Open Water Swim Venues For 2009

It's a while since we did our round-up of the various open water swimming venues in the UK so here's a freshened-up list for 2009. Come on in, the water's lovely! Oh, and please remember that open water swimming in the UK should only be undertaken at properly managed and supervised venues – you can't simply rock up at any old lake, reservoir or river and jump in! All open water swimming carries a degree of risk and permission will always be required from the land or riparian owner.

As always, if there are any corrections or additions to the listing, do in get in touch with us via editor@tri247.com.

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Barton Marina

Location: Barton Turns Marina, Barton-under-Needwood (website)

Day/Time: Wednesday (6:30pm to 7:30pm) Saturday (9am to 11am)

Cost: £2.00 for MVH Tri Club, Burntwood Tri Club and Derby Tri Club members and £4.00 for other athletes.

Layout: Buoyed 1,006m

Facilities: car parking, shopping on site Sat

Wetsuits available: none

Coaching: none

Events: Sprint (7th June) and Standard (9th August) triathlons

blueseventy Open Water Swim Centre

Location: Kirtons Farm Lake, Reading (website)

Day/Time: Tuesday and Thursday (6:30am to 9:30am and 5:30pm to dusk) Saturday and Sunday (8am to 10am)

Cost: £5 per session, bulk buys available

Layout: buoyed 800m loop

Facilities: car parking, changing rooms, showers, toilets, clubhouse, hot drinks, wireless internet

Wetsuits available: blueseventy

Coaching: yes

Events: none

Bosworth Water Trust

Location: Market Bosworth, Leics (website)

Day/Time: Thursday (18:30 to 20:30) and Saturday (07:00 to 09:00)

Cost: Venue Entry - £3 per vehicle, Swim - £2 1485 Tri Club Members, £2.50 guests, £1 Youths & Juniors

Layout: 700m loop around far island

Facilities: car parking, changing rooms, showers, toilets, cafe, shop, hot drinks

Wetsuits available: Zone3 attend by arrangement for "try before you buy"

Coaching: No

Events: Aquathlon Time Trials first Thursday June - Sept, Terrapin Sprint Triathlon

Boundary Water Park

Location: Boundary Water Park, South Manchester (website)

Day/Time: Thursday (6pm to dusk)

Cost: £4, season ticket available

Layout: 400m and 750m buoyed loops

Facilities: TBC

Wetsuits available: no

Coaching: no

Events: Manchester Tri Club and Uberfit use the venue for events

Cotswold Water Park (Lake 12)

Location: Cotswold Water Park, Gloucestershire

Day/Time: Selected Saturday mornings 8.15am to 9.30am. (May: 2nd, 9th, 16th. June: 6th, 20th, 27th. July: 4th, 11th. September: 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th. October: 3rd, 10th, 17th)

Cost: £5

Layout: TBC

Facilities: TBC

Wetsuits available: TBC

Coaching: TBC

Events: No

Cotswold Water Park (Lake 32)

Location: Cotswold Water Park, Gloucestershire (website)

Day/Time: All days of the year before 10am

Cost: £40 season membership

Layout: TBC

Facilities: TBC

Wetsuits available: no

Coaching: via Jan Whiting available.

Events: Same lake as used by Triferris for their Cotswold triathlons, also Waterland organise aquathons as

Gosfield Lake

Location: Braintree, Essex (website)

Day/Time: Tuesday (6pm to 8pm) Sunday (6am to 9am)

Cost: £4

Layout: TBC

Facilities: parking, clubhouse

Wetsuits available: TBC

Coaching: no

Events: various throughout the season

Hampstead Lido

Location: Hampstead Heath, London (website)

Day/Time: Tuesday (7pm to 9.30pm)

Cost: £see website

Layout: open air pool

Facilities: changing, toilets

Wetsuits available: no

Coaching: triforfitness

Events: no

Heron Lake

Location: Heron Lake, Wraysbury J13 M25 near Staines (website)

Day/Time: Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday (6am to 8:30am)

Cost: £5 per session, bulk buys available

Layout: approx 1k loop using waterski buoys

Facilities: car parking, toilets, limited changing and showers. Hot drinks and food.

Wetsuits available: blueseventy, Orca, Aqua Sphere

Coaching: Rick Kiddle

Events: weekly lap race

Ladybird Lake

Location: Ladyburn Lake, Druridge Bay Country Park, (website)

Day/Time: Thursday (7pm) - meetat the watersports carpark at 6.45pm with Alnwick Tri Club

Cost: Free

Layout: TBC

Facilities: Bring your trainers, you can run round the lake afterwards to warm up.

Wetsuits available: no

Coaching: Swimmers are split by ability and it is open to everyone no matter what your ability. We have novice and experienced triathletes training for open water events and swimmers training for the Great North Swim. Organised by Tracey Sample who can be contacted on info@alnwicktriathlon.co.uk

Events: Northumberland Tri Festival

Leybourne Lakes

Location: Larkfield, Kent (website)

Day/Time: Tuesday to Sunday, 10am until dusk (May to October). Other times available by agreement

Cost: one-off £30 assessment fee then £5 per day for as long and as often as you want.

