Alderford Lake Wild Swimming

Alderford is a family-run lake at Tilstock Road, Whitchurch, SY13 3JQ — what3words treetop.gear.visitors. Open-water swimming is a full-day pass, not a 60-minute slot. You buy the swim ticket and arrive any time in opening hours. Tow float is mandatory. Water is tested, including for algae. Changing cubicles, a swimmers’ hut, toilets, cold showers, lockers, wetsuit hire. Lakeside Kitchen on site. You go because Shropshire actually has a bookable swim lake you can stay in all afternoon, with a café and an aquapark next door. You also go knowing the lake outside the aquapark is not lifeguarded. If you want a supervised NOWCA loop, this is a different product.

Getting in

Open daily 9:00–16:30, last admission 30 minutes before close. They sometimes open earlier or later in heat — watch their socials. No fixed swim slot. Book the swim pass online if you can: cheaper, and it guarantees entry. Capacity is a real ceiling; walk-ups get turned away when they hit it. Gate sales exist. 8% booking fee on online orders was on their 2026 price page before it was folded into Plan Your Visit — check checkout, not a screenshot.

They do not currently publish a single swim tariff on the swim page. Prices move with season and weather. Membership is £7.50 a year, auto-renew, cancel anytime: 20% off swimming and self-launch, 10% off activities and the café, a free hot drink for lake users October–March. Weekday walk admission for members is advertised at £2. Parking: first 3 hours free, 4 hours £3, all day £5.

Waiver if you go in the water. Complete it before you arrive. Under-18s do not come unaccompanied. Their safety page: 8 and under, one adult 18+ per three children, and that adult in the water; 9–12, one adult 18+ per ten, adult in the water; 13–17, a 21+ supervisor on the bank, max ten. They want you able to swim 25m confidently in open water. First-timers are told to speak to a coach (SW Sports Performance) rather than treating the pass as a lesson.

The swim

Tow float or a buoyancy aid. Always. Hire on site if you forgot. Wetsuit advised if you are not used to cold; compulsory on the aquapark below 15°C, not as a swim-lake rule. The aquapark is a separate ticket. So is self-launch if you brought a board. Swim pass is the full day in the lake.

It is a family day-out lake that also sells swimming, not a closed training venue. Dogs are allowed, on a lead unless they have recall, and they may go in the lake — keep them off other users. No dogs on the islands except assistance dogs. Islands cap at eight people. No alcohol, glass, cutlery, speakers, BBQs or drones. Picnic and a small shelter are fine.

Cold showers, outdoor cubicles, hut near the swim entry for bags. Café 9:00–16:30, hot food until 15:30. Afternoon tea 12:00–15:00 if you booked it. Cash and card at admissions and café; the rest of the site is card.

Worth knowing

Not lifeguarded outside the aquapark. Buddy up. That is their advice, not a slogan. If you want kayaks on the water and a rescue boat, look at a NOWCA lake. If you want a Shropshire day with a float and a café, this is it.

Camping and bell tents exist April–September via Pitchup. That does not make the swim overnight access; hours still apply. Water-quality results are linked from the safety page — read them when algae is in the news. It is in the North West listing on this site because that is how the draft was filed; the lake is Whitchurch, Shropshire.