Swim Heron (Heron Lake) Wild Swimming

Swim Heron is the NOWCA lake at Heron Lake, just off M25 J13, postcode TW19 6HW. Two marked courses, 500m and 1000m. STA-qualified staff, rescue kayaks, a safety boat. Changing rooms at the back of the clubhouse. Claire Cooks Surrey in the café. You go because it is a proper South East training lake you can reach from the motorway, with a 1000m loop that actually exists, and because they will not let you in without a NOWCA wristband, a bright hat and a tow float. Seasonal. First swim of 2026 was Saturday 2 May. The leisure swim area is not open this season. If you came for a splash zone, you came to the wrong booking.

Getting in

NOWCA membership first, £20 for the year, wristband included. Register at NOWCA and pick Swim Heron as home lake if you are new. Then the ACTiO app. You can book before the band arrives. The app will not book two people in one tap — if you are a pair, both of you need to be in the app at the same time.

2026 hours on their homepage: Monday and Wednesday 16:30–20:00; Saturday and Sunday 06:20–09:30. No weekday mornings listed. Slots every 30 minutes, 1.5 hours on the clock, 85 minutes in the water (or until close). May bookings usually open about three weeks before the season. Single swim £7.50. Ten credits £65, on the app or at the lake. No refunds if you cannot come. More than 15 minutes late, tell them.

Tow float and bright hat are compulsory. No hat, no float, no water. Floats are sold on site if you message ahead. Under-16s must be able to swim 500m without stopping and must swim 1:1 with a parent or responsible adult. Scan in and out, contactless. Do not use the shower in the accessible toilet.

Limited wetsuit hire if you book it in advance. Mini Mailsports shop on site. Parking: do not sit in a disabled bay unless directed.

The swim

Jetty entry. Wait until the person in front has moved off. Clockwise on the marked loops; if you want another lap, go to buoy one. Exit between the red buoys to the steps right of the ramp, not the way you came in. Safety are in kayaks and on the pontoon. If you are in trouble, float on your back or hold the tow float and wave. They will stay off you unless it is an emergency.

It is a training lake. Fast swimmers pass wide and ease the kick. Do not gather on buoys. Acclimatise before you start the loop. The 1000m is there if you can use it; the 500m is the competence bar for the kids. Café after — 20p off a hot drink if you bring a cup. Bacon at the weekend is a documented hazard to pacing.

Changing rooms are open, rear of the building. Tables overlooking the lake. Site is accessible; disabled swimmers have changing. what3words: tunes.closes.clash.

Worth knowing

Seasonal, not year-round. They have not published a 2026 closing date on the homepage. Treat it as a May-start NOWCA season and watch the app, not a winter venue. The leisure area being shut is a 2026 fact, not a rumour.

It is not a drop-in lake and not a family beach. Four sessions a week. Weekend mornings are early. If you cannot do the NOWCA / ACTiO dance, you will not get in. If you want a Surrey lake with a winter members’ slot instead, Divers Cove at Godstone is the other South East pin with a different product.

COVID-era rules are still on the procedures page (no attendance if unwell). Read it once. Then bring the hat, the float, the band, and be on time.