Layout: We have measured swim courses of 400meters, 750m, 800m, 1000m and 1300m. Mulitple laps make up 1600m and 4k & 8k

Facilities: Toilets, changing and security for valuables. Tea & coffee, Mars bars etc available

Wetsuits available: Available free of charge and we hold Zone3 stock for trying out.

Coaching: Team Outrageous for all disciplines in triathlon and long distance swimming (Channel & Windemere etc)

Events: Midweek Series (Wednesday at 7pm) & Saturday morning sprints (8am start). See www.teamoutrageous.com

National Watersports Centre, Holme Pierrepont

Location: National Watersports Centre, Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham (website)

Day/Time: Friday evening 6.30 pm - 7.30 pm. The first session is Friday 29th May will be 6.00 - 8.00 at which Runaround from Worcester will be coming up with trial wetsuits as will www.racezone3.com

Cost: £4 per session includes shower and facilities at the NWC

Layout: It's an Olympic style 2km rowing lake

Facilities: Car Parking, Showers (included in cost), safety boat, plenty of space to get a run in (there are 7 km of trails), bar.

Wetsuits available: Yes, trial suits available from Orca and Zone 3

Coaching: Yes, Level 3 and Level 1 Tri coach plus safety boat, open to all abilities

Events: Home of the National Relays

OpenWaterSwim.co.uk @ Liquid Leisure

Location: Datchet, near Slough. M25 J14 or M4 (website)

Day/Time: Tuesday, Thursday (6am to 8.45am) Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays (6am to 8.30am)

Cost: £5 per session, bulk-buys available

Layout: Measured and Buoyed 750m, 400m and 250m loops plus a 1.3km loop on busy weekends – See website for map of swim courses

Facilities: car parking, toilets, changing rooms, showers, hot tub and sauna. Full café with hot drinks, hot food, and wireless internet

Wetsuits available: 2XU

Coaching: Richard Stannard (website)

Events: Aquathlon Series and Evening Swim Events

Princes Club/Slippery Fish

Location: Clockhouse Lane, Bedfont (website)

Day/Time: Monday (6pm to 9pm) Wednesday (6am to 9am) Saturday and Sunday (6am to 8.55am) Bank Holiday Mondays

Cost: £5, bulk buys available

Layout: buoyed loop in waterski lake

Facilities: car parking, changing, showers, toilets, full clubhouse

Wetsuits available: sailfish (Monday's)

Coaching: Glen Walker/Slippery Fish

Events: no

Roydon Mill Lake

Location: Roydon Mill Lake, Roydon, Harlow, Essex CM19 5EJ (website)

Day/Time: Thursday (7pm to 8pm) Saturday (8am to 9am) - see website for details

Cost: £10 per session, bulk buys available

Layout: TBC

Facilities: car parking

Wetsuits available: N/A

Coaching: RG Active (www.rgactive.com)

Events: N/A

Runaround Sports

Location: Top Barn Activity Centre near Worcester (website)

Day/Time: Thursday (5pm to 7pm) Saturday (8am to 10am)

Cost: £3.50 per session, bulk buys available

Layout: 750m loop

Facilities: car parking, changing, showers. Coffee shop from May

Wetsuits available: Testing days throughout the season

Events: see website

Salford Watersports Centre

Location: Salford Quays (website)

Day/Time: Thursday (6.30pm to 8.30pm)

Cost: £5 per session, discounts available

Layout: buoyed loop in dock

Facilities: changing, toilets

Wetsuits available: no

Coaching: no

Events: regular aquathlons

Serpentine/Swim For Tri

Location: Serpentine Lido, Hyde Park (website)

Day/Time: Wednesday (7pm to 8.30pm)

Cost: £15 per session (fitness) or £20 per session (technique). Bulk/course discounts available

Layout: open air lido

Facilities: car parking, changing, showers (see Serpentine website)

Wetsuits available: no

Coaching: Swim For Tri

Events: no

Stubbers Adventure Centre/Swim For Tri

Location: Stubbers Adventure Centre, Upminster (website)

Day/Time: Saturday (7am to 8.30am)

Cost: £5 per session (fitness) or £15 per session/ £60 per course (technique)

Layout: TBC

Facilities: car parking, changing, showers

Wetsuits available: no

Coaching: Swim For Tri

Events: no

The Quays, Mytchett Lake

Location: Mytchett Lake near Farnborough (website)

Day/Time: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday (6am to 8am) Sunday (7am to 10am) and Bank Holiday Mondays

Cost: £5 per session, bulk buys available

Layout: TBC

Facilities: TBC

Wetsuits available: 2XU

Coaching: TriSportCoaching

Events: Aquathlon series