the times Saturday April 9 2022We e ke n d 3
Wild swim spots next page
Vobster Quay
Radstock, Somerset
With crystal-clear waters this freshwater
lake is a go-to open-water swimming
venue for those in the know in
Somerset. There is a café on site
selling hot food and drinks, as well as
a small shop stocked with swimming
kit. Swim a 750m, well-marked route
with entry and exit ramps along the
way if needed. Book online in advance
(£9 per swim).
How to get there From Frome, drive
along Egford Hill and Holes Lane for
about five miles, following signs for the
Vobster Quay diving centre.
Details vobster.comHoveringham Lake
Nottingham
Set in tranquil countryside,
Hoveringham Lake, situated ten miles
from Nottingham, is surrounded by trees
and greenery, with a 500m loop for
swimmers. Download the ACTiO app to
sign up and book swims (£6.50 per swim,
nowca.org).
How to get there The lake is to the west
of Southwell, off the A612 Southwell-
Nottingham road. After
the village of Thurgarton, take the next
left turn.
Details loveopenwater.co.ukBicester Lake
Oxfordshire
Bordered by bullrushes and grassy
banks, this 200m, purpose-built lake
attached to Bicester Hotel and Spa has
wonderfully clean, turquoise water.
Entrance includes access to wooden
saunas, hot showers and heated
changing rooms, and costs £7 per swim
(there’s no charge if you’re staying at the
hotel). Wetsuits can be hired for £10, and
tow floats for £1.
How to get there Free on-site parking.
The lake is located at Bicester Gym,
Health and Fitness, Bicester,
Oxfordshire OX26 1TH
Details bicestergym.co.ukCaversham Lakes
Reading, Berkshire
A well-managed series of lakes and a
fantastic spot for swimmers (as well as
paddleboarders and canoeists). There are
changing rooms, a lakeside café, family
beach and a beach bar serving pizzas.
Non-wetsuit swimmers need to wear
a tow float (available on site) and all
swimmers must wear a bright swim cap,
which you’ll need to bring yourself.
Book online in advance (£6 per swim).
How to get there Caversham Lakes
is on the A4155 between Reading
and Sonning.
Details cavershamlakes.co.ukLoch Lomond West
Dunbartonshire, Scotland
Set within forests and backed by
monumental mountains, Loch Lomond
is, of course, not a private lake but it does
offer excellent guided swims in a
spectacular setting, exploring its sandy
beaches and islands. Inchbaggers is an
organisation that runs a range of options
for swims that cater to everyone, from
novices to experienced swimmers,
heading out to and around 12 of the
islands on Loch Lomond (from £25 per
person, inchbaggersislandswims.co.uk).
How to get there Loch Lomond is
accessible by public transport with
regular trains and a bus from Glasgow.
Details inchbaggers.comDivers Cove, SurreyA room at Ropehawn, Cornwallwild(ish) swimming guide
9 private lakes and ponds —
sauna and cocktails optional
Divers Cove Godstone,
Surrey
This seven-acre reservoir with crystal-
clear water surrounded by a dense wood
of silver birch is the dream for not-too-
wild swimmers. Wood-fired saunas and
hot tubs are available, and there are
heated changing rooms with lockers at
the top of a downhill walk through trees
to the lake. Hot and cold drinks and
homemade sausage rolls are served from
a small on-site café, and there are two
swim circuits, 450m and 650m. Book
online in advance (£6 per swim).
How to get there On-site parking only
accessible from North Park Lane off
A25. Take the first right turning on
North Park Lane and turn right again
(immediately), then drive up the slope
through gates to find the parking area.
Details diverscove.co.ukDosthill Quarry
Tamworth, Birmingham
On the outskirts of Tamworth lies
Dosthill Quarry, a beautiful place to
swim all year round with clear water and
quarry walls that rise steeply from the
water’s edge. For a small charge, your
pooch can paddle with you (£4). Register
online in advance to book swims and
hire kit (£8 per swim, £8 for full wetsuit
hire, £2 for personal float hire — which
you will need to use for safety reasons if
you choose to go without a wetsuit).
How to get there From the A51 near
Tamworth, turn into Church Road;
continue past the church on your left,
and turn left through green metal gates,
into the car park.
Details dosthillquarry.comDenham Waterski Club
Uxbridge, Buckinghamshire
This secluded lake surrounded by
tranquil woodland will not disappoint: it
has a Scandinavian-style log clubhouse,
a bar area and spacious lakeside decking
area. Swimmers can follow a 1km loop
with coots swimming alongside. Sign up
using the swimmers’ app ACTiO to book
(£7 per swim, nowca.org).
How to get there From Denham, follow
A412 road north for 2½ miles until you
see a signpost on your right.
Details denhamwaterski.comScaling Dam Reservoir
North Yorkshire
This man-made lake on the edge of the
North Yorkshire Moors is encircled by
wild heather, with a 400m course for
swimmers, plus showers. Non-wetsuit
swimmers will need to wear a tow float
(there are some available on site, as well
as wetsuits) and all swimmers must wear
a bright swim cap, which you’ll need to
bring yourself. Entry is £5 per swim.
How to get there Scaling Dam Reservoir
is between Whitby and Middlesbrough
on the A171.
Details scalingdam.orgDenham Waterski Club, Buckinghamshireof Ditchling, then down a bumpy track,
is this magical cabin. It’s woody, arty,
on a private lake — you can dive
straight in from the deck of the cabin,
or climb down the stepladders which
ease into the cool green water. A rowing
boat, kayak and paddleboard are
available for use — and a hot tub and
outdoor shower await you.
Details One night self-catering for
six from £345, minimum two-night stay
(i-escape.com)Fritton Lake near Great
Yarmouth, Norfolk
This is a perfect place to reconnect
with nature — and then have a smart
dinner. It is one of the most audacious
rewilding programmes — a 1,000-acre
East Anglian safari, which has been
reimagined into a private members’ club
with spa, gym, Clubhouse restaurant and
bar. And luxury accommodation too —
a resort with woodland cabins, rooms
in the boutique hotel and traditional
cottages. At its heart is two-mile Fritton
Lake, its reedy shores bosky with oak
and willow, and a new floating sauna.
Details Doubles B&B from £160
(frittonlake.co.uk)The Falcon Castle Ashby,
Northamptonshire
The lake Capability Brown designed for
the grounds of Castle Ashby in 1761 have
become the Midlands’ loveliest dip. You
swim with the security of a tow-float and
a lifeguard, stroking elegantly past the
manor house, past rafts of waterlilies.
You’re staying in the old coaching inn on
the estate, now a smart-casual spa hotel.
Brown would approve, I think.
Details Doubles B&B from £165
(thefalcon-castleashby.com)Bowmoor Landing
Lechlade on Thames,
Gloucestershire
There are no pictures on the wall of
this four-bedroom luxury stay on the
Cotswolds’ Bowmoor Lake — who needs
them when reeds and willows fill the
floor-to-ceiling windows in every room?
Who needs music when water chuckles
beneath the 130ft deck? The effect is
irresistible to swimmers, along with the
private pontoon, paddleboards and
access to a spa service.
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for
eight from £8,000 (theluxury
travelbook.com)o
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o s o e b a o D s ( F Y T w dKI PRICE FOR THE TIMES; TOM BAKER/DIVERS COVE