Over eight years of travelling in our VW California as a family of four, water has shaped our routes more than anything else. It’s pulled us to remote Scottish lochs, Atlantic-battered headlands on the Ring of Kerry, and the glassy tidal lagoons of the Gower Peninsula.

Important: about this guide

Claire is an open water swimmer and a Level 2 SEQ Swim Teacher (a pool-based teaching qualification). Neither of us holds an open water safety, lifeguarding, beach safety or rescue qualification. Everything on this page reflects what works for our family based on practical experience and the formal water safety education our boys have received through Swim England, RNLI Swim Safe and Rookie Lifeguards.

This guide is not a substitute for qualified instruction or official water safety guidance. Conditions in open water change constantly — by the hour, with the weather, with the tide — and you alone are responsible for assessing your own safety on the day. Nothing written here replaces your own judgement in the moment, or the advice of a lifeguard on the beach in front of you. For authoritative advice, please refer to:

• RNLI water safety advice — including the Float to Live response to cold water immersion
• Swim England open water guidance
• The Outdoor Swimming Society’s Survive guidance
• NOWCA for accredited open water venues with safety cover
• ROSPA water safety resources

If you are new to open water, please learn from a qualified open water coach at a supervised venue before swimming unsupervised. If in doubt, don’t get in.

Safety: what we actually do

Open water carries real risks. We don’t want to scare you off it — we want you to do it with your eyes open. Claire’s background as a Level 2 SEQ Swim Teacher, our boys’ Swim England Standard 10 qualifications, the Rookie Lifeguards course they’ve completed and the Swim Safe sessions they’ve attended give us a foundation we draw on every time we’re around water as a family. None of that replaces qualified safety guidance — it just shapes how we approach decisions on the day.

The single biggest risk: cold water shock

UK open water is cold enough to be dangerous for most of the year — not just in winter. Sudden immersion in water below about 15°C triggers an involuntary gasp reflex, rapid heartbeat, and can cause a fit, healthy person to inhale water and drown within seconds. It does not discriminate by swimming ability. The deaths you read about in the news every summer — usually young people, usually on hot days, usually within a minute of entering the water — are almost all cold water shock. Being a good swimmer is no protection at all against the first cold gasp.

The two things that prevent it: never enter cold water suddenly (no jumping in, no diving, no being pushed or dared), and acclimatise gradually by splashing your face and neck and entering up to chest level slowly, letting your breathing settle before you swim.

If you find yourself in cold water unexpectedly, the RNLI’s Float to Live advice is the recognised survival response: Tilt your head back, submerging your ears, relax and control your breathing, move your hands and legs to help you stay afloat while the gasp reflex passes. It only lasts a minute or two — floating buys you the time to get it back under control.

Drowning is silent and fast. This is the thing most parents don’t know: a drowning child usually can’t shout or wave. There’s no splashing, no calling out — they slip under quietly, often in seconds, sometimes within feet of an adult. You cannot rely on hearing it happen. You have to be watching.

Before you get in:

• Assess entry and exit first. Walk the edge of an unfamiliar spot before anyone gets in. Find where you’d get out — especially with kids. Is there a hidden shelf or drop-off just inside the entry point?
• Check the water temperature. Cold water shock is the primary risk in UK open water, especially in spring when air feels warm but water is still in single figures. It can cause involuntary gasping and, in extreme cases, cardiac events — even in fit people.
• Know the hazards specific to the water type. Blue-green algae (toxic, found in lakes in warm weather — usually signposted), weeds, boat traffic, currents, rip currents at beaches. Always check signage and recent local reports.
• Tell someone where you’re going. Always. Especially anywhere remote.
• Check weather and recent rainfall. Rivers in particular — what was a gentle pool last week can be a torrent after rain in the hills above.

