Best Wild Swim Spots in Keswick

Keswick is a great spot for an open water swim in Derwentwater. If you’re new to wild swimming or want to build your confidence with a trainer or in a group, Keswick is home to the Lake Districts only swimming holiday operator Swim on the Wild Side. The company offers fully coached activities swimming in areas all over the lakes offering swim tours and beach barbecue nights!

Here are a few places in and around Keswick for both group and solo swims… 

  • Derwentwater

With a various amount of sandy shoreline and wooden jetties, Derwentwater is an ideal place for a swim and a dive! The lake has few little islands you can swim too, apart from the one with the big house (Derwent Isle) that’s private! The water is a popular place for boats so always ensure you are visible by using a colourful tow float and avoid swimming too close to boats, kayaks and other water sport activities.

  • Bassenthwaite

Around 10 minutes away from Keswick, Bassenthwaite Lake is 4 miles long and 70ft deep, providing plenty of open space for long, challenging swims as well as simple, chilled out dips. Bassenthwaite is a quiet place, making it ideal for a peaceful swim and is shallower than other lakes in the area making it slightly warmer. Ospreys nest near the lake and could be spotted flying over during your swim! Parking is available on nearby laybys on the A66 road.

  • Galleny Force

A little hidden gem in the heart of Borrowdale, around 20 minutes away from Keswick, Galleny Force offers wild swimmers a variety of stunning, crystal clear rock pools with a little waterfall flowing through them. A great place for a relaxing dip, rock jumping and sunbathing.

  • Red Tarn, Helvellyn

From the nearby town of Glenridding (25 minutes away from Keswick) you can begin the popular route up to Helvellyn. To enjoy a wild swim in the highest substantial body of water in England, you don’t have to summit the mountain; just follow the path up until you reach Red Tarn, which sits in a bowl between the mountains two arêtes, Striding Edge and Swirral Edge. The water is crystal clear with a green hue and often reaches freezing cold temperatures due to its height, so its not for the faint hearted!

  • Scales tarn, Blencathra

From the nearby village of Threlkeld, four miles east of Keswick, a walk up to Blencathra and visiting Scales Tarn for a dip is a great wild swimming adventure. 

There are many different routes up Blencathra but with the aim of reaching the tarn, the simplest route is from Threlkeld via Blease Fell. Due to the height of the tarn, the water is colder but its beautifully clear sitting in a bowl beneath Sharp Edge.