[title]
There’s nothing like a bracing dip in cool British waters on a hot (okay, probably mildly warm and a bit rainy) summer’s day. Still, despite our freezing oceans and not that great weather, us Brits love an outdoor swim. I would know, I grew up in Cornwall and spent my summers being battered by the waves in the icy Atlantic, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
National Geographic has just named the best places in Britain for wild swimming. From tidal pools, to river estuaries and inner-city ponds, if you are hankering for an open-air swim this summer, read on.
According to Nat Geo, the very best place for a wild swim in the UK is the Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. ‘These tumbling pools look almost too perfect to be real,’ wrote the magazine. The spot was crowned number one for its glacial, crystal clear waters, filled with beautiful fish and shells. The pools also have their very own natural water slides, which you can use to shoot into the waters when they are wet from rain.
Coming in second was Llanddwyn Island in Anglesey, North Wales. A bathe at this remote location is backdropped by sweeping views of Snowdonia National Park and the Llŷn Peninsula. It’s home to stretches of sand, rockpools and sheltered coves, and was described as ‘one of Wales’s most evocative swimming spots’.
Durgan in Cornwall took third place. The hamlet in south Cornwall is home to a river estuary that glows a gorgeous emerald green thanks to the forest that lines its shores. It also was where Daphne du Maurier was inspired to write her pirate romance, Frenchman’s Creek.
Other spots on the list were Black Moss Pot in the Lake District, London’s Hampstead Heath bathing ponds, and Cellardyke tidal pool in Scotland. Here’s the full ranking.
The best places for wild swimming in the UK, according to National Geographic
- Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye, Scotland
- Llanddwyn Island, Anglesey, Wales
- Durgan, Cornwall
- Bude Sea Pool, Cornwall
- Black Moss Pot, Lake District
- Hampstead Heath Ponds, London
- Cellardyke tidal pool, Fife, Scotland
The extinct insects that have returned to the UK after more than 30 years.
The UK is home to three of the best road trips in Europe.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.