Eskdale Retreat

If, like us, you love the euphoric rush of wild swimming and bathing in natural river pools, then we don’t think you will find a better place in the UK than Eskdale and the surrounding hills. We are spoilt for choice.

GUIDED WILD SWIMS. To make the most of your wild swimming and to explore the best spots safely, we strongly recommend that you use the services of a professional guide. We are pleased to recommend both Suzanna Swims and Wild Swims. They will each meet you at Eskdale Retreat and lead your adventure.

Here is a list of some of our favourite spots:

Trough House Bridge – simply walk across our private meadow behind Eskdale Retreat and up the river a little way and you’ll find the deep pools below Trough House Bridge. Perfect!

St Catherine’s Church & Girders Bridge – a 10 minute walk from Eskdale Retreat is St Catherine’s Church and the famous Eskdale stepping stones. About 200 metres upstream is a lovely bathing pool, just downstream from Girders Bridge.

Whillan Beck Plunge Pool – near the 17th Century packhorse bridge is the waterfall plunge pool of the Whillan Beck near the Eskdale Corn Mill.

Harter Fell – lots of spots including Eel Tarn, Stoney Tarn, Blea Tarn and Burnmoor Tarn.

Devoke Water – this lovely tarn is hardly visited but is a great for a swim.

Tongue Pot – the most famous of Eskdale’s wild swimming spots. Park at the top of the Esk Valley at the foot of Hardknott Pass and Tongue Pot is just below Lingcove Beck Bridge. A couple of hundred metres downstream of the bridge is the large swimming pool of Tongue Pot.

Lingcove Beck – a little further up from Tongue Pot and beyond Lingcove Beck bridge there is a cave you can swim in with a waterfall running into it. 

Waterfalls – we are spoilt for choice with Stanley Force, Birker Force, Cam Spout and Stanley Ghyll

SAFETY. Wild swimming does not have lifeguards and you swim at your own risk so: Be safe, be aware, be sensible and be responsible. To stay safe, never swim alone. Cold water will dramatically decrease your range at first, count on being able to swim a tenth of the distance you can in a warm pool, so practise in a safe zone and increase your range slowly. If it’s your first time swimming in cold water, enter the water gradually to see how your body reacts – beware of ‘cold shock’ which can bring on hyperventilation. Only experienced wild swimmers should swim in the more challenging river spots, lakes and tarns. Swim shoes are advisable and a wetsuit is a good idea if you don’t like the cold water. When you get out, it can take longer than you think to warm up, so have plenty of clothing ready, and ideally head straight off on another walk or run.