THIRLMERE INFINITY POOL – A STUNNING LAKE DISTRICT NATURAL WONDER
What an amazing place for a swim! I’ve visited many wild swimming spots in the Lake District and all over the UK – but none are quite like this! A deep natural infinity plunge pool on a steep Lake District fellside over looking Thirlmere! Read on to learn more about visiting this epic place and how to get there…
A hidden natural infinity pool in the Lake District
I love waterfall hunting and discovering new wild swimming spots and what an amazing find this was a number of years ago when I was hunting waterfalls near Thirlmere in the Lake District – a hidden infinity pool perched up high overlooking Thirlmere and the surrounding Lakeland fells. There are loads of wild swimming spots in the Lake District – but not many gems like this that are high up in a deep, natural infinity plunge pool setting. It was a stunning find and one of those ‘wow’ moments.
The Thirlmere Infinity Pool is located on Fisherplace Gill, which is on the steep northeastern slopes of Thirlmere Reservoir, offering a unique wild swimming experience in the Lake District – that you will be hard pushed to find better in the whole of England and the UK. This natural infinity plunge pool provides swimmers with breathtaking views over Thirlmere reservoir and the surrounding fells. Its elevated position and crystal-clear waters make it a sought-after spot for those seeking both adventure, tranquility and the picture perfect view.
Accessing the Thirlmere Infinity Pool involves a short hike, if you know the route and I’ve shared the best walking route further down the page. While the route is not overly strenuous, it requires careful navigation, especially near the waterfall where the terrain becomes steep and paths can be covered in bracken.
Due to its growing popularity, especially during warmer months and weekends, there can be others at the Thirlmere Infinity Pool, so for a more quieter experience, consider visiting during early mornings or weekdays. The Infinity pool’s limited size means it can accommodate only a few swimmers at a time, so planning your visit during off-peak hours enhances the chance of it just being you, the pool and those epic views.
HOW I FOUND THE Thirlmere Infinity Pool in the LAKES
A good few years ago not much was known online about Thirlmere Infinity Pool – and I first came across the hidden Thirlmere Lake District infinity pool when hunting waterfalls and exploring the area. I’d seen ‘waterfalls’ mentioned on the OS Map on Fisherplace Gill and knew it was a steep fellside (due to the contour lines) and thought it looked a promising area for some potential high up wild swim spots. So off I went and I came across numerous waterfalls which were pretty impressive, but you can imagine how much of a good find it was to eventually come across this Thirlmere infinity pool! What a stunning an idyllic spot.
PRESERVE BEAUTY SPOTS, LEAVE NO TRACE & DO OUR BIT
More people visiting natural beauty spots is both good (a greater number get to experience these stunning natural places and develop a love of nature) & bad (a small minority leave rubbish and disturb these places giving ALL visitors a bad reputation!). I don't want to gatekeep beauty spots, plenty of people promote them anyway so I think it's best to still share these places, but in a responsible way. So please please don't leave any rubbish behind, be considerate of other users and you are an absolute legend if you do see any rubbish and take it with you. Nobody gets paid to clean these places, so that's something I'm trying to do more - if I spot rubbish - and have room in my bag - I'll take it with me, any small act we can do helps look after these natural wonders so we can all continue to enjoy their untouched beauty. Finally, many of us like to share our adventures on social media - and everyone who does influences others to a greater or lesser extent, so please also encourage others to act responsibly too, be considerate and leave no trace, take only memories & photos and just enjoy the outdoors in a responsible way!
Where is the Infinity Pool on Thirlmire?
The Thirlmere Infinity Pool is on the north-eastern side of Thirlmere in the Lake District on Fisherplace Gill at an elevation of 550ft. The map below shows it’s location, requiring a short hike of no more than 30 mins if you know where to start from – however the Infinity Pool is tucked away and can easily be missed if you don’t know exactly where it is!
Thirlmere Infinity pool – map location:
Here’s the general map location of the Thirlmere infinity pool. As you can see this idyllic swim spot is on the north-eastern side of Thirlmere in the Lake District in the highlighted circle on the map, on Fisherplace Gill. It’s a tricky area to navigate and there are a few walk routes to the Thirlmere Infinity Pool promoted online, some more difficult to follow than others. The routes you often see promoted on other websites usually start from the pay & display car parks at Legburthwaite or Swirl How – which cost up to £8. Not many people actually know about the free car parking area that is closer to the Infinity Pool….
The BEST WALK ROUTE TOP THIRLMERE INFINITY POOL
See the best & shortest route to walk in the map below, which starts from a lay-by which is FREE to park your car on the a591 – where there is space for maybe 20 cars.
Once you are up on the steep fellside – it can be a little tricky to find the infinity pool on Fisherplace Gill as it’s in a rocky ravine (with big drops) surrounded by trees and bracken which can over grow the paths on the route. I’ve even seen people online sharing photos of what they think is the Thirlmere Infinity Pool – when infact they have ended up in much shallower spots downstream or upstream of Thirlmere Infinity Pool somewhere else on Fisherplace Gill! It’s eqsy to do as on my first visit years ago I struggled to find it and ended up a lot higher on the fell towards Sticks Gill looking for it – I was well away from where I needed to be!
