Swim the Lakes is the original specialist wild swimming shop, established in 2005 we are based on Compston Road, in Ambleside, at the heart of the Lake District. Therry, Ralph, and the team are passionate about helping you find the right gear for your open water and wild swimming adventures.

We are online too and stock a range of wetsuits, swim goggles, neoprene gloves, socks, change robes, tow floats, and wild swimming accessories.

Wild Swimming; taking a dip, a plunge, or a swim in a lake, river, or the sea, usually requires minimal equipment to get started. You’ll need swimwear, which you can find in our Ambleside store (although we don’t put the swim shorts and costumes on our online shop as they change so quickly), and eye protection to see the underwater world. We have tried and tested all our goggles, the AquaSphere Kaimen Exo are a great place to start as they suit most people’s face shape and the AquaSphere Vista Swim Mask is a must for cold water as it really helps protect your face from the cold.

Next, you might need some neoprene socks to protect your feet and if it’s getting cold some neoprene swim gloves too. We have tried many pairs of swim socks and gloves and only stock those that actually work and don’t just end up filling up with water and coming off.

Depending on where you are swimming a bright Swim Tow Float could be an essential item to help keep you seen and to store items in if you wish. For added luxury add a Change Robe to your birthday day wish list to hide under and protect you from the elements whilst you get changed outdoors.

Explore our Open Water & Wild Swimming Shop and enjoy your wild swimming.

Swim the Lakes, 2 Compston Road, Ambleside. The Lake District.