21 May 2026
Image description: a person emerging from a pool of water, with their back to the camera. Photo by Chris on Unsplash A landmark moment for river swimming The first designated bathing water area on the River Thames in London has officially opened for the bathing season, as one of 13 new monitored swimming sites […]
19 Feb 2026
Proposals include first ever designated bathing spot on River Thames Image description: The river Thames flowing under Tower Bridge, with heavy boat traffic. Photo by: Pietro de Grandi, Unsplash The government has proposed 13 new designated swimming locations, including the first ever official bathing spot in London’s River Thames. Achieving designated status means these locations will undergo regular water quality testing by […]
25 Sep 2025
Image description: wild swimmers doing front crawl in a body of water. Photo by Johanna Steppan on Unsplash A new report from the London assembly has recommended ten new wild swimming locations should be created in London, to accelerate a clean-up of the capital’s waterways and increase nature access. The investigation, titled “Swimmable rivers: […]
18 Sep 2025
Image description: A woman wild swimming in the Lake District. Image by Jaz Blakeston-Petch on Unsplash A group of Labour MPs have said wild swimming and wild camping should be a right for all people to enjoy in the English countryside. In a report from the all-party parliamentary group for outdoor recreation and access […]
09 Oct 2024
Bathing water quality at some of England’s highest-rated beaches can decline sharply during the autumn and winter months, according to an internal Environment Agency (EA) study completed earlier this year, seen by Unearthed. Each year, designated swimming spots are sampled for bacteria between mid-May and late-September. Based on these summertime tests, each swimming spot is […]