Top Wild Swimming Spots Day Trips from Blackpool
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The top Wild Swimming Spots Day Trips from Blackpool include Coniston Secret Swimming Spot, Birks Bridge, Gaddings Dam, Gill Force, Ibbeth Peril, Slater's Bridge Pool, Kail Pot and Burnmoor Tarn.
Blackpool has the Irish Sea on its doorstep, but for true wild swimming the Lake District and the Pennines are the places to aim for, each an easy day's drive north or east. Most of these spots lie north in the southern and western Lakes: the quiet reaches of Coniston Water, the deep green pool below Birks Bridge on the Duddon, Gill Force in Eskdale, Slater's Bridge in Little Langdale, the rocks at Kailpot Crag on Ullswater, and the lonely expanse of Burnmoor Tarn high on the fells.
Closer to home, east over the Pennines, Gaddings Dam sits on the moors above Todmorden, while northeast in the Yorkshire Dales the River Dee drops into the dark plunge pool at Ibbeth Peril. These range from gentle lakeside dips to remote tarns reached only on foot, so pick to suit your mood and the weather.
Bring warm layers, check conditions before you travel, and give yourself the whole day. Here are eight wild swimming spots for a day trip from Blackpool.
Coniston Secret Swimming Spot
Photo: Ian Taylor via Geograph.org.uk
Swim at the Coniston Secret Swimming Spot North in the southern Lake District, Coniston Water is a long, quiet lake ringed by wooded shore and open fell. Swimmers use its pebbled edges and jetties at several points along the five miles of water, with launches and cruisers passing by.
Near the southern end lies Peel Island, a well-known target for a swim out from the bank, while Beacon Tarn on the fell to the west gives a smaller, quieter place away from the boats. It makes a fine, flexible day out, with easy access to the shore and a choice of spots to suit calmer or busier tastes.
Birks Bridge
Photo: Maigheach-gheal via Geograph.org.uk
Find the pool below Birks Bridge In a quiet valley in the southern Lakes, Birks Bridge is an old stone packhorse bridge spanning a narrow rocky gorge on the River Duddon. The little humped arch leaps a slot so tight that the river is squeezed into a deep, clear pool below, walled by smooth rock and coloured a deep green.
That pool is a well-known wild-swimming spot, cold and deep even in dry weather, with a small fall at one end. Woodland and forestry rise around, and a short, level walk from the valley road brings you to the bridge.
Take care, as the water stays cold and deep year round.
Gaddings Dam
Photo: Steve Partridge via Geograph.org.uk
Climb to Gaddings Dam above Todmorden East over the Pennines, Gaddings Dam is an old mill reservoir high on the moors above Todmorden in West Yorkshire, more than a thousand feet up on open, windswept ground. Along one side runs a small sandy beach, often claimed as the highest in Britain, which draws wild swimmers up the steep walk to the water.
It was saved from being drained when local people bought it to keep it. There are no facilities and no road to it, just moorland all around, so wear good boots for the climb and be ready for wind and cold at the top.
Gill Force
Photo: Peter Trimming via Geograph.org.uk
Gill Force The falls themselves are modest, more a cascade than a great drop, so it is really the little rocky gorge and the clear water that pull people to this spot on the River Esk. The river threads the gorge into a pool that turns greenish in sunlight, with rocks to jump from for anyone feeling bold.
It sits in Eskdale, in the Lake District, near the old church of St Catherine between Boot and Dalegarth. A riverside path leads down from the church or from Boot, an easy walk to finish a valley wander with a cold swim.
Ibbeth Peril
Photo: N Chadwick via Geograph.org.uk
Reach Ibbeth Peril in Dentdale Northeast in the Yorkshire Dales, Ibbeth Peril lies on the River Dee in Dentdale, where the river drops over a limestone ledge into a deep, dark plunge pool. It is used for wild swimming, though the water can rise fast and turn dangerous after rain, so pick a settled spell and take real care.
Beside the fall is the mouth of Ibbeth Peril Cave, a genuine cave system explored by cavers. Woodland and rock surround the pool, which sits a short way off the road up the dale.
A dramatic, slightly forbidding spot rather than a gentle paddle.
Slater's Bridge Pool
Photo: Karl and Ali via Geograph.org.uk
Cool off at Slater's Bridge Pool In Little Langdale, Slater's Bridge is a narrow old slate footbridge crossing the River Brathay, with a swimming pool beside it. The bridge has two spans, a low arch and a flatter slab resting on a boulder midstream, built long ago by quarry workers as a packhorse crossing to the slate quarries nearby.
The pool below is clear and surprisingly deep, a well-liked place to cool off on the walks around the valley. It is reached only on foot, and is a much-photographed corner of the Lakes, so expect company on a fine day and share the spot kindly.
Kail Pot
Photo: Karl and Ali via Geograph.org.uk
Jump in at Kail Pot on Ullswater On the shore of Ullswater near Sandwick, Kailpot Crag is a low rocky outcrop and a well-known spot for wild swimming. Swimmers jump from the rocks into the clear, deep water of the lake, with little bays and a shingle shore alongside.
It sits on the lakeside path between Sandwick and Howtown and is reached on foot, so the walk in is part of the pleasure. The fells rise around the water on every side, making it one of the more scenic dips in this guide.
Take care jumping in, as the lake water stays cold even in summer.
Burnmoor Tarn
Photo: Steve Partridge via Geograph.org.uk
Walk out to Burnmoor Tarn Furthest and wildest, Burnmoor Tarn lies out on open moorland high between Eskdale and Wasdale, in the western Lakes. One of the biggest natural tarns in the district, it is a wide sheet of water in a hollow on the fells, far from any road and reached only on foot across miles of rough moor.
The setting is bleak and empty, all heather, bog and grass, with the high fells of Scafell rising beyond. An old shooting and fishing lodge stands alone by the shore, and an ancient corpse road, once used to carry coffins from Wasdale to Boot, passes close by.
A cold, quiet swim after a long walk.
FAQs
Where are the nearest wild swimming spots to Blackpool?
The closest lie in the southern Lake District, around sixty-three kilometres north, including Coniston Water and Birks Bridge on the Duddon. Gaddings Dam, east over the Pennines above Todmorden, is a similar distance from Blackpool.
Which spots involve the longest walk?
Burnmoor Tarn is the most demanding, reached only on foot across miles of open moor between Eskdale and Wasdale. Gaddings Dam above Todmorden also needs a steep climb, as no road runs to either.
Is the water safe for swimming after heavy rain?
Take care. Ibbeth Peril on the River Dee in Dentdale can rise fast and turn dangerous after rain, and lake and moorland water near Blackpool stays cold year round, so check conditions and swim within your limits.
Conclusion
From the gentle shores of Coniston to the lonely heights of Burnmoor Tarn, the Lakes and Pennines give Blackpool swimmers a wonderful range of water within a day's reach. Some spots, like Kailpot Crag and Slater's Bridge, sit an easy walk from the road; others, like Burnmoor Tarn, ask for miles of rough moorland before you earn your dip.
Wherever you head, the water runs cold, and places like Ibbeth Peril can rise fast and turn dangerous after rain, so check conditions and never swim alone in doubt. Bring warm layers for afterwards and carry your litter home.
From the western fells to the Yorkshire Dales, these are the wild swimming spots for a day trip from Blackpool.
