places to stay in the Lake District.

USING OUR MAPS. Click on the top right corner to open in the Google Maps app. Click on the star to save to your Google account.  

HELPING PROTECT THE LAKES

Over recent years, non-native weeds have steadily spread to some of the Lake District’s most pristine lakes.

To help stop the spread, please thoroughly rinse yourself, your swimwear, and any other equipment between swimming in different lakes.

For more information about swimming responsibly in the Lake District, catch up on the rules at the Outdoor Swimming Society.

WHERE TO SWIM IN THE LAKE DISTRICT?

1. BLEA TARN

There are few more picturesque spots for wild swimming in the Lake District than Blea Tarn. Come on a still day, and the rugged Langdale Pikes reflect perfectly in its waters.

The tarn is big enough to have a proper swim but small enough to feel intimate. Head here in the evening for a picnic, and you may well have the whole area to yourself.

There’s a great walk near the tarn called Side Pike. It only takes 30 minutes, and the views are excellent. The details are in our Langdale Pikes guide.

• Parking: Blea Tarn Car Park (LA22 9PG – ///styled.balconies.retract). The machine takes cash only, but parking is free for National Trust members.
• Where to swim: The swimming location is a 5-minute walk from the car park.
• Facilities: Blea Tarn has no facilities, but the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel is a classic old walkers’ pub, just an 8-minute drive from Blea Tarn.

2. RYDAL WATER

Rydal Water is a serene and peaceful place for swimming.

Sheltered on all sides by mountains and low in altitude, the water is often a little stiller and a little warmer than other swimming spots.

We recommend coming here for an early morning swim, but the rocky beach is also great for a picnic during the day.

The walk from the car park is far enough to keep the numbers down, but not so far as to make it too long.

• Parking: Pelter Bridge Car Park (LA22 9LW – ///relegate.bath.bronzer).
• Where to swim: From the car park, walk for 15 minutes along the lake’s western end. There’s a shelving beach, and the nearby grassy banks are perfect for a picnic.
• Facilities: There are no facilities at the swimming spot.

3. BLACK MOSS POT

If we had to pick, Black Moss Pot would be our favourite spot for wild swimming in the Lake District. It’s a dramatic gorge pool cut into the rock high up in the Langstrath Valley.

The pool is a thin corridor between two high rocky walls. At one end, vertical rocks lean over a wider pool. At the other end, a rocky beach makes for an easier entrance.

It’s a great place to leap into the waters below.

You can read more in our guide to Black Moss Pot.

• Parking: In the village of Stonethwaite. (CA12 5XG – ///gasping.happily.sharpens).
• Where to swim: Walk past the Langstrath Country Inn and along the river for about 1 hour to reach the swimming spot.
• Facilities: There are no facilities at Black Moss Pot, but the Stonethwaite Campsite at the start of the walk has toilets, and the Langstrath Country Inn in Stonethwaite sells a fine pint.

4. WASTWATER

Wastwater is the deepest lake in the Lake District, surrounded by huge craggy mountains in a truly dramatic setting.

It’s wild and remote, so we recommend swimming here only on very nice days. The slightest whisper of wind can make it feel very cold.

But when the sun is out, and the air is still, it’s a truly magnificent setting.

Gently sloping rocks descend to the lake, making it easy to enter. Grassy banks are perfect for a picnic, and the views are truly breathtaking.

• Parking: Lakehead, Overbeck, and Nether Wasdale.
• Where to swim: There are several little beaches sprinkled around the shore. But the best is just south of Countess Beck. (CA20 1EU – ///hikes.coarser.undercuts)
• Facilities: There are no facilities at Wastwater, but the Saw Mill Café, located a few miles south, is a great spot for coffee and lunch. Alternatively, the Wasdale Head Inn is just 3 miles away.

5. POTS OF ESKDALE

Eskdale is probably the most remote valley in the Lake District. Getting here is a challenge, but that’s part of the fun.

As the River Esk cuts its way through the rocky landscape, it drops through a series of canyons and waterfalls.

There are numerous places to take a dip, including infinity pools perched above gentle waterfalls and plunge pools set deep between rocky walls.

Kail Pot and Pillar Pot are beautiful pools where you can sit and be massaged by the flow of the water. Tongue Pot is a deep pool with high walls, perfect for leaping into.

