Seven of the UK’s best hotels with wild swimming

, The Sunday Times

Infinity pools and Scandi-inspired spas are all very well, but for a truly invigorating dip, nothing quite compares to the sensation of swimming outside, surrounded by nature, with the soundtrack of birdsong. The trend for wild swimming shows no sign of slowing down and an increasing number of hotels around the UK are cottoning on to its popularity by factoring it into their programmes. Several offer tutored sessions with experienced coaches who can help you to perfect your stroke, improve your breathwork and learn techniques for coping with cold-water immersion; wetsuits and tow floats are usually available for less-experienced swimmers. But the great joy of wild swimming is its simplicity — aside from a swimsuit and perhaps a pair of goggles, there’s no dire need for any equipment. The only other thing you need is the courage to take the plunge.

1. Another Place, Ullswater, Cumbria

This swish hotel on the banks of Ullswater in the Lake District is one of the top UK destinations for water activities. Its programme takes in everything from paddleboard lessons to kayaking and wingfoiling, but it also runs regular wild-swim sessions under the gentle guidance of the champion open-water swimmer Colin Hill, who has swum the Channel, coached the UK swimming team in the 2012 Olympics and was the country’s first person to swim the ice mile (one mile in a water temperature of less than 5C with no wetsuit). Plunge into waterfalls, swim under the full moon and stargaze while you backstroke. The hotel’s three-night Float into the Wild package includes a sauna and a wild-swimming lesson.
Details Half-board doubles from £336 (another.place)

• Read our full guide to the Lake District

2. Swinton Estate, Ripon, North Yorkshire

Wild swimming platform at a pond surrounded by trees and lily pads.

Take a dip in Swinton Estate’s lily-filled pond

This ivy-covered castle has been the family seat of the Cunliffe-Listers since the 1880s and its estate encompasses 20,000 acres of the Yorkshire Dales — including a lily-filled pond (rather unfortunately called Coffin Lake) with a purpose-built swimming platform from which guests can take a wild dip from 7am to sunset from May to September. For a less chilly swim, the hotel also has a sumptuous spa with a heated indoor pool and a thermal suite. Stay in the castle or keep up the wild theme by booking a tree lodge or yurt at Swinton Bivouac.
Details B&B doubles from £306 (swintonestate.com)

3. Fritton Lake, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk

The peaceful landscapes of Fritton Lake, nestled in the Norfolk countryside

With a private lake in 1,000 acres of rewilded countryside on the Norfolk/Suffolk border, this countryside retreat in the Somerleyton Estate is a must-visit destination for wild swimmers. There’s a twice-weekly tutored swim during which you can get stroke coaching and tips on technique courtesy of the Peak Open Water Sports team, from May to September. Alternatively, there are lifeguarded wild-swimming sessions on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. If you’re in need of a post–dip warm–up, there’s also a floating sauna. Choose from smart clubhouse rooms, cottages or cabins, and be sure to book a table for dinner at the estate’s restaurant, which sources much of the ingredients from its kitchen garden.
Details B&B doubles with dinner from £225 (frittonlake.co.uk)

• 29 of the best hotels in Norfolk

4. Rewild Things, Elmore, Gloucestershire

Person in wetsuit diving into a lake while a dog watches from a dock.

Experience back-to-nature swimming at Rewild Things in Gloucestershire

Anselm Guise, the owner of the Elmore Court Estate, is returning 250 of his 1,000 acres to nature, inspired by Wilding, the bestselling book by Isabella Tree. He has also built six treehouses for guest stays, along with a Scandinavian-style sauna next to a pond, variously known as Bottomless Pool, Groundless Pool or Madam’s Pond. This is proper back-to-nature swimming — reeds, frogs, dragonflies and all — and there are foraging sessions and nature walks with which to continue your wild adventure. The timber-clad treehouses are architect–designed and filled with handmade furniture, and you can order breakfast hampers and charcuterie boards to your door.
Details Two nights’ room only for two from £610 (rewildthings.com)

5. St Michaels Resort, Falmouth, Cornwall

View of a beach and ocean from a hotel balcony.

Enjoy an early-morning swim at Gyllyngvase beach

Just back from the popular Gyllyngvase beach, this hotel is great for early-morning sea swims — the sand is two minutes’ walk away and the Gylly Beach Café is on hand for a hot chocolate. St Michaels runs three-night wild swimming breaks with the instructor Salim Ahmed, who offers yoga, mindfulness and swimming tuition through his company Swimlab in October, January, March and May (swimlab.org.uk). St Michaels Spa is lovely too, and in summer you can book a sauna on the sand with Kiln (kilnsauna.com). Stay in one of the Spa Garden Lodges, which have outdoor baths and private decks.
Details B&B doubles from £225 (stmichaelsresort.com)

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6. Finn Lough, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh

Wooden sauna with large window overlooking lake.

Finn Lough blends spa luxury with soothing surroundings

This off-grid escape in Enniskillen has waterside cabins, transparent bubble domes and a slinky spa beside the peaceful waters of Lough Erne. Head to the jetty at dawn or dusk, slip into the lake and listen to the hoot of curlews and the swoosh of sandwich terns as you swim. Afterwards, go to the spa for a session in the shoreline hot tub, a salt float or a stint in the forest relaxation room. Paddleboards or kayaks can be borrowed to explore one of the many islands in the lake. The Sky Suites and cabins are cool and contemporary, but for stargazing potential, book one of the domes, in which you’ll feel as though you’re sleeping outside, with the added benefits of king-size beds and rolltop baths.
Details B&B doubles from £202 (finnlough.com)

7. Fife Arms, Braemar, Aberdeenshire

Combine your wild swim with a forest hike at Fife Arms in Aberdeenshire

There are dozens of wild-swimming options in the Cairngorms — from glassy lochs to icy-cold rivers. At the luxurious Fife Arms, the gillie team will pick your spot with the help of Wild Braemar, which knows all the best locations the owner, Annie Armstrong, grew up here and is an experienced outdoorswoman and nature guide (from £250; wildbraemar.com). Sessions are about two hours, or for a longer day out you could combine your wild swim with a forest hike, picnic and session in a mobile wilderness sauna beside a clattering brook. Then it’s back to the hotel for a warming dram in the Flying Stag bar and dinner in the opulent Clunie Dining Room. The suites are full of Highland character, from four-poster beds to Arts and Crafts wallpapers, or for cosiness choose one of the croft-style rooms, which have snug cabin beds.
Details Room–only doubles from £850 (thefifearms.com)

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