At the beach — the things that save lives

Most UK campervanning families swim in the sea more than anywhere else, and most UK summer drownings happen at the coast. These are the non-negotiables:

• Swim at a lifeguarded beach, between the red-and-yellow flags. A red flag means do not enter the water — ever, no matter how calm it looks.
• If you’re caught in a rip current, don’t fight it. A rip will pull you away from shore faster than you can swim against it, and fighting it is what exhausts people. Stay calm. If you can stand, wade — don’t swim. If you can’t, float on your back to catch your breath, then swim parallel to the beach (not towards it) until you’re out of the pull, then head in. Raise a hand and shout for help if you can.
• Spot the rip before you get in. A rip often looks like a deceptively calm, flat lane between breaking waves, sometimes a different colour or churning with sand. Flat water is not always safe water.
• Stay off inflatables in the sea. Dinghies, lilos and rings get blown out fast and feature in UK beach tragedies every single summer. An offshore wind (blowing from beach to sea) is deceptive — it flattens the surface and feels gentle while pushing anything that floats out to sea.
• Check the tide. An incoming tide can cut off a beach or sandbar; an outgoing one changes everything about your exit. Know which way it’s going before you get in.
• Check water quality. Use Surfers Against Sewage’s Safer Seas Service for sewage discharge alerts before you swim.

In the water

• Enter cold water gradually. Splash water on your face and neck before full immersion. Don’t jump into water of unknown depth or temperature. The cold water gasp reflex has caused drowning even in experienced swimmers who entered too quickly.
• Tow floats. We use them every time — for both distance swimming and family dipping. They keep you visible to boats and other water users, and give you something to hold if you need a rest. But be clear about what a tow float is and isn’t: it’s a visibility aid, not a lifejacket. It won’t keep an unconscious person’s airway clear and it won’t stop cold water shock. See our kit list for the ones we use.
• Know the signs of cold water incapacitation. Swimming ability degrades faster than you’d expect as your core temperature drops. Difficulty breathing, feeling clumsy, losing stroke efficiency — these are signals to get out immediately.

Getting out

• Warm up actively after a cold swim — don’t just sit there. Towel dry, layer up, move around. Afterdrop (core temperature continuing to fall after you exit the water) is real and can sneak up on you, especially on children, who have less body mass to retain heat.
• Warm drinks. We always have hot drinks ready to go in the van.

Getting kids into open water

What’s worked for us:

• Formal swimming lessons first.  That pool-based foundation — breath control, stroke technique, stamina — matters enormously in open water. Don’t skip it.
• RNLI and Rookie Lifeguards training. Real understanding of risk — rip currents, cold water shock, how to help others — beats rules to follow. We can’t recommend this enough.
• Wetsuits lower the barrier for many children. A well-fitted wetsuit can make the temperature manageable and extends the time they’re happy in the water — which builds confidence and habit.
• Set a target, not a duration. “Swim to that rock and back” is more achievable than “we’re swimming for ten minutes.” Kids respond better to visible goals than abstract time.
• Make the reward non-negotiable. Hot chocolate after every swim.
• Never shame hesitation. If one of the boys doesn’t want to get in, they don’t have to get in. Pressure is the fastest way to create a child who hates water. Watching from the shore is always fine.
• Let them pick some spots. Our boys know to look out for swim potential on routes now. Giving them ownership of the decision means they’re invested before they even get there.

If your children are nervous around water, working with a qualified swim teacher in a pool environment — ideally to at least Swim England Standard 7 or 8 before any open water — will make an enormous difference to how they approach it.

Types of open water for families

Sea swimming

The most accessible kind for most UK campervanning families. Sea swimming is brilliant for building confidence (on a calm day), because entry is usually gradual and saltwater is more buoyant than fresh. The main things to watch are current, swell, tidal state, rip currents, and in some locations, boat traffic. Wherever possible, we choose a lifeguarded beach and swim between the flags.

Lake and loch swimming

Flat water, no current, incredible scenery, and a feeling of being completely removed from everything. But lake swimming comes with its own considerations: water temperature (lakes can be significantly colder than the sea in spring), variable depth, boat traffic on larger lakes, and in warm weather, blue-green algae. Claire completed the Chill Swim Triple Crown across Coniston, Ullswater and Windermere — so we know the Lakes as distance swimming venues particularly well. Our guide to wild swimming campsites covers many of our favourite lake locations.

River swimming

River pools and natural plunge pools are some of the most magical spots for a family dip — but they require care. Rivers change character quickly with rainfall, flow can be deceptive, and underwater hazards aren’t always visible. We tend to stick to well-known, well-documented river pools for family dipping.