Head further upstream, and the pools get smaller, more exciting and more precariously set.

The only people you are likely to meet are a few ghyll scramblers and hikers taking the Eskdale route to Scafell Pike.

• Parking: Park at the bottom of Hardknott Pass near Brotherinkeld Farm.
• Where to swim: Walk up the Eskdale Valley from Brotherinkeld Farm. Kail Pot and Pillar Pot are 25 minutes from the car park; Tongue Pot is 20 minutes further.
• Facilities: There is absolutely nothing here. But the Woolpack Inn at Boot is only a few minutes’ drive from Brokerinkeld farm.

6. FELL FOOT, WINDERMERE

Windermere is the largest lake in the Lake District.

Regular boat traffic can make swimming difficult, but Fell Foot National Trust Park and Garden, located at the southern end, is a great family-friendly swimming location.

A large grassy slope gives easy access to the water and provides ample space for games and picnics. You can paddle, swim, or even kayak on the lake.

For those looking to improve, SleekerSwim offers swimming courses for both beginners and intermediates. And you can end the day with a hot shower!

• Parking: There is on-site parking at Fell Foot (LA12 8NN – ///maddening.stunt.dodges). It’s £6 for up to 2 hours. Pay with cash or card via the JustPark app. Free for National Trust Members.
• Bus: The number 6 bus from Windermere stops out front.
• Facilities: Hot showers and changing rooms are available at the Active Base Fitness Centre with a £2 day pass. The Boathouse Cafe serves refreshments from 10 AM to 4 PM.

7. GRASMERE

Paul and I love staying in Grasmere. It’s a pretty village surrounded by rugged (but not too high) mountains.

At the end of a long day, we often walk to the far end of the lake to swim.

One of the shallower lakes in the Lake District, the temperatures are a little warmer than most. Nestled amongst the surrounding mountains, it’s a very picturesque place.

There is a gently sloping shelving beach that provides very easy access, making it perfect for families with children.

// our tip // Before swimming, hike up to Loughrigg Fell for 360° views, including Grasmere, Windermere, Elterwater and Loughrigg Tarn. All the details are in our favourite walks in the Lake District guide.

• Parking: Rydal Water Car Park (LA22 9SE – ///guard.corrosive.refers) or White Moss Car Park (///blanked.blown.eruptions).
• Where to swim: The best swimming locations are along the south side of the lake with a large and popular shelving beach just near the River Rothay, which is around 15 minutes walk from either car park.
• Facilities: There are no facilities at the beach; however, Faeryland Grasmere on the northern tip of the lake has a cute tea garden.

8. GLENRIDDING, ULLSWATER

In the town of Glenridding, a gently sloping beach descends into a beautiful part of Ullswater.

Access is easy and safe. There are large, open, grassy banks, making it the perfect swimming location for young kids and families.

St Patrick’s Boatyard rents kayaks, and swimming from the boats is allowed, provided you can pull yourself back in!

It doesn’t exactly get away from the crowds, but on most days, you can find a decent spot to call your own, and there are plenty of facilities nearby.

• Parking: You might get lucky on the road in Glenridding; otherwise, there is a large pay-and-display car park on Greenside Road. (CA11 0PA – ///unfocused.tarred.flight)
• Where to swim: The gently sloping beach is just east of the pier.
• Facilities: Glenridding has public toilets, shops, pubs, cafes) all just a few minutes’ walk away.

9. GLENRIDDING BECK

Glenridding Beck is a small swimming spot near the village of Glenridding.

It’s a secluded pool, hidden in trees and fed by a small waterfall. The temperature is bracing, but the water is clean and clear, and it’s the perfect way to cool off after a long walk.

Glenridding Beck is a 40-minute walk from Glenridding. But it’s much better to swim here at the end of the magnificent hike up Helvellyn via Striding Edge.

The pool is concealed from the path and easy to miss, so keep your eyes peeled on the map in our guide.

The pool is sometimes used by groups of ghyll scramblers heading up the river, but most of the time, you’ll have it all to yourself.

• Parking: Park at the pay-and-display car park on Greenside Road. (CA11 0PA – ///unfocused.tarred.flight). But, the best way to get here is via the walk from Helvellyn (as linked above.
• Where to swim: It’s a 40-minute walk from Glenridding.
• Facilities: There are no facilities at Glenridding Beck.

