Anglers, boaters and even the occasional swimmer all make use of its cool, deep waters. Note: most river swimming comes with its dangers. Sick of waiting in line at the lido? “There have been lots of people down in the old River Lea, which is a valuable wildlife site, with owls nesting there for the first time last year. Click the link in the orange box above for details. The Leaway: a ramp up from the towpath to Twelvetrees Bridge at Bow. Everyone I talk to has a beautiful spot they like to dip into and, without fail, every one of them has turned out to be contaminated with heavy metals or riddled with cholera. It went on to be a huge hit in other British cities. But the site was also attractive to the Olympic planners precisely because of its natural severance, standing as a secure island conveniently bounded by infrastructural gullies of road, rail and water, with few points of access. Not that you would know any of this when you’re hurtling down the A12 dual carriageway nearby. To send a link to this page you must be logged in. Although fed by the river, the basin is clear and still. Register with your social account or click here to log in. This cheery totem signals the presence of a momentous point in the Lea valley, where the river Lea meets Bow Creek and the Limehouse Cut in a knotted tangle of waterways, rail lines and roads, a fertile ground for the gasworks, distilleries and waste recycling plants that have long made this edge-land their home. You’ve got to be able to cope with nature and with the unpredictability of tides. The swim’s wake is ecstatic. Holbrook’s plan for the Lea River Park was first commissioned in 2006, with an earmarked budget of £38m, and intended to be completed before the Olympics. On midsummer day attendance reached a record 66. The incoming tide washed us out to the island without complaint but so far the river is refusing to carry us on its shoulders back to the pub as planned. Here, the current is usually mild and there are several shallow places to ease yourself in. My river buddies are whooping and cheering somewhere out of sight — and the tide is against me. We’ll see you in the water. Beyond the town itself, the Flower Pot pub near the Hurley Lock is a popular spot for day-trippers (the pub being a big part of the attraction once the swimming is over), and there’s a beautiful turn in the river at the end of Ferry Lane, heading out of nearby Medmenham. #nofilter #surrey #godalming #weynavigation #riverwey #nationaltrust, A photo posted by Alex Glen (@alexglen78) on Jun 25, 2015 at 1:52am PDT. It is the cradle of plastic and gunpowder, flight, fridge mountains, India pale ale and Buffalo Bill’s camp, a wild east where subversive things could happen undetected, beyond the fold in the map. Call me a cheat if you like but there’s no denying the fact that Wraysbury Lake is well within earshot of London. How to get there: 1h 8 minutes from London Bridge to Chilworth Station. Head to Chilworth, from where you can walk the eight-mile stretch to Guilford, passing pretty villages before joining the Wey Navigation, where there are several recognised spots for swimming in the River Wey. It is thought that there was once a ford where the train line crosses Mare Street at Hackney Central, and it was a formidable river until the 1830s. Many of them you will have heard of; some might even be familiar from postcards. The Thames seems like an obvious place to start, although its foul reputation has to be dealt with first. In the summer of 1887, Buffalo Bill set up camp in east London for his Wild West spectacular. “It’s not sensible for people to be splashing in the Lea. In the summer of 1887, Buffalo Bill set up camp in east London for his Wild West spectacular. Take care, now! Suncream, © Wilderness Weekends 2017-20 | site ted*. But they’re really about appreciating the weird little natural parts of London that are there to be enjoyed if only we could realise that there’s a lot of beauty around.”, Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout, {{#singleComment}}{{value}} comment{{/singleComment}}{{^singleComment}}{{value}} comments{{/singleComment}}. So here’s a quick list of wild-swimming spots, each accessible within 90 minutes of central London (although most of them much closer than that). The site is managed by Better leisure centres, and is monitored to ensure the waters remain safe and clean. How to get there: 30 minutes by train from London Bridge to Leigh Station. Watch brown trout swimming in a clear chalk stream – within London! Half a kilometre into the Thames, panic begins to set in. All canoeing equipment including canoes, buoyancy