Two quick checks before we get in: the Environment Agency river levels service for current data, and the look of the water itself — if it’s brown or carrying twigs and leaves, it’s running fast and high. Don’t get in.

Tidal pools and sea lochs

The sweet spot between sea and lake swimming — enclosed, often sheltered from swell, and brilliant for both family dipping and distance sessions on calmer days. Our Gower campervan itinerary and Scotland and Isle of Mull guide both include specific swim spots worth seeking out.

Reservoirs and gravel pits

The vast majority of reservoirs and disused gravel pits in the UK are not safe to swim in, and most are explicitly off-limits. They’re cited in nearly every UK water safety campaign for good reason: shockingly cold water at depth (even in summer), sudden drop-offs, hidden underwater hazards from previous industrial use, no easy exit points, and no one watching if something goes wrong.

The exception — and the only context in which we’d recommend swimming in this kind of water — is at a designated open water swimming venue with on-the-water safety cover, marked courses, and entry/exit points managed by trained staff. The NOWCA directory is the right starting point. Many of the UK’s best supervised open water venues are former gravel pits or working reservoirs that have been opened up for swimming with proper safety infrastructure. That’s a completely different proposition to spotting a body of inviting blue water from a footpath and getting in.

If you see a sign saying “no swimming,” please respect it.

Waterfall pools

High drama, usually cold, and the boys absolutely love them. Scotland and Wales are particularly good for this. A few things to know:

Never jump into a pool you haven’t checked first. Get in slowly, swim across, and physically check depth at every point you might want to jump from. Underwater rocks and ledges are not always visible from the surface, and tombstoning into shallow water is the leading cause of serious spinal injury at UK inland swim spots.

Stay clear of the water directly beneath a falling waterfall. The undertow can pull you down and the recirculating current can hold you under.

Right to swim — understanding water access in the UK

This catches a lot of people out: unlike Scotland, there is no general right to swim in open water in England and Wales. Access to most lakes, rivers, and reservoirs is technically at the permission of the landowner. In practice, many of the spots we swim in England and Wales are either designated bathing waters, well-established permissive access points with a long history of swimming use, or locations recommended in established wild swimming guides (which effectively function as a record of tolerated access). We use the resources listed in our books and resources section to identify spots where access is understood, rather than hoping for the best at an unmarked shoreline.

Stepping up — from dipping to longer swims and events

If you’ve been dipping happily for a while and you’re starting to wonder about longer swims, lake crossings or your first open water event, the path is more achievable than most people think. Here’s roughly how Claire and Tommy have approached it.

If your pool swimming needs work first

Be honest with yourself here. Open water removes all the cues that pool swimming provides — lane ropes, a black line on the floor, walls to rest at, the ability to stand up. If your technique or stamina isn’t solid in a pool, open water will expose it quickly and make the experience harder than it needs to be.

Adult swimming lessons are widely available and genuinely transformative — there’s no age at which technique stops mattering, and most adult learners find they progress quickly once someone is watching their stroke. If you’re not sure where to start, the Catch app is excellent: it combines structured training plans with technique videos, so you can work on stroke mechanics and build swim fitness in parallel.

Get a coach

If you’re serious about distance open water swimming — targeting a specific event, working toward a lake crossing, or just wanting to progress faster than self-coaching allows — working with a specialist open water coach is the single biggest accelerator. Claire worked with Mel Berry Coaching in preparation for the Chill Swim Triple Crown, and the difference in technique, strength and confidence was significant.

Find a supervised open water venue

Before heading to an unmarked lake or river pool for your first proper swim, start at a supervised open water venue. These are purpose-built or permitted locations with safety cover on the water, measured courses, and often coaching available too. They remove the access and safety uncertainty while you build confidence and distance.

Two local venues we would particularly recommend:

Uswim at Boundary Water Park — open water swimming sessions with coaching and stroke analysis. A well-run, accessible venue for swimmers at all levels.

Kuotos Swim at Whitmore Lakes — similarly strong on coaching and stroke analysis, and a good environment for swimmers making the transition from pool to open water.

