You’d be forgiven for not being too excited about the prospect of wild swimming in Surrey, but it does have its wilder pockets. Strangely, it’s the most wooded county in England, which means fewer nitrates from farmers and less watershed pollution. Much of its downland is protected within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and the ancient chalk ridgeway of the North Downs runs across its hills.
From the clear waters of the River Wey to the sandy beaches of Frensham Great Pond, Surrey offers plenty of opportunities for wild swimming in beautiful countryside.
The best wild swimming in Surrey
The River Wey flows through Hampshire and Surrey into the Thames at Weybridge. It has a rich history of navigation, milling and recreation. One of England’s first navigable rivers, it supported trade from the 1600s and powered numerous mills, while also inspiring writers like Belloc.
Swimming has long been part of local life, especially around Tilford, Elstead, Shalford and Guildford. Frensham Little Pond is on the other side of the A287, and both ponds feed into the Wey, which flows down into Tilford. This is a truly English scene, with a cricket green and pub, river paddling above a ford, and a bridge built by medieval monks. It’s a perfect place to while away a summer afternoon with lunch and a paddle or swim. There is a rope swing below the weir and some deeper sections above the bridge.
Moving east, there are several more wooded lakes. Bolder Mere on Ockham Common, near the M25, is a rare remnant of the heathland ponds that used to cover much of Surrey. It’s an important site for dragonflies and damselflies, and also for the rare hobby – one of the few birds that can actually catch a dragonfly. Wildlife here is definitely the main priority. When two common tern chicks were found by the side of the lake, people were asked to refrain from swimming too close to them. This is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) run by Surrey Wildlife Trust, so it’s best to slip into the water silently and carefully, with a view to blending in.
Wild Swimming at Frensham Great Pond
This shallow, warm lake has two bays with natural sandy beaches designated for swimming. Built as a fish pond by the Bishop of Winchester during his prolonged stay at his nearby castle in Farnham in 1246, it was drained every five years to cleanse it and grow barley. The last time it was emptied, however, was in 1942, during the Second World War, as it had become a prominent moonlit landmark for German bombers.
I first glimpsed the pond on a foggy summer afternoon, with the smell of reeds and heath in the air and the crunch of dry heather underfoot. Placid and large, dark columns of cumulus clouds were rising high above it, and two clinker dinghies were moving languidly near a far bank. The clouds above me were turning, stacking up against the hills, the heathland pines deep green against the grey of a pre-storm sky as I slipped gingerly into the mauve waters of Frensham Great Pond. A cheerful moorhen paddled happily some distance from me before she took off in a frantic dash across the waters, her feet dangling as she struggled to become airborne just as the first rain began to fall. A kaleidoscope of concentric circles rippled across the glassy surface as I glided through the cooling waters, the humidity purged from the day.
Ready to explore further? Discover more wild swimming and off-the-tourist-track places in Wild Swimming Britain, The Wild Guide London & South East & Wild Swimming Walks Thames and West
