THE LAKE DISTRICTS BEST WILD SWIMMING SPOTS

You are literally spoilt for choice in Eskdale for wild swimming opportunities

Wild Swimming in the Lake District at Eskdale – there’s no where else like it – what a PLACE

I’ve been into wild swimming a number of years now largely since lockdown and for me there is nothing quite as invigorating and refreshing as a dip in the cold water. Wild swimming is a great way to reset and recharge the mind and body too as well as give you a whole host of documented health benefits (see my post on the Top 10 health benefits of cold water swimming).

The fresher and cleaner the water the better for me and you are spoilt for choice for wild swimming opportunities in the Lake District from a choices of pristine rivers, deep waterfalls and gorges, to stunning isolated tarns and the larger more well-known lakes. There is literally water and wild swimming opportunities everywhere in the Lake District.

MY FAVOURITE WILD SWIMMING AREA in the lakes

However there is one area in particular in the Lake District that is my all time favourite and that is in Eskdale along the River Esk. It’s a little off the beaten track and not the easiest to get too, especially if you are travelling from the Eastern Lakes, but it’s well worth the travelling – as the water is pure, crystal clear and emerald in colour – and there are plenty of pools to swim in alone the River Esk – it really is an incredible area.

To get to the River Esk the best way is to park at the small roadside car park below Hardknott Roman Fort, and then walk on the footpath along the River Esk for around 50 mins or so to Lingcove Bridge (circled below). You’ll come across various points on the River Esk for a dip along the way, such as Kail Pot – but the best and deepest places to swim are around Lingcove Bridge, such as Tongue Pot.

This map shows the route to walk from the car parking spot to Lingcove Bridge, which takes around 50 mins. At the half way point is Kail Pot which is well worth checking out for a wild swim, but better places are further up river. Once at Lingcove Bridge – Tongue Pot is popular spot and then there are plenty of others to come across in this area if you just keep following the River Esk up stream. Like I say you are literally spoilt for choice!

This is Lincove Bridge – and once you have walked to this location you’ve hit wild swimming heaven!

PRESERVE BEAUTY SPOTS, LEAVE NO TRACE & DO OUR BIT

More people enjoying natural beauty spots and connecting with nature is good thing, but a small minority are leaving rubbish or causing damage, giving everyone else a bad name. I’m not into gatekeeping these places—plenty of people share them—but let’s do it responsibly. Please don’t leave rubbish, be considerate of others, and if you spot any litter and can take it with you, you’re a legend. No one gets paid to clean these places, so every small act helps protect their beauty. And if you share your adventures online, use your influence to encourage respect, leave no trace, take only memories and enjoy the outdoors responsibly. Cheers!

MY FAVOURITE wild swimming spots in Eskdale in the Lake District

Depending on the time of day, weather, and if it’s the weekend, there will probs be people around the popular spots in Eskdale at mid-day if it’s a warm summers day. But there’s so many places that you will be able to find somewhere just for yourself. It’s all about exploring! I like to get there early in the morning so I have the popular spots to myself – and then explore further up stream to the more hidden places as the day goes on. Here’s some photos of my favourite wild swimming spots in Eskdale below.

Tongue Pot wild swimming Eskdale Lake district

The crystal clear waters of Tongue Pot, Eskdale. This place is literally about 30 meters downstream of Lingcove Bridge, and the best place for a long swim and jumping in – it is my favourite river swim the the Lake District. However it is popular during the warmer months and on weekends – so I try and visit early or on weekdays.

Tongue Pot gets deeper and deeper as you head to the waterfalls – and you can jump in off the sides right near the waterfall. The water there must be 12ft deep or so. What a place!

wild swimming Lake district best spots location

Further upstream from the Tongue Pot you will find Cascading falls and plunge pools.

There are so many spots you’ll want to jump in them all – I really do recommend an explore up here before making your choice!

There’s even secret cave pools to explore and jump in that you wouldn’t know are there – the photo doesn’t do this one justice and is a bit of a hidden gem!

Some Wild Swimming spots give you your very own infinity pool in the Lake District!

The colour of the emerald water along the River Esk is amazingly clear and unlike anywhere else in the UK

As well as places to swim there are plenty of spots to jump in too! On the River Esk you are literally spoilt for choice for swim spots, I highly recommend taking the time to explore the area

MY BEST WILD SWIMMING SPOTS ALL OVER the LAKE DISTRICT

Whilst Eskdale is my favourite more concentrated wild swimming area in the Lakes, there are some breathtaking, and more picturesque spots all over the Lake District that are not to be missed. To help you find them I’ve now created a digital guide to showcase these and help you find them easily – check out the link below.

wild swimming best spots lake district infinity pool

Top 10 LAKE DISTRICT Wild Swimming spots: digital guide

In my guide, you’ll unlock 10 hand-picked, stunning wild swim locations, from hidden emerald plunge pools & secret waterfalls to serene mountain tarns. Forget the guesswork, this is your shortcut to uncover the Lakes most breathtaking spots.

The guide gives you everything you need:

Precise what3words locations (down to 3 metres) to find the spots easily
Clear walking routes, maps + GPX files
Free parking tips to avoid unnecessary costs
A phone-friendly, downloadable on-the-go format with clickable links and offline access

If you want less searching and more swimming — this is the wild swimming guide for you

GET THE GUIDE NOW

TIPS TO STAY SAFE WHEN WILD SWIMMING

Whilst wild swimming can be fun & exhilerating, swimming in cold remote waters is not without it’s dangers. Add into this fast moving water, strong currents, waterfalls & big rocky drops and you’ve really got to be aware of the potential pitfalls.

Recently in a 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:

VIEW WILD SWIMMING SAFETY TIPS

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BLOG POST BY STUART HODGSON

THE HIKING PHOTOGRAPHER

I hope you've found this info useful and it helps to plan your own adventures! I share my stuff simply to help others enjoy the great outdoors and reap the many physical & mental health benefits of being in nature.

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More people enjoying the outdoors is great - but a small minority are leaving rubbish behind. No one gets paid to clean up natural beauty spots, so please take all your litter home (and don’t scorch the earth with fires & BBQs which takes years to recover). You'll be an absolute outdoors legend if you pick up & dispose of any rubbish you do see from others. Finally, when sharing your adventures online, please encourage responsible & sustainable enjoyment of the outdoors too. We're all influencers to some extent!

COMMENTS SECTION

I’m always interested to know if people find my stuff useful to plan a walk, or if you have any further tips to help others (some of these write uyps are old now) – so any feedback is welcome, just leave a commnet below and I’ll get back to you…

1 Comment

Sophie on October 20, 2025 at 3:29 pm

Awesome place – thanks for sharing – I’ll def visit Eskdale for wild swimmming when I’m next in the lake district
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