What do you reckon, would it be potentially dangerous due to oil,fuel and contaminates escaping from all the little motorboats? We’re going on holiday soon and staying at the lodge park just north of Ambleside on the shores of Windwermere. I love fresh water swimming and picture myself going for a 20 min dip before breakfast in the sunshine.
Struggling to find up-to-date info on the web about the cleanliness or not for the various lakes for swimming, if anyone knows any good sites? Do they regurlarly test the lakes at all?
Thanks.

The great north swim takes place in Windermere and there are open water swimming courses available so it must be ok………..

http://www.wildswimming.co.uk/northern-england/lake-district-and-cumbria/?multi_city=lake-district-and-cumbria

People swim at Waterhead, but there are some issues around sewage outflows and storm run-off which can affect water quality.

Have a look at that list – so many nice wild swimming options in the area, perhaps not so handy for a pre-breakfast dip. How about getting up a bit earlier and heading for Loughrigg Tarn?

Was at Windermere last weekend (Brockhole) and there were warning signs up about algae telling people / dogs not to go in.

thanks Lads, just a bit more digging and I found this:
http://environment.data.gov.uk/bwq/profiles/profile.html?_search=windermere&site=ukd1203-45650
The water quality has been classed as *excellent* for several years it seems. I remeber some scares about blue green algae in the past.

edit: thanks Johndoe 🙁

Dishwasher tablets innit.

great idea Martin. We’re staying at the white cross bay just next to Brockhole and loughrigg tarn just 15 mins drive. I’m not being allowed to take a bike 😐

Freezing cold. That’s my only memory from lots of sailing in the Lake District! The Shores slope too steeply to let the water warm up.

That said I’ve Bivi’d on Skiddaw before and had a breakfast swim in Ullswater and a fryup on the ‘beach’.

Actually, take shoes to leave on the shore, nothing is more painfull than walking up the shore over the sharp scree with cold feet.

The Great North swim got cancelled because of the algae a few years ago, so you probably need to be on the lookout for it ….. and the monster of course 😯

reat idea Martin. We’re staying at the white cross bay just next to Brockhole and loughrigg tarn just 15 mins drive. I’m not being allowed to take a bike

Will be a far more stunning and peaceful experience. Unless the midges are still out. Remember, it’s still going to be bloody cold a couple of feet down.

You can also swim at various spots in the Brathay, which should be on your doorstep.

Rydals the best! Bit quicker/easier to get to than luff tarn also. Shallow enough so doesn’t get too cold. Couple of islands to swim around, makes for a nice loop!

Re comment above ullswater is easily 3 or 4 dogs cooler on same day, real big and real deep/steep!

Re comment above ullswater is easily 3 or 4 dogs cooler on same day, real big and real deep/steep!

I know our spaniel used to like pissing into the water, but I think it would take more than 3-4 dogs to have a noticeable effect.

Been swimming one or twice a week from Fell Foot for the last few months. No Ill effects (so far). Other lakes are ace-Coniston water, park on the east side, Beacon Tarn etc etc. Enjoy.
Biggest hazard is rowing boats on Windermere.

Check out wildswimming for nice pools near sweden bridge and Rydal Bower

I swam in Windermere (jump off rocks where Brathay/Rothay enter the lake) and the various Brathay pools a lot as a kid. I also like the river duddon but tend to use a wetsuit as that is mainly mucking about in rapids and gorges

Lived in Barrow as a kid so I’ve been to fellfoot many times, lovely spot. Swam across coniston once with a girlfriend, she was shorter than me but very strong swimmer and beat me across. Swam in Ullswater a couple of times, once after cycling upn down Helvelyn, plenty of little parking spots along the shore there. Whenever we holiday Keswick we like to walk along the lake edge by the old YHA (now independent) and spend the day on the lake like it was the seaside messing about on the lake, reading books etc, it’s always quiet there. Swam in the Duddon too, jumping off the bridge & rocks. Went to Tarn Hows once with the aim of going in for a dip… chickened out of that one. Daydreaming now…….

I tested the water quality last week, I’ve only swum twice in 10 years so I drank a fair bit of lake. It’s fine! You’d want to be careful of boats, they let any idiot out in them with no more briefing than “don’t crash, don’t drown, don’t get in the way of the steamers”. Even me and my brother were allowed boats, and he spent the entire time rowing backwards. There’s a speed limit at least.