Pickmere Lake (The Farm Club) Wild Swimming

The Farm Club is the paid, supervised swim on Pickmere Lake, from Mere View Farm, Park Lane, Pickmere, Knutsford WA16 0LG. Private access on a 300-acre Cheshire estate, not the parish-council shore with the no-swimming sign. Safety instructors and coaches on SUP boards. Mandatory registration. Distance markers; a 750m course on swim days. You go because Cheshire has a bookable lake session with people on the water watching you. You also go knowing this is a wellness farm that sells swimming, yoga, breathwork and ice baths — not a NOWCA training loop.

Getting in

Book a session on their calendar at thefarmclub.co.uk or in the Farm Club app. There is no published 2026 swim tariff on the homepage. An older Manchester Evening News piece put a 90-minute session at £9; treat that as history and read the booking screen. Class passes and gift cards exist and are redeemable across appointment types. Their terms: no refunds, under any circumstances. If you are a novice, you join an induction or coached session if one is available. Emergency contact and an honest competency declaration on registration. Tell them if you have ever had a seizure. Keep that login page up to date.

Sunset Sessions 2026 ran every Friday 24 April to 11 September, 18:30–21:00, £40: yoga, breathwork, guided lake immersion, then picnic on the lawn. Food and drink are not included. That is a packaged evening, not the standard swim slot.

Café in summer 08:30–16:00 every day; winter weekdays 09:00–15:00, weekends 09:00–16:00. KickBack Coffee, cakes. Leave M6 at junction 19, A556 toward Northwich, right at the Windmill onto Pickmere Lane, 2.4 miles, right onto Park Lane, left at Mere View Farm. From the M56, junction 10 then A559 / Dark Lane. Email info@thefarmclub.co.uk if the calendar will not load.

The swim

Private lakeside access, not the public footpath. Staff on the bank and on boards. A brightly coloured hat is the kit they have demanded in press coverage; a tow float is recommended there too. Confirm both on the notes for the session you actually bought. Regulars call the water weed-free; that is testimony, not a lab sheet. You are responsible for your own kit being safe to use, and for the weather.

Breathwork and lake-dip classes are a separate product from a training swim. Ice-bath and sauna free-flow is another — £15 for 60 minutes was on their 2026 schedule posts. Corporate copy has quoted ice-bath water around 5°C. Do not assume a swim ticket includes the heat. The Hide is their two-bed eco stay. Staying does not replace the swim booking.

Worth knowing

People do swim Pickmere from the public recreation ground. The parish does not encourage it. The Farm Club is the managed alternative, with registration and safety cover. If you want a Cheshire USwim lake with a powerboat and pay-on-the-day, Boundary Water Park at Allostock is the other North West pin. This is the Pickmere farm with the SUP safety cover.