The NOWCA directory lists accredited open water venues across the UK. Most venues rent equipment on the day, and some offer wetsuits for hire, which means you can try open water swimming properly before committing to kit.

Build up distance sensibly

A reasonable progression: supervised venue sessions to build comfort and sighting → a short organised event (750m or 1km) to experience race conditions with safety cover → stepping up to 1.5km or 2km once you’re comfortable with the format. Claire and Tommy are both doing the Bala 1.5km and Cross Rutland Water 2km this year — those distances are very achievable with a few months of structured preparation from a solid pool base.

Don’t skip the supervised venue stage. Open water feels completely different from a pool — the absence of lane ropes, the inability to see the bottom, sighting to navigate — and normalising those things in a safe environment before your first event makes the event itself much more enjoyable.

Why organised events are a good entry point

For anyone stepping up from solo swims or casual dipping to a more structured open water swim, organised events solve several problems at once: safety cover is provided, the course is marked with buoys, and you’re surrounded by other swimmers. They’re an excellent bridge from supervised venue sessions to genuinely open water.

Events in the UK range from 750m beginner-friendly swims up to 10km+ marathon distances.

Useful resources for finding events:

• NOWCA (nowca.org) — registers and accredits open water venues and events across the UK. Their app lets you log open water swims, find accredited venues with water temperature and safety data, and track your distances.
• Outdoor Swimmer magazine — publishes an annual events calendar covering everything from local club swims to major national events.
• Chillswim — organisers of some of the UK’s most respected lake distance events, including the Triple Crown swims.
• Open Water Swimming Scotland / Swim Wales — regional governing bodies with event listings.

Our 2026 swim calendar

Claire and Tommy are both entered for the Bala 1.5km and the Cross Rutland Water 2km — a brilliant pair of events for a swimmer stepping up to distance racing alongside a parent doing the same course. Claire is also doing the Brighton Pier to Pier Bounceback Swim (3km) solo, and has signed up for the 24-hour relay swim for Level Water at Alderford Lake — a charity event with a very different kind of challenge.

Supported swims — Dan and the SUP

On longer swims that aren’t part of an event — the occasional bay crossing or longer training session somewhere unfamiliar — Claire and Tommy often have Dan alongside on the SUP. This is worth naming as a deliberate safety practice rather than a nice bonus.

A SUP-based escort can carry spare kit, monitor the swimmer’s progress, provide a rest point, raise the alarm if something goes wrong, and keep the swimmer visible to other water users. If you have a family dynamic where one person is the swimmer and another isn’t, the SUP role is genuinely useful and active — not just spectating.

For anyone interested in this, British Canoeing and the Outdoor Swimming Society have both published guidance on paddler-swimmer protocols for supported swims.

Kit for the whole family

We’ve refined this list over eight years. What follows is what’s actually in the van — not a wishlist, not every option on the market. The full breakdown with specific product links is in our family campervan kit list.

The basics

• Tow floats — one per swimmer. They keep you visible to boats and other water users and give you something to hold if you need a rest. A visibility and rest aid — not a lifejacket, and no substitute for the safety judgement above. We use them every time.
• Costumes or Wetsuits — see the wetsuits-and-skins note below. Either is fine.
• Dry robes and changing mats — changing at the van in a car park or field is a core skill. A good dry robe per person makes this possible in any weather, and doubles as post-swim warmth on cold days.
• Flask — hot chocolate post-swim. Non-negotiable.

Wetsuits or skins?

Plenty of open water swimmers swim in costumes year-round, including over long distances — Channel and marathon swimmers swim in skins by definition, and a lot of recreational distance swimmers prefer it for the cold-water training effect and the sheer feel of the water. Wetsuits are also widely used and entirely valid. Both are legitimate, and the wild swimming community can sometimes turn this into more of a debate than it needs to be.

For families starting out, and especially for kids, wetsuits genuinely help. They extend the time you can stay comfortably in cold water, make the temperature less of a barrier, and remove the “I’m cold, I want to get out” decision from the first ten minutes. That builds confidence and the habit of swimming. As people acclimatise — adults and kids alike — many naturally find they want less neoprene, not more. A wetsuit adds buoyancy and warmth, but it does not make you safe from cold water shock or currents — the rules above still apply.

