Wild Swimming in the Lake District - 10 Best Hidden Spots you need to know about

infinity pool lake district wild swimming spots natural best

What an amazing place for a wild swim in the Lake District. Read on to discover where this is and learn about the best Wild Swimming spots in the Lake District.

The 10 Best Wild Swimming Spots in the Lake District that you need to know about

I've been exploring the Lake District for many years now and I'm always on the look out for Wild Swimming spots to reap the benefits of cold water swimming. You can obviously swim in all of the big lakes, but I prefer rivers and the smaller tarns - the more off the beaten track the better. There are some superb places that are less well know to people not familiar with the Lake District, and on this blog post you will find the 10 best in the Lake District to help you plan a wild swimming adventure. If you do visit these wild swimming spots please respect them and leave no rubbish or trace of you ever being there so we can all enjoy these natural beauty spots.

Read on to discover the 10 best wild swimming spots in the Lake District

#1. Tongue pot, River Esk, Upper Eskdale, Lake District Wild Swimming

Tongue Pot wild swimming Eskdale Lake district

The River Esk in Upper Eskdale is one of the best rivers in the Lakes for wild swimming with the cleanest crystal clear waters and has plenty of wild swimming opportunities, with Tongue Pot being one of the best and most well-known for wild swimming. It's a stunning place, deep enough to jump in off the surrounding rocky edges too. To access Tongue Pot, the closest you can park the car is at the foot of Hardknott Pass. You'll simply then follow the footpath that tracks the River Esk to its source, and after about 30 mins you'll find Tongue Pot just before you come to Lingcove Bridge. If there are others there (likely in warm weather) - you will also find plenty more swimming opportunities further up the River Esk or Lingcove Beck - the whole area is worth an explore to find even more hidden spots. I enjoyed an early morning swim here on a wild camp further up the valley and you can find out more on this mini-adventure, with more pics and see a map location of Tongue Pot via the button below.

Whilst at Tongue Pot - it's worth an explore as there are simply loads of hidden sports for a wild swim in this area!

#2. Buckstones Jump, near Rydal Water, Lake District Wild Swimming

Buckstones Jump is an idyllic spot for wild swimming in the Lake District and is a very well-known local spot. It's near Rydal Water and you'll park the car at Rydal Hall and track Rydal Beck up stream for about 45 mins. It has a pebble shore and soon gets quite deep for a perfect wild swim. You can jump in off the sides and even go down the waterfall as a natural slide. I've done a detailed blog post on Buckstones Jump - including walking route map, click the button to find out more.

#3. Thirlmire infinity pool, Lake District Wild Swimming

It doesn't get much better than this! What an amazing place for wild swimming in the Lake District - a natural infinity pool over looking Thirlmire. There's not many places like this in the Lake District where you have a deep infinity plunge pool on a steep mountain side overlooking lakes and mountains. I've done a blog post on this wild swimming spot in particular to provide more info on it's location - click the button below to find out more.

#4. Black Moss Pot, Langstrath Beck, Borrowdale, Lake District Wild Swimming

Black Moss Pot is on of the more well-known wild swimming spots and on a hot summers day it can get quite popular. This is due to it's very deep crystal clear waters, and the fact you can jump into the water from the heights of the surrounding rocky edges. Black Moss Pot is in Borrowdale, south of Derwent Water, and the closest place to park is Stonethwaite. You'll then just follow Langstrath Beck for about 45 mins. Be sure to check out Galleny Force on the way too - another excellent swim spot!

#5. Blea Tarn, Langdale, Lake District Wild Swimming

Tarns are stunning places to swim in and their big size compared to rivers means you can swim about quite a lot! They are often quieter and calmer than the larger lakes and your likely to have them all to yourself. Some tarns are easier to get to than others, and one of my favourites has got to be Blea Tarn in Langdale. The views are incredible and you can actually park the car about 5 mins walk from this view in a National Trust car park. Its one of my favourite spots in the whole of the Lake District for wild swimming or just admiring the views. Loughrigg Tarn, near Grasmere, is another one worth checking out and popular with Wild Swimmers

#6. Kailpot Crag, Ullswater, Lake District Wild Swimming

You can swim in all the lakes in the Lake District, but Kailpot Crag on Ullswater is worth a mention as it's one of the few places where steep lake side cliffs let you jump into deep water from quite a height. You'll find Kailpot Crag between How Town & Sandwick. Photo from https://another.place/blog/leap-back-in/

#7. Gallleny Force, Langstrath Beck, Borrowdale, Lake District Wild Swimming

Galleny Force is in an idyllic setting and is great place for spending time wild swimming and there are a few pools you can choose from. To get here head for Stonethwaite in Borrowdale and follow Langstrath Beck for about 15 mins. Photo by instagram.com/lauriecrayston Find out exact location at https://www.lauriecrayston.com

#8. Wasdale Emerald Pool (Fairy Pool), Lake District Wild Swimming

The colour of the so-called Emerald Pool at Wasdale is magical and you'll see why it get's it's name. 2 minji-waterfalls collide here and make for an excellent place to have a wild swim. Find out exact location at www.lauriecrayston.com Photo by instagram.com/lauriecrayston

#9. Coniston Copper Mines Waterfall, Lake District Wild Swimming

The waterfall at Conniston Copper Mines is another deep plunge pool with crystal clear turquoise waters, perfect to get a dose of Cold Water Therapy. It's a little tricky to decend into the gorge, and theres not a great deal of space so it's not suitable for large groups and not a place I would recommend to take kids. Closest place to park to get here would be the information centre in Coniston. Find out exact location at www.lauriecrayston.com Photo by instagram.com/lauriecrayston

#10. Infinity pool at Buttermere, Lake District Wild Swimming

Infinity pools have a special kind of allure for wild swimming and there is an amazing one on Warnscale Beck in the most idyllic setting that looks out over towards Buttermere. The nearest place to park the car is at Gatesgarth and then take the footpath that leads you towards Fleetwith Pike. You don't need to gain much height though to get to this stunning place. Photo by www.heleninwonderlust.co.uk

And there you are - I hope that helps you find the perfect wild swimming spot just for you! I find the best time to visit these places are in midweek outside of school holidays when you are most likely to have them all to yourself. You'll have lots of fun and remember to stay safe. If you've not done wild swimming before, you'll want to get a bit of experience in being in cold water in more popular places before visiting these remote places.

Cold Water Wild Swimming Health Benefits:

I've been wild swimming a number of years now - and the colder the water the better! (Let that thought help you when you dip into these wild swimming spots haha) I've experienced the benefits first hand - and also done my research - and this blog post shares the Top 10 Health Benefits of Cold Water Swimming - click here to learn more

USEFUL ITEMS TO MAKE YOUR WILD SWIMMING EXPERIENCE MORE ENJOYABLE:

I've been wild swimming a number of years now - so I've built up a lot of tolerance to the cold. However in the colder months - the hands and feet can feel the cold a bit more, so neoprene gloves/boots come in very useful. The boots also help when accessing rocky wild swimming pools, such as the above infinity pool . A towel robe is also a very handy thing to keep warm after a swim and makes changing much easier. I can really recommend the products below to help you on any wild swim:

Happy Wild Swimming!

Post by Stuart Hodgson
'The Hiking Photographer'

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