Wild-Wood-UK Lake Wild Swimming

Wild-Wood UK is a dedicated swim lake at The Norrest, Leigh Sinton, Malvern WR13 5EH, in the Worcestershire countryside. The CSV had no region; this listing files it West Midlands with the other Worcestershire pins. About 200m around. Stepped access with handrails, a sandbag landing, an emergency non-step point. Qualified lifeguards on public sessions. You go because you can book an hour in a deep woodland lake, add a lakeside wood-fired sauna for £7.50, and not share it with a wellness pool. You also go knowing the lake is deep throughout, standing room is limited, and if you cannot do 25m they do not want you in.

Getting in

Book online. They will not take payment on site. Strict 24-hour cancel or reschedule via the link in the confirmation email — do not message Mannie; it is a one-person admin team. Eligible refunds are processed manually over a few working days. New swimmers introduce themselves to the lifeguard for a short safety induction. They recommend an Open Water Swimming Workshop before you go independent.

The swim page does not print the public session fee. The Shepherd’s Hut extras list on the same site puts a wild swimming session at £8.50 and tow-float rental at £5. Trust the checkout. Lakeside sauna add-on £7.50 during booking; it is inside the one-hour swim slot, up to six people, shared rotation. Exclusive lake hire from £120 an hour; optional lifeguard £20 an hour; floats or life jackets compulsory on hire.

Regular public swims are 16+. Cap 15 swimmers. Once full, full. Family sessions: children 7–16, 1:1 adult in the water the whole time, 25m, summer-holiday slots (homepage had Saturday 10:00). All of you need your own booking. No dogs.

Lifeguard times on the swim page: Monday 08:00 and 18:30; Tuesday ad hoc; Wednesday 17:00 and 19:00; Thursday 18:00, 19:00 and 20:00; Friday 08:00, 13:00, 17:00 and 18:00; Saturday 09:00; Sunday 10:00 and 15:00. Homepage timetable disagrees in places (Tuesday 09:30 swim, Friday 09:30 Swim Club). The booking page is the slot. Swim Club with Curious Rose is a guided 09:00 / 09:30; lifeguards are not on Swim Club.

The swim

Deep. Limited standing. Steps and a rail. Bright cap recommended, water shoes recommended, tow float mandatory — bring, add hire at checkout, or hire on arrival if they have one. From October: gloves, neoprene socks, a warm hat. Winter water can fall to about 1°C. Ice happens. They want experienced cold-water swimmers then.

Changing rooms by the car park. Toilet and shower beside them. No café; self-service tea and coffee via QR, complimentary light snacks, fire pit. Carp in the lake. Herons, kingfishers, sometimes an otter. what3words for the car park behind the lake: similar.responds.skim. Walk up the steps for the swim. Wellness Area is a different walk up the track — its own natural pool, sauna and hot tub, exclusive hire or Sunday community hours. Do not treat that pool as the lake.

Worth knowing

The Wellness Area is not the wild-swim ticket. Community Wellness Hours on Sunday are a separate book. If you want a Bromsgrove stream-fed Wednesday with RLSS boats and a 400m loop, Aztec is the other Worcestershire pin, and it ends 9 September 2026. Wild-Wood is the Leigh Sinton woodland hour: 15 people, steps, float on, pay online or do not come.