10. LOUGHRIGG TARN

Loughrigg Tarn is an extremely attractive reed-fringed lake. Set amongst the lush green pastures of gently rolling farmland, the landscape here is less rugged and possesses a serenity and calmness.

Although it’s in the heart of the Lake District, it’s tucked away from the major roads, so it’s rarely visited.

Yet with Ambleside on its doorstep, it’s an easy spot to pop out for a quick dip.

• Parking: Park at the car park at the top of the Foulstep Road, just above Skelwith Bridge.
• Where to swim: Walk for 5 minutes from the car park to the southeastern side of the lake.
• Facilities: There are no facilities at Loughrigg Tarn.

11. BROWN HOWE, CONISTON

Protected by the towering slopes of the Old Man of Coniston, Coniston Water is so calm that it was used to set land speed records in the 1950s.

That makes it the best place to get perfect conditions for a long swim.

There are numerous spots on Coniston that you could start, but Brown Howe has a large shingle beach for easy access and toilets.

• Parking: Brown Howe car park is on the A5084 between Torver and Greenodd (LA12 8DW – ///toothpick.anyone.absent). Parking can be paid for via the machine in the parking lot or via the RinGo App.  
• Where to swim: The shingle beach is just a few minutes walk away.
• Facilities: There are public toilets and picnic tables in the car park. No bins are provided.

12. CRUMMOCK WATER

Buttermere and Crummock Water are only a few hundred meters apart and are set in the most beautiful valley in the Lake District.

Come here for the day, and you will be rewarded with some of the best views of the lakes.

There are plenty of places to take a dip, but we would head to Crummock South Beach. Set under the flanks of Rannerdale Knotts, Crummock is one of the deepest lakes in the area.

The water temperature stays colder for longer, even in the summer months, so it’s a refreshing place to swim. But staring up at the rugged scenery makes it all worthwhile.

• Parking: There is pull-off parking right next to the beach; alternatively, a National Trust car park is located just outside Buttermere. (CA13 9XA – ///promises.parsnips.smoker)
• Where to swim: Crummock South Beach (///posting.hack.carriage) is a 15-minute walk from the National Trust car park.
• Bus: The 77/77A bus makes a magnificent loop from Keswick via Borrowdale and Honister to Buttermere (1 hour) and then via Whinlatter back to Keswick (45 minutes).
• Facilities: Crummock Water has no facilities, but the village of Buttermere is a 15-minute walk or a short drive away.

TIPS FOR SAFE OPEN WATER SWIMMING

01 – When wild swimming in the Lake District, enter the water slowly. The temperature may be cold, especially in deeper areas. If it’s your first time, stay close to the shore while you get used to the conditions.

02 – Never jump in unless your heart and body have already become acclimatised; you know what’s below the surface and have a plan on how to get out again.

03 – Do not swim in rivers with strong currents; there is a risk of being swept downstream. If you feel the current is fine, stay near the bank, as the water is usually moving slower. Swim upstream first because you don’t want to leave the more tiring work till the end.

04 – Be aware of the cold; hypothermia can come to you quickly. For longer swims in summer or any swims in winter, wear a wetsuit and make sure you have warm clothes to change back into when you are finished.

05 – If you plan on swimming across deep water then do not go on your own, it’s safer and more fun with others.

06 – If you are swimming in a river or lake with lots of boats, wear a colourful hat or take a visibility float.

07 – Avoid areas of blue-green algae, wading in muddy areas or swimming with an open cut.

08 – Have fun and take a picnic. It’s a great day out, but beware, being drunk and wild swimming isn’t a good mix.

MORE LAKE DISTRICT GUIDES

• Find your perfect area with our guide to the best places to stay in the Lake District.
• Use our detailed guide to see the Lake District without a car.
• Tackle one of our favourite hikes in the Lake District.
• Attempt one of the many routes up Scafell Pike.
• Or choose the best option and hike the Corridor Route.
• For the best Grade 1 scramble, hike Helvellyn via Striding Edge.
• Try one of these amazing wild swimming locations in the Lake District.
• There’s more than hiking, find more great things to do in the Lake District.
• Check out our easy-to-reach best views in the Lake District.
• Find all the great things to do in Keswick.
• Discover all the best attractions in Ambleside and the nearby area.