If you choose to wear a wetsuit — fit and type matter

A loose wetsuit flushes cold water constantly and provides almost no thermal benefit. We see this a lot at family swim spots: kids in wetsuits two sizes too big, bought to “grow into,” which are effectively useless for warmth and uncomfortable to swim in. A wetsuit that fits properly should feel snug but not restrictive, with no large air pockets at the shoulders, chest or knees.

It’s also worth knowing that surf wetsuits and swimming wetsuits are different things. Surf wetsuits are built for flexibility through the shoulders and core, with durable thicker neoprene designed for someone largely stationary in the water waiting for waves. Open water swimming wetsuits are engineered for the opposite — maximum flexibility through the shoulders for full front crawl, with a smooth low-drag outer surface and buoyancy distributed to lift the hips and legs. For a family dip or play in the sea, a surf wetsuit is fine. For genuine distance swimming or events, a swimming-specific wetsuit makes a real difference.

Claire wears a swimming-specific wetsuit for events, but often swims in skins for shorter sessions and sea swims.

Buying, second-hand and renting

For children who are growing fast, buying new every season is genuinely wasteful — but the answer isn’t buying oversized. Look on Facebook Marketplace, eBay or Vinted for second-hand wetsuits in the right size; the market is good and prices are reasonable.

Wetsuit rental is also an excellent option — particularly for growing kids, families just starting out, or anyone wanting to try a swimming-specific suit before committing to buy. We’ve recently partnered with Adventure Kit Hire as affiliates — they hire wetsuits, tow floats and a wide range of outdoor kit by post. Use the code THEVANFAM for 10% off.

For longer swims and events

• Swim watch — GPS tracking, pace, distance. Apple Watch or similar.
• Neoprene swim cap and gloves — significant heat retention in cold water, particularly for longer sessions.
• NOWCA membership — required at many accredited venues and events, logs your open water distance, and provides access to venue safety data.
• Waterproof phone case — for Dan on the SUP, or keeping a phone accessible at the water’s edge.

SUP kit

• Inflatable SUP, paddle, leash and pump — the SUP lives on the van roof rack or inside on long trips
• Personal flotation device — worn when accompanying distance swimmers in any open water
• Waterproof dry bag — carries spare kit, warm layers, snacks and emergency supplies during supported swims

See our full family campervan packing checklist for how swim kit sits alongside everything else we carry.

How we find swim spots — the books and resources we actually use

This is the question we get asked most often. The honest answer is: a layered approach, because different resources are good for different things.

Books

• The Wild Guides series (Wild Things Publishing). The benchmark. Wild Swimming and Hidden Beaches by Daniel Start are the two we travel with most. Each entry has been visited and assessed, with GPS coordinates and access notes. The Wild Guides for Wales, Scotland, France and Spain are all on our shelf.
• A Guide to Wild Swimming in Cornwall by Bethany Allen. For anyone planning a Cornish swim trip, this is the one. Bethany lives and swims there, and it shows.
• The Outdoor Swimming Guide by Kathy Rogers. Broad, practical and well-written.
• Salty Sea Sisters maps — including the Swim Map of Ireland. Beautifully produced and full of local knowledge.
• Swimming Wild in South West England (Sian Anna Lewis) and Swimming Wild in the Lake District (Suzanna Cruickshank) are two new additions to my bookshelf which I shall be trying out in the coming months (gifted, aff. links).

Apps and online resources

• NOWCA (nowca.org / NOWCA app) — the primary resource for organised open water swimming in the UK. Lists accredited venues with current water temperature, safety status, and event information.
• The Outdoor Swimming Society swim map (outdoorswimmingsociety.com) — community-sourced with thousands of locations and recent reports.
• Swimtrek’s Open Water Finder — community-sourced swim spots with user reports. Good for discovering locations others have swum recently.
• OS Maps — invaluable for identifying access routes to water and checking whether a body of water is likely to have public access nearby.
• What3Words + satellite view in Google Maps — once you know an area has potential, satellite view often reveals accessible water, entry points, and where to park.

