Colwick Lake Wild Swimming

Colwick Lake is WholeHealth’s swim village on the council-owned West Lake in Colwick Park, Nottingham. Lifeguarded, year-round, members and walk-up guests. 600m loop on the Thursday evening sessions. Lakeside wood-fired saunas. You go because you can pay £10 at the desk and get in without an app, in a city park. You also go knowing there are no showers, no running water in the compound, and if you swim outside their sessions the park rangers will move you on.

Getting in

Membership £50 a year, from the date you buy it. App access, swims, saunas, events. Member swim £6, or six credits. Guest £10, cash or card at the lake, disclaimer signed, tow float lent if they have one. Sign the disclaimer on the website before you arrive if you can. Members get three free guest passes a year for regular swims, not saunas or specials. Generate the code in the app; you still need to have booked yourself onto that session.

Beginners: Thursday 18:15, April–October, no booking, costume and towel. Loop swim Thursday 17:00–19:00 April–October, up to two hours, 600m course. DawnSquad Wednesday and Friday 07:30–09:00 (08:00–09:00 November–March). Mindfulness dips Wednesday and Friday 10:00–11:00 and 12:00–13:00 — for people who want to immerse, not lap. Saturday post-parkrun 09:30–12:00. Sunday 09:30–12:00.

Park at the end of Racecourse Road, postcode NG2 4BH, through the yellow barrier past Colwick Hall. Tarmac path about 500m; follow the apple-logo signs to West Lake. what3words held.visual.straw. Buses 44 and 45; a mile from the Racecourse Road stop. Entry to the water is a gently sloping ramp; they say they help limited-mobility swimmers, including wheelchair users.

The swim

Tow float strongly recommended; they lend if stocks last. Everything else is your call — skins, wetsuit, shoes, gloves. Children 1:1 with a parent or guardian; all wear floats; the lifeguard can keep you in a restricted area. Basic mixed-gender changing, hooks, some cover. No showers. Council toilets about 500m away, only in park hours. Wired on Wheels café opposite.

Sauna is members via the app — 10 credits for 30 minutes on the membership page. Non-members: £15 for 30 minutes or £20 for 45 if a space is going. Spare towel to sit on, sliders. Full Moon swims, the Colwick 8, Boxing Day and New Year dips sit on the members’ calendar. Membership also unlocks SwimBox sessions with Coach Wales and partner TFN Triathlon pool and track training. That is extra, not the lake.

Worth knowing

It is a swim village in a public park, not a private quarry. Off-grid. Bring the robe. A Nordic-style supported dip was still on sale for 26 August 2026, which is how you know the compound was operating that week. If you want a NOWCA sailing-club lake with a gate code instead, Hoveringham is the other East Midlands listing. This is the Colwick West Lake with the apple signs.