EASILY FIND THIRLMERE INFINITY POOL:
I’ve faced a bit of a dilemma about sharing more detailed info on getting to Thirlmere Infinity pool on this blog post, such as more detailed maps and a what3words location as this page it’s getting loads of hits and I’ve had people complaining on social media that these kind of places are becoming too popular, with a small minority of idiots leaving rubbish behind – inturn giving the rest of us a bad reputation even though we respect these places. I don’t believe in gatekeeping locations though – so my solution to make the Thirlmere Infinity Pool easier for dedicated outdoors people to find (so you end up at the right pool!) is to create a digital guide of my Top 10 favourite Lake District wild swim spots – including Thirlmere Infinity Pool.
The guide includes more detailed maps than show above with interactive links, GPX files for you to download the exact walking route to your device and the what3words precise location of these swim spots including the Thirlmere Infinity Pool so you can find them very easily out on the fells. There’s also free parking tips in the guide, including where to park for free to access the Thirlmere Infinity Pool. I put a lot of time & effort into designing this 50+ page guide to help people find the best wild swim spots in the Lake District more easily, and save you hours of research – so I guess the catch is there is a small cost associated of £5, with a split of the profits going to Keswick Mountain Rescue team (who do a fantastic job of helping people in difficulty out on the Lake District fells). However you will in effect get your money back on your visit to the Thirlmere Infinity Pool by using the free car parking area that isn’t shared on other websites which will save you £8! You can find details below on this guide and 9 other amazing swimming locations as good as Thirlmere Infinity Pool!
Top 10 Wild Swimming Locations: Lake District - guide
Want to uncover the Lake District’s 10 most picturesque wild swimming spots? Discover hidden emerald plunge pools, serene tarns and secret waterfalls, in this digital guide:
- Precise what3words locations – accurate to 3 meters to find every swim spot quickly
- Detailed map routes & GPX files to get there easily
- FREE parking tips to save money
- Phone-friendly format – designed for easy use on the go, with clickable links and offline access
LAKE DISTRICT INFINITY POOL AT THIRLMERE PHOTOS
Thirlmere Infinity Pool in all it’s glory – what a spot to have a swim and soak up some spectacular Lake District views. The rocky sides are quite steep around here so it’s a little hidden and the drop over the edge is very steep so be very careful!
I love going waterfall hunting in the Lake District and just getting a map and having an explore wherever it says waterfalls! Sometimes there will be a plunge pool at the foot of the waterfalls – perfect for a dip! On the long & steep Fisherplace Gill where the infinity pool is located there are quite a few other waterfalls, pools and hidden cascades around for a good few hundred metres it and it is worth an explore. If you get to this waterfall pictured above you have come a little bit too far up Fisherplace Gill so head a bit further downstream than this.
The hidden infinity pool in all its glory with stunning views over to Thirlmere. You won’t be disappointed by this epic place which is deep enough for a swim. It’s worth pointing out that it’s a little tricky to get down into it – and beware the drop over the waters edge – a fall here is dangerous – and it has happened recently where someone ended up in a very bad way, with Air Ambulance required. The best place to enter the Infinity Pool is on the rocks to the right near where it goes over the edge – which will require you to cross Fisherplace Gill just behind where this photo was taken – take care though when entering the pool. The rocks also get very slippy in wet conditions – so if it’s recently been raining I would advise against it. Do take care also if you go for a swim, the fresh water here is as cold as it gets and can be a right shock to the system if you haven’t done it before – risking drowning for a social media photo and likes just isn’t worth it. Another note of caution – recent heavy rainfall increases the water flow which can make the water flow more powerful – so again take care.
Other than – if it’s good conditions – I’m sure you will love this place! It really is stunning and there’s not many finer swim spots in the Lake District. As a result – it can get busy on warm weekends now – so if you want a bit of solitude – go early! Thanks and enjoy your visit to Thirlmere Infinity Pool.
TIPS TO STAY SAFE AT THIRLMIRE INFINITY POOL
There have been a few accidents at Thirlmere Infinity Pool so please be careful. Take care when entering the plunge pool as it’s quite steep down into it. The best way is to ease down the rocks to the right from the photos on this page. After rain the rocks can be really slippy and it’s best avoided. Once in the pool you won’t be able to touch the bottom – so ensure you are experienced with cold water swimming.
BEWARE! There is a big 20m drop at the edge of the infinity pool to the bottom of the waterfall below. Recently someone fell over this drop and got severely injured, with an air ambulance call out required. A drop here can be fatal, so take care and keep an eye on young children and pets. Also after heavy rain the water flow is very powerful and unpredictable so the pool is best avoided.
Also more recently in another plunge pool in Wales, two wild swimmers got into difficulty and drowned. Water can have strong currents especially if in full flow. If you are new to wild swimming – please read my wild swimming safety tips below:
Top 10 Wild Swimming Locations: Lake District - guide
Want to uncover the Lake District’s 10 most picturesque wild swimming spots? Discover hidden emerald plunge pools, serene tarns and secret waterfalls, in this digital guide:
- Precise what3words locations – accurate to 3 meters to find every swim spot quickly
- Detailed map routes & GPX files to get there easily
- FREE parking tips to save money
- Phone-friendly format – designed for easy use on the go, with clickable links and offline access
