Sheltered freshwater lagoon named one of the UK’s best and praised for its great value for money
- UK Hidden Gems
- Nov 24, 2025
- 2 min read
A lovely sheltered lagoon in Greater Manchester has been named one of the top places in the UK for outdoor swimming.
This hidden gem took third place in a national list of swimming spots, judged by the number of online searches and social media tags each place received, according to the AA.
The park gained an impressive 33,100 Google searches each month and more than 13,000 Instagram tags.
It is the only site outside London to appear in the top five. Sale Water Park is not a lido or outdoor pool but an artificial lake, a sheltered lagoon where people can enjoy activities such as sailing, jet skiing and paddle boarding.
There are also supervised open water swims, so visitors can take a dip knowing lifeguards are close by if they are needed.
Anyone who wants to swim at Sale Water Park is encouraged to book one of these supervised sessions, as swimming without supervision is not allowed.
Built in the 1970s as part of the M60 motorway project, which needed the road to be raised 10 metres above the Mersey floodplain, Sale Water Park has grown into a much loved spot for locals.
One dad gave the site five stars on Trip Advisor, saying: “Booked a kayaking course with two of my lads. Absolutely brilliant experience.
The instructor was fantastic with us all. Gave the boys great confidence in the lake. Well worth a visit for the friendly, welcoming experience they gave us. Great value for money.”
The materials used to create the reservoir came from an excavation beside the motorway. This area was later flooded to form the man made lake, which reaches depths of up to 90 feet in some places.
One mum said: “My husband booked the paddle boarding starter package for our family today. Aiden our teacher for the hour explained everything we needed to know clearly and step by step to get us started.
We were all standing on our paddle boards and paddling around Sale Water Park with ease and looked like naturals by the end of the session.”
Remember - LeaveNoTrace!
As with anywhere outdoors, kindly keep these areas pristine and wild by taking all trash with you. The amount of complaints we have seen since the pandemic is crazy. It's really not that hard to take your rubbish with you!
Litter tends to spread, so if you see any and are able to pick it up and dispose of it outside the hidden gem, it will help keep the area tidy.
Download the official APP!
Gain access to over 1,600 hidden gems and their co-ordinates all over the UK when you download our app. Add gems to your bucket-list and tick them off as you go along, as well as earn rewards/badges when you visit a certain amount.
Users will also have acess to over 9,000 parking spots across the UK as well as over 1,600 staycations in the UK.
Comments