aids, paddles, waterproof jackets if needed, dry bags to keep your personal things in. If you set aside … Again, beware of river traffic, even if it’s just the local rowing club. As you wade out into the lake, the calm waters stay shallow for several metres too, making it a safe place for paddling with tots. Less than an hour on the train from Waterloo, only the roar of 747s ascending from nearby Heathrow disturbs this idyllic body of water. You’ll warm up in no time following your swim, thanks to the heated changing rooms and onsite café serving hot food and drinks. Known as the Henley Classic, the now-annual swim was inspired by two ex-rowers, Tom Kean and Jeremy Laming, who in 2004 swam the regatta course one morning at first light. Whether you're looking to swim yourself fit or simply escape the summer heat, nothing beats a refreshing dip in the open air. It went on to be a huge hit in other British cities. The site is watched over at all times by two fully-trained lifeguards: one on the pontoon and another out on the waters. Today there are 46. With London’s outdoor pools unlikely to reopen this summer, it could be time to take your love of wild swimming to fresh waters. In the summer of 1887, Buffalo Bill set up camp in east London for his Wild West spectacular. Finding unchartered swimming spots in London that aren’t dangerously polluted or illegal is, as I discover, a whale of a task. Which, by definition, makes it a difficult place to access.”. At Wraysbury station there are no obvious signposts to the lake, but if you follow the threatening notices, in English and Polish, warning people against poaching fish, you will inevitably find your way. Architects used material salvaged from other nearby projects to furnish the Leaway. While the Olympic Park and its associated paraphernalia of furniture and lighting did its best to lay a freshly designed carpet over an area of shagginess, 5th Studio’s work feels more like the kind of hard-working infrastructure that might have always been here. Half a kilometre into the Thames, panic begins to set in. No matter how tempting it might be on a hot summer’s day, do not drink and dive. “In the past 10-15 years there’s been a resurgence of people going back to rivers and lakes and ponds,” says Davies. Try another? I collapse at the top, shivering and shaking but victorious. Mercifully, it’s back up and running – just in time for the final hot spell. It is the special qualities of this rugged yet fragile landscape that 5th Studio’s strategy has been focussed on exposing. 9C3XRW3M+H9 Hertford’s River Lea is a great Spot for swimming. It’s like one of those horrible dreams where you’re trapped in treacle, unable to move or even scream. And the work has been legal and political as much as aesthetic: it took three years of negotiations with one landowner to open up just 20 metres of towpath. Stitching the promised legacy-land back into its surroundings has been an uphill struggle. The mixed pond gets very busy on hot days, so it’s best to go when the kids are still in school. Those who fancy dipping into Britain’s industrial past might be better off heading a little further east to the Royal Docks. If you click «Log in with Facebook» and are not a Culture Whisper user, Swimmers are also given compulsory wristbands – loaded with their personal details, medical history and emergency contact information – which alert the staff to who is in the water when, which also allows you to track your swim for training purposes. 9C3XRW3M+H9 Hertford’s River Lea is a great Spot for swimming. The Thames may be a swimming superhighway, but the boat traffic can make it a bit like swimming on the M25. It’s time to widen the net. There’s a café and ice cream van on site, as well as changing facilities, loos and a car park a short walk from the ‘beach’ – all of which make Frensham an easy location for a day trip. “It’s a landscape of fences for obvious reasons,” he says, “as a place of sewerage pumping, gasworks, high-voltage cabling, car-crushing and food processing. Déjà vu! From there, you can follow the River Tillingbourne north until you reach the Wey Navigation, where you’ll find one of the most peaceful, quaint spots of wild swimming in the south – not a bit of London craziness about it. A spokesperson from Hackney Council said: “The River Lea is polluted and unsafe for swimming. The basin itself, a vast body of water the size of two football pitches, is relatively young. From there, make your way along the river and look out for places to jump in. Tim added: “This year in May and in lockdown, it has been absolutely rammed and promoted as a place to swim.