10 Best Open Water Swimming Venues In and Around Worcestershire

Looking for an open water swimming venue in Worcestershire?

Open water swimming is becoming popular. There are open water swimming venues popping up anywhere.

Find the four best open water swimming venues in Worcestershire and times of sessions in 2022.

I have also listed other open water and outdoor swimming venues in and around the county too.

Atzec Adventure, Upton Warren, Bromsgrove

The open water swimming at Aztec Adventure in Upton Warren, near Bromsgrove start from 4th May 2022 and run until September!

Sessions are :

• Wednesday evenings 18:30 – 20:00
• Saturday morning 07:00 – 08:30
• Sunday morning 07:00 – 08:30

The course is around 400 metres in length. There are toilets, changing rooms and showers on site.

All bookings must be pre-booked.  You can book here

They also run open water swimming courses including:

Introduction to Open Water Swimming
Improve Your Skills & Confidence -Open Water Swimming

Book on courses here. 

If you have any questions you can contact the office on 01527 861426 or email: uptonwarren@aztecadventure.co.uk

Arrow Valley Lake, Redditch

Arrow Valley Lake by Roland Turner / Flickr Creative Commons

Swim sessions are run at Arrow Valley Lake in Redditch by Worcester Triathlon Club. To attend a session you don’t need to be a triathlete as they are keen to encourage anybody who wants to try open water swimming to give it a go.

However, you will need to join Worcester Triathlon Club as an open water member for insurance purposes. This is only £5 for the whole season. Register here. 

The sessions from Monday 2nd May until at least September.

They take place every Monday & Fridays between 6pm – 7:30pm and each session costs £5 at the time of writing.

Worcester Triathlon Club are a not for profit organisation and entirely run by volunteers. Every penny they make goes back into the sport (plus the club also supports St Richard’s Hospice as our chosen charity). The club are also committed to to make OW swimming accessible to all.

You can join the Worcester Triathlon Facebook Group for up to date information.

The Lenches Lakes, Evesham

Picture from Lenches Lakes Facebook page

The Lenches Lakes offer open water swimming sessions all year round.

They welcome swimmers varying from recreational to event swimmers, novice to advanced. The depth of the lake varies from 5 foot to fifteen hence it is important swimmers are confident.

The sessions are as follows:

Monday morning 10.30- 11.30
Thursday mornings 10.30- 11.30 and 12 – 13.00
Saturday 9 -10.00, and 10.30 – 11.30

You need to book in advance on the website. There is place for 30 swimmers at each session.

This is the only venue for winter open water swimming in Worcestershire. Please note if you want to swim here during the winter, it’s a requirement to have completed a 2 hour winter swim session course that are run onsite.

The Lenches also run a number of other courses throughout the year. At the time of writing they offer Chill Therapy courses. Courses run from April 1st through to September. They are fully guided open water swim sessions to naturally help manage anxiety and depression. It’s a safe opportunity to improve your physical and mental health whilst giving you the information and skills you require to keep you safe wherever you embrace the Chill!

University of Worcester, Lakeside Campus

Photo from Lakeside Campus Facebook page

The Lakeside Campus at the University of Worcester offers open water swim sessions from the end of April to September.

The course is perfect for beginners just starting out as well as more experienced triathlete. The 1.6m lake has a 650m circuit.

Experienced & qualified lifeguards are always on hand to ensure safety and robust management and testing systems ensure that the lake is prepared for your swim.

They also offer open water coaching sessions on a 1-2-1 or small group basis during regular sessions. They offer sessions for everyone, whether you are new to open water and venturing out of the pool for the first time or want to chase quicker times for competitions.

The sessions run as follows:

Monday and Thursday 6pm-8pm, Saturday and Sunday 8am-10am

You can book online. 

The bookings aren’t tied to a particular date so you can be flexible as to when you attend. There is the option to buy a single swim, block of five or block of ten.

It’s worth keeping an eye on the Facebook page as they aren’t open on some bank holidays and staff training days.

At the time of writing they are closed on the following days:
Monday 2nd May (Bank Holiday)
Saturday 7th May (Staff Training)
Sunday 22nd May (Worcester Triathlon)
Thursday 2nd June (Bank Holiday)
Saturday 4th June (Bank Holiday)
Sunday 5th June (Bank Holiday)
Saturday 9th July (Staff Training)
Saturday 6th August (Staff Training)
Saturday 27th August (Bank Holiday)
Sunday 28th August (Bank Holiday)
Monday 29th August (Bank Holiday)

Other Places To Swim Outdoors in Worcestershire and The Surrounding Area

Droitwich Spa Lido

Based in Droitwich, Worcestershire the lido isn’t open water swimming as such but it is swimming outdoors. They are open during the summer months between the end of April and September. Find out more and book online. 

Upper Bittell Reservoir with BRAT, Barnt Green, Bromsgrove

You can swim at Upper Bittell Reservoir on Thursday evenings but you have to be a member of BRAT which is the Birmingham Running Athletics Triathlon Club. It’s not open to non members. However if you run or partake in triathlons you may be interested in joining the club and swimming with them too. Sessions take place on Thursday evenings between 6pm and 7.30pm. The course is 500m. It’s best to contact the club and see what they are doing for the 2022 session before you join. Find out more on the BRAT website.

Netherton Open Water Swimming

Netherton open water swimming is located at Lodge Farm Reservoir in Netherton, Dudley, home to Dudley Water Sports Centre just a mile away from Merry Hill Shopping Centre.

Sessions take place all year round on Saturday morning. In May to September swim you can swim on Monday evening as well. To swim you will need to sign up to Nowca online for insurance purposes.

Find out more at Netherton Open Water Swimming

Midlands Open Water Swimming, Tamworth

Midlands Open water swimming is based in Kingsbury, Tamworth.

It’s a privately owned lake which is beautiful. You need to pay £20 insurance to book swim sessions in the lake. After that it costs £7 per session. The sessions take place at 6pm on Wednesdays and 11am on Saturday mornings.

They also run swimming lessons.

Book your session here. 

Dotshill Quarry, Tamworth

Dotshill Quarry in Tamworth offers magnesium packed water and a picturesque location.

At the time of writing you can swim on Wednesday and Friday evenings but they are open at other times as well. Check the website for dates and times.  There are also opportunities to do full moon swims.

You have to register on the website before you swim. It’s free to do so. Then book swims online. It’s £8 for an adult swim and £4 for under 15s.  If you book 10 swims together there is a 25% discount.

Cliff Lakes, Tamworth

If you want to try open water swimming in Tamworth, you’re spoiled for choice as Cliff Lakes is another option of outdoor swimming in the area.

It’s the Midlands largest open water venue. There’s changing rooms, eco friendly showers and a free swimmers tea and coffee after your swim.

There are two different courses 250m and 500m. Obviously the shorter course is great for beginners. The swimming area is fully lifeguarded with a rescue boat to respond to incidents.

Cliff Lakes welcomes all swimmers from beginners to experienced triathletes. The site hosts regular events including ladies only swims and triathlon coaching. There is also the option of cold water swimming from November to March on Saturday mornings between 8.30 and 11am.

At the time of writing the sessions take place between 8.30 and 10.30am on Saturday mornings but check the Cliff Lakes website to see if more times have been added.

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