Park in the Past Wild Swimming

Park in the Past is a community-interest restoration of Fagl Lane Quarry at Hope, Flintshire, LL12 9HB, between Wrexham, Mold and Caergwrle. About 120 acres of rewilded parkland and a 35-acre lake, 12 to 30 metres deep. Day pass includes the lake if you accept the terms. Changing, toilets, a dog-friendly café, a reconstructed 1st-century Roman auxiliary fort. You go because Hope actually sells a swim ticket on a big, quiet lake under Hope Mountain, and because you can walk and swim on the same stamp. You also go knowing there are no lifeguards and no rescue boat. It is not an aqua park. Wardens, a buoy line, and your own float.

Getting in

Book the General Admission / Swim Day Pass on Beyonk, or pay at the kiosk when they are taking walk-ups. Standard 13–65 is £6; concessions and children 4–12 are £5; under-4s free. Family (2 adults + 2 children 4–12) £17. Local residents within walking distance £5 with proof of address at the kiosk. Parking £2 a vehicle for the day. Beyonk adds a booking fee. Last entry one hour before close. Tickets on Beyonk sell until an hour before the slot ends.

Weekends year-round. Term-time weekdays are often closed for schools and private hire. School holidays add days. Summer sometimes has evening lake openings. Late August 2026 on their visitor page: Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 closed; Wednesday 26 16:30–20:00; Thursday 27 to Sunday 30 10:00–18:00; Bank Holiday Monday 31 10:00–18:00. On 25 August 2026 the site was closed, reopen Wednesday 16:30. No cash over that Bank Holiday weekend — card only. Supporters’ card: six stamps, seventh entry free.

Unaccompanied under-18s are not admitted to the park. 13–17s need an adult 25 or over. Under-12s in the water need that adult in the water with them. Official swim page: 13–17 accompanied by an adult 25-plus; under-12s in the water with them. Beyonk: 18-plus unsupervised; under-18s supervised; under-12s supervised in the water. Proof of age may be required. Use the stricter reading.

The swim

Designated area only. Do not cross the buoy / tow line. The wildlife zone is marked; they will take you out of the lake if you wander into it. Tow float mandatory for every swimmer. Official page: hire floats and life jackets via the paddlesport hire page. Beyonk: hire from Hope Water Sports (hopewatersports.co.uk); under-13s in a life jacket, older swimmers on a float. No float, no jacket, you leave the water. Short entry into deep water. Submerged objects. Cold-water shock is not a slogan here.

Self-launch paddle is a different ticket: £8 for one craft and user, £6 extra user, life jacket on. Hope Water Sports handle kit hire. Sauna Cwtch is a wood-fired lakeside sauna for private hire, not bundled with the £6 swim. Saturday Park Run and walking trails sit on the same land.

Café at the main entrance: hot and cold drinks, meals, cakes, ice cream, puppuccinos. Toilets in the café, lakeside and by the fort. Picnic yes, BBQs and alcohol no, take your litter. Dogs: café on a short lead; some areas off-lead with recall; fort and designated bits on a lead.

Worth knowing

Fagl Lane from the A541. From Wrexham through Caergwrle, first right after the village. From Mold, left after the dual carriageway ends. From the A55, A550 junction 35 toward Hope, right then second right by the Co-op. 200 metres on Fagl Lane. Do not park anywhere except the main entrance. Bus: St Cynfarch’s on Hawarden Road, about 0.8 miles. Train: Hope (Bidston line), about 0.7 miles.

This is a quarry restoration with a swim product, not a NOWCA wristband lake. If you want boats and a 400m loop with a scan-in, Llandegfedd. If you want a Flintshire lake you can book on a Wednesday evening in the holidays, this is the one — check Facebook for weather and closures before you leave Chester.