Wild swimming in the Cotswolds: where it is allowed and safe

The places you can swim outdoors in the Cotswolds with permission and someone watching are the managed lakes of the Cotswold Lakes and the lidos. People also swim in the rivers, most often the Windrush at Minster Lovell, but no Cotswold river is a designated bathing water, so nobody tests it for swimmers, and sewer overflows run into the Windrush and the Coln after heavy rain. Swim in a river only in a dry spell, where a public path meets the water, and never alone.

The lakes: booked, marked and watched

The Cotswold Lakes, south of Cirencester, are old gravel pits, and the safest open water in the area is there. At Cleveland Lakes near Ashton Keynes, the Cotswold Lakes Trust, a conservation charity, runs booked swims on Waterhay Lake with marked courses and lifeguarded sessions. Every swimmer wears a tow float. In October 2026 the sessions run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 4pm to dusk and on Saturday from 10am to 1pm, booked in half-hour arrival slots. Under-16s must come with an adult, and dogs are not allowed on that part of the site. ROX at South Cerney runs Friday evening swims through the year, from 5.40pm to 7.40pm, and a swim on the last Saturday morning of each month, which must be booked.

Elsewhere in the lakes, swim only where the owner runs sessions. Many of the other lakes are private, or kept for fishing and sailing, and deep water can start close to the bank. Witney Lake in Oxfordshire bans swimming outright.

The lidos and their 2026 seasons

Three open-air pools in or near the Cotswolds published a 2026 season. The Cirencester Open Air Pool (opens in a new tab), beside the River Churn in Cirencester, has taken swimmers since 1870 by its own account. It is run by volunteers as a charity, uses spring water heated to 26°C, and has extended its season to 6 December 2026. In Stroud, Stratford Park Lido (opens in a new tab), in the same park as the Museum in the Park, reopened on 15 August 2026 after the district council paid for urgent repairs. Chipping Norton Lido (opens in a new tab) opened for a winter season on 10 October 2026. Seasons change every year: check each pool's site before you go.

The rivers: what nobody tests

No river in the Cotswolds is a designated bathing water, so the Environment Agency does not sample any of them for swimmers. The nearest that is tested, Wolvercote Mill Stream in Oxford, has been classed as poor every year since its designation in 2022, according to Thames Water (opens in a new tab) in August 2026. After heavy rain, storm overflows release diluted sewage into rivers, and Thames Water, which runs the sewers of the Windrush, Coln and upper Thames valleys, shows each of its overflows on a near real-time map (opens in a new tab). Check it, and stay out for a couple of days after a downpour.

The Windrush at Minster Lovell is where people swim most, from the meadow by the bridge and below the free ruins of Minster Lovell Hall. Keep away from weirs, mill races and old walls, enter slowly, and keep your head above the water.

Cold water and staying safe

Cold water is the danger even in summer. Sudden cold can cause cold water shock, a gasp and fast breathing that can make you breathe in water. If you are struggling, the RNLI's advice is to float on your back until your breathing settles, then call for help or swim. Swim with someone, wear a bright hat and a tow float, get in slowly, and have warm clothes ready for when you get out.

Private banks, permission and the care code

Most Cotswold river banks are private land. The Outdoor Swimming Society says that in England there is a right to enter the water where a public footpath or road meets it, and that getting in across private land elsewhere is technically trespass, a civil wrong, though landowners often tolerate it. Reach the water by a public footpath, never across a field or a garden, and leave if you are asked. Our care code applies at the water's edge too: park legally, take your litter home, keep dogs away from livestock and nesting birds, and change discreetly, since you are in someone's village. For the season and the water temperature, see the weather page.