Top Wild Swimming Spots Day Trips from Durham
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The top Wild Swimming Spots Day Trips from Durham include Tynemouth Outdoor Pool, Egglestone Abbey Bridge, Hell Gill Beck, Harbottle Lake, Ibbeth Peril, Grassington Weir, Loup Scar and River Wharfe.
Durham sits within reach of some grand swimming country, from the Northumberland hills to the Yorkshire Dales, though most of it means a proper drive. Closest is the coast at Tynemouth, where a derelict seawater lido survives as a weathered shell, better for a look than a swim.
A little southwest, the River Tees offers a deep pool below the old bridge at Egglestone Abbey near Barnard Castle. Further north lies the quiet moorland lough at Harbottle in the Coquet valley, while west, on the Cumbria border, Hell Gill Beck cuts a dramatic slot at the head of Mallerstang.
The richest cluster lies south in the Yorkshire Dales, where the Rivers Dee and Wharfe give the plunge pool at Ibbeth Peril, the weir at Grassington, the gorge at Loup Scar and the family reach of the Wharfe near Appletreewick. These range from gentle river pools to serious gorge-scrambling, so choose with care and check the weather.
Here are eight wild swimming spots for a day trip from Durham.
Tynemouth Outdoor Pool
Photo: Ian S via Geograph.org.uk
See the Tynemouth Outdoor Pool Nearest to the city, on the rocks at the northern end of Longsands Beach in Tynemouth, stands a derelict open-air seawater lido. It opened in the 1920s and closed in the mid-1990s, and what remains today is an empty, weathered shell, with the pool basin and walls still visible from the beach and coast path.
There is no swimming here and there are no facilities, so treat this as a place to look rather than to bathe. A local campaign has long hoped to restore it, though no rebuilding is under way.
It makes a curious, atmospheric stop on a coastal day out from Durham.
Egglestone Abbey Bridge
Photo: Hugh Mortimer via Geograph.org.uk
Swim below Egglestone Abbey Bridge Southwest near Barnard Castle, Egglestone Abbey stands in ruins above a bend in the River Tees, its medieval church and living quarters much of them still standing. Just below, an old single-arched stone bridge from the eighteenth century crosses the river, and the deep pool beneath it is a well-known wild-swimming spot.
English Heritage keeps the abbey ruins, which are free to visit and look down over the water, so you can pair a swim with a wander round the old walls. It is one of the closer proper swims to Durham, and an easy, rewarding half-day if the weather is kind.
Hell Gill Beck
Photo: John Illingworth via Geograph.org.uk
Explore Hell Gill Beck at Mallerstang West on the Cumbria and North Yorkshire border, Hell Gill Beck runs off the high moor at the head of Mallerstang and becomes the young River Eden below its falls. Its best-known stretch is Hell Gill itself, a narrow, deep slot cut into limestone where the beck runs cave-like between high walls through small falls and pools.
Below it, Hell Gill Force drops about eight metres to mark the start of the Eden. The slot is a known gorge-scrambling route, taken with ropes and wetsuits, and it turns dangerous in high water, so this is one for experienced, well-equipped parties only.
Harbottle Lake
Photo: Andrew Curtis via Geograph.org.uk
Find Harbottle Lake in Northumberland North in the Coquet valley of Northumberland, Harbottle Lake is a small natural lough set in moorland within the Harbottle Crags reserve, above the village of Harbottle. Shallow and boggy, fringed with rushes and sedge, it draws ducks and other water birds to the quiet hills.
A path from Harbottle passes the great boulder called the Drake Stone, a fine viewpoint over the valley, on the way to the lough. Open heather moor and forestry surround the water.
This is a peaceful, out-of-the-way spot for a gentle dip and a walk, rather than a deep or dramatic swim.
Ibbeth Peril
Photo: N Chadwick via Geograph.org.uk
Ibbeth Peril Right beside the fall gapes the mouth of Ibbeth Peril Cave, a genuine cave system that cavers explore underground. Above it, the River Dee drops over a limestone ledge into a deep, dark plunge pool, ringed by woodland and rock in Dentdale, in the Yorkshire Dales.
Wild swimmers make for the pool, though the water can rise fast and turn dangerous after rain, so it wants settled weather and respect. It lies only a short way off the road running up the dale, which makes an out-of-sight spot surprisingly easy to reach.
Grassington Weir
Photo: Philip Barker via Geograph.org.uk
Grassington Weir turns a grassy riverside common into a summer swimming and paddling spot, reached across the Linton Falls footbridge just below Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales. The Wharfe runs over two weirs and a stone slide here, right beside the natural rapids of Linton Falls, with the best swimming in the pool above the upper weir.
That weir also feeds a small hydro station raised on the footprint of an older one. Keep a weather eye out, though: the Wharfe rises fast after rain, and the water can change in a hurry.
Loup Scar
Photo: N Chadwick via Geograph.org.uk
Discover Loup Scar near Burnsall Just upstream of Burnsall in Wharfedale, Loup Scar is a short limestone gorge where the River Wharfe narrows and cuts between rocky cliffs. Below the crags lies a deep pool used for swimming on warm days, reached by a short riverside walk from Burnsall bridge along the Dales Way.
The rock and clear water make it a well-liked picnic spot as well as a swim. Local legend ties the place to an eighteenth-century murder, the victim's body said to have been carried down the river and recovered here.
A handsome, characterful stretch of the Wharfe, deep in the Yorkshire Dales.
River Wharfe
Photo: Stephen Craven via Geograph.org.uk
Paddle in the River Wharfe near Appletreewick Furthest south, this reach of the River Wharfe runs through the Dales below Appletreewick, toward Barden Bridge, a well-liked family swimming and paddling spot. Here the river spreads over a rocky pool with a small island, a shingle beach and gentle rapids upstream, with grassy banks and a rope swing.
It is reached on the riverside footpath from Appletreewick or from a nearby campsite. Submerged rocks make diving dangerous, so wade in rather than jump.
This is a gentler, safer stretch than the notorious Strid a few miles downstream near Bolton Abbey, and a lovely place for a family day out.
FAQs
Can you still swim at Tynemouth Outdoor Pool?
No. The Tynemouth lido, on Longsands Beach north of Durham, closed in the mid-1990s and is now a derelict shell with no swimming and no facilities. It is worth a look from the coast path, but not a place to bathe.
Which wild swimming spots are closest to Durham?
The nearest proper swim is the pool below Egglestone Abbey Bridge on the River Tees near Barnard Castle, about thirty-five kilometres away. The Dales spots on the Wharfe and Dee lie further south, closer to eighty kilometres.
Are any of these spots dangerous?
Some are. Hell Gill Beck at Mallerstang is a gorge-scrambling route best left to well-equipped parties, and Dales rivers like the Wharfe near Grassington can rise fast after rain, so always check conditions before setting out from Durham.
Conclusion
From the weathered lido at Tynemouth to the plunge pools of the Yorkshire Dales, a day trip from Durham can take in coast, river and high moor. Some spots, like the family reach of the Wharfe near Appletreewick and the pool below Egglestone Abbey, are gentle and welcoming; others, like the gorge at Hell Gill, are serious ground for experienced, well-equipped swimmers only.
Remember that Tynemouth's old pool is a ruin with no swimming, and that Dales rivers such as the Wharfe and the Dee can rise fast after rain. Wherever you go, check conditions, mind submerged rocks, and carry your litter home.
From the Northumberland coast to Wharfedale, these are the wild swimming spots for a day trip from Durham.