Community and conditions

• Local Facebook groups — almost every region has a wild swimming group now. Invaluable for real-time algae warnings, access changes, and local knowledge.
• The RNLI beach finder — for sea swimming: tells you whether a beach has lifeguard cover, flag status, and any current hazard warnings.
• Surfers Against Sewage Safer Seas Service — sewage discharge alerts at UK beaches.
• Environment Agency (England) and Natural Resources Wales — bathing water quality reports for designated bathing sites.
• Asking locals. Still the best source. Campsite owners, other swimmers, dog walkers, surfers. People who live near water know where the good spots are and what to avoid.

Campsites with water access

The ideal campsite, for us, is one where we can get into water without getting in the van first. Walk to the water, swim, walk back, warm up — that’s the dream. More of these exist than you might think.

Our guide to wild swimming campsites covers our favourites across the UK — lakes, llyns and lochs where you can swim directly from the pitch. And our top 10 wet and wild campsites page covers the beach and surf access equivalents.

When we’re researching new campsites, we always check:

• Is there direct water access, or a short walk? (We want walkable, not a drive.)
• Is the water suitable for the kind of swimming we’re planning — flat and deep enough for distance, calm enough for kids?
• What are the current water quality reports for the area?
• For event swims: is the venue within reasonable drive of the campsite so we can leave early without disturbing neighbours?

Planning a water-led campervan trip

The biggest shift we’ve made is working backwards from the water — starting with a swim and building the trip around it, rather than starting with a destination and fitting swimming in.

The process that works for us:

1. Identify the swim first. For Claire and Tommy, this often means an event date — book the event, then plan the van trip around it. For a family dipping trip, it means identifying a region with good water options.
2. Map the swim spots. Two or three swims we definitely want to do. Mark them. Build from there.
3. Find campsites within walking or short driving distance. Ideally walkable from the van to the water. The NOWCA map is useful for locating accredited swim venues and working outward to find nearby campsites.
4. Check seasonal conditions. Alpine lakes are cold until June. Scottish lochs are challenging in early spring. The sea in Cornwall is warmest in September. Water temperature dictates wetsuit choice and what kind of swimming is appropriate.
5. Plan the support logistics. On longer swims, who’s where, with what kit, at what time. Dan’s SUP role, boys’ supervision at the water’s edge.

Our full collection of campervan itineraries and guides are all built around water first. If you’re planning your first water-led campervan trip and want a starting point, our Gower Peninsula guide is our most beginner-friendly — sheltered tidal swimming, great van-friendly campsites, and accessible from most of England and Wales for a long weekend.

Who we are, in the water

Claire is a competitive open water swimmer. She trains regularly, participates in events, and has completed the Chill Swim Triple Crown — swimming the full lengths of Coniston, Ullswater and Windermere in a single season (nearly 24 miles of open water). She holds a Level 2 SEQ Swim Teaching qualification. She’s wearing a wetsuit and tow float, swimming front crawl, and covering distance — often around a marked course or buoys at an organised event. Tommy, our eldest, has caught the bug too and is training for open water swim events of his own.

Most of Claire’s serious swimming happens at home, not on holiday. On family trips, the swimming we do is more relaxed — dipping, exploring, occasionally a longer swim across a bay or down a lake when conditions are right. Holidays are about water as part of the day, not water as a workout. Where it does come together is when we can use the campervan as accommodation at swim events.

Dan is a different story. He’s completely capable in the water and confident at sea — but he wouldn’t call himself a swimmer. On longer swims he’ll often accompany Claire or Tommy on the SUP, keeping them company from the surface. That’s a legitimate and genuinely useful role in open water swimming, and one more families should consider.

Both boys have completed swimming lessons to Swim England Standard 10, earned their Rookie Lifeguards Gold award, and attended Swim Safe sessions at Salford Quays — the free Swim England and RNLI open water safety programme that runs every summer at inland and coastal sites across the UK for children aged 7–14. Confident, capable and educated in the water — but still supervised.

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Follow us on Instagram

We share swim spots, event updates, training swims and what open water actually looks like with a family of four over on @thevanfam4.

If you have questions about open water swimming with kids — where to start, how to build up to events, whether the right to swim applies somewhere specific — get in touch.