WINTER SWIMMERS - we need your help!
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Last week we kicked of the 2026/27 WINTER SWIM season at ACTIVITIES AWAY and you may have noticed .. it was busy!
We are sorry (not sorry!) that we have lots of people who want to swim with us, it is a testament to the hard work we put into running the lake and is an endorsement of our dedication to safety, clean water and good food!
BUT to ensure we can continue to deliver a market leading service we need YOUR help!
The main issue on our opening weekend was swimmers booking very last minute... this means we didn't feel the need to revert to our STAGGERED STARTS on the app and instead had everyone pile in at the same time.
Add to this the first few weeks of every winter season we are running induction sessions. for new members and you had well over 100 people on site in the first hour... to be clear... we need new members and welcome everyone, but we need to manage footfall and parking to ensure a smooth experience for everyone.
So, from Sunday 25th October we have reintroduced STAGGERED STARTS no the app so we can manage footfall in a. more efficient way. To help further reduce the initial queuing we have also opened up a 9 am slot.
Before you do ANYTHING please ensure you have completed the WINTER SWIM SIGN UP via the link at www.owswim.uk - if you have not, you will not be able to swim, it needs completing every season as we don't keep your data longer than required. We do not have the capacity on site for multiple people to turn up not having done this as it causes unnecessary stoppages so please GO DO IT NOW if you haven't!
OTHER THIGS YOU CAN HELP US WITH...
1, Please BOOK THE TIME SLOT nearest to your anticipated arrival, so if you want to swim at 9 am - book the 9 am slot - if you will not arrive until 9.55 then book the 10 am slot and so on.
You will be able to SWIM FROM the start time you booked (but not before) and numbers are limited on each session to control footfall.
2, Please CAR SHARE where you can and PARK ON THE PUBLIC ROAD if possible, we are closing down the main car park in preparation for regrading it with road stone and a new surface. It needs time to recover before we can do this so PARKING ON SITE will be restricted to the hard standing areas along the driveway and edge of the field until further notice.
3, Please come SWIM READY! Just like back in COVID TIMES please arrive READY TO SWIM if you can. We are rejigging the changing rooms and they will be open plan and UNISEX for now while we carry out the works required. Private changing is available but limited so just ask if you have a particular need.
Steve is back from his overseas work and is at the helm in the kitchen this week so the queues will be less and the food will be flowing with an extra member of staff to deal with your drinks.
Its tough being the best lake around but together we can continue to ensure that everyone can enjoy the Open Water Swim sessions by helping us to help you.
