GENERAL ENTRIES FOR 2026 ARE OPEN – CLICK ON THE ENTER NOW LINK BELOW TO SECURE YOUR PLACE BEFORE THEY SELL OUT!
Chillswim Ullswater 2026 will take place on Saturday 11th July at Parkfoot Holiday Park on the outskirts of Pooley Bridge, this will be the 5th edition of this incredible swimming challenge!
Swimmers will complete the full length of lake swim in separate starts based on your average mile pace to give you the best experience possible. As with all of our events this will be a wetsuit optional swim.
START LIST
To view the 2025 Start List including Swim Waves CLICK HERE
COMPETITOR RACE INFORMATION
To view the competitor information pack CLICK HERE
ENTRY FEE AND WHAT’S INCLUDED
Standard entry fee is £145 per person, which includes:
• Transport to the start from race HQ at Parkfoot Holiday Park
• Professional water safety team supporting the swim
• Feed stations along the route providing High5 energy drinks & Bassetts jelly sweets!
• Chillswim Ullswater silicone custom event swim hat
• Chillswim Ullswater custom event medal
• Age Group trophies for wetsuit & non-wetsuit categories
ROUTE
The route starts at the south of the lake in Glenridding and finishes at the North end just outside Pooley Bridge at Parkfoot Holiday Park. After the first mile swimmers will keep within approximately 50 metres of the shore and event mile marker buoys and support watercraft will direct swimmers.
FEEDSTATIONS
There will be 6 x boat feed stations along the route near to the shore approximately every mile of the swim – stocked with water, energy drink and jelly babies.
MANDATORY SWIM FLOATS
You must wear a swim tow-float/dry bag for this event. Please note that the entry fee does not include a tow-float.
HOW DOES THE EVENT WORK?
See below for a few tips on how the event flows and what to expect:
- Arrive at the Event HQ either the evening before or the morning of the swim and we’ll give you your race pack with swim hat, timing chip, tow float sticker and wrist band for your allocated bus shuttle time.
- Wetsuit swimmers can get changed at the Event HQ with baggage storage available.
- Non wetsuit swimmers take a small bag with them to the start, with baggage transport to the finish.
- You board the bus according to your event start time (based on your predicted mile pace).
- We have a large event shelter at the start for shade (!) or rain (?) and a relaxed atmosphere to prepare you for your full length of lake swim.
- A full event briefing is given to you at the start of the swim.
- As you set off, water safety kayakers and support boats are there to look out for and support you.
- 7 x Mile and 7 x half mile markers are positioned along the route to help guide you down the lake with feed stations starting at mile 1 and then every mile up to and including mile 6.
- You can stop for a drink at the feed stations or swim past and continue on your swim for the 7.5 mile route.
- At the finish, your medal is placed around your neck, a warm drink awaits.
- Changing Shelters are available at the Finish Area.
- Although this event is about taking part and completing the journey, we do have prizes for the fastest overall swimmers and trophies in each age group for both wetsuit and non-wetsuit swimmers.
WHICH WAVE START GROUP SHOULD I SELECT WHEN I ENTER?
The entry system asks swimmers to select a Wave Start Group based on Mile Swim Pace – if you do not know already then please go to the swimming pool and time yourself swimming for 1 Mile (1 Mile = 1600 metres or 64 lengths in a standard 25 metre pool or 32 lengths in a 50 meter pool) this will then give you a good indication of what pace you will be able to sustain over the entire swim but please bear in mind the maximum pace that we require for swimmers to be capable of over the full 7.5 mile swim is 65mins per mile.
Many swimmers tend to underestimate their Mile Swim Pace to ‘play it safe’ which can create problems in the first half of the event as all swimmers initially start the swim in a wave and the water safety team cannot move away from the wave for individual swimmers who have underestimated their pace (deliberately or otherwise) and are swimming faster than the other swimmers around them. In simple terms, if swimmers select a Wave which is too slow for their ability it is likely that the swimmer will be asked by the water safety team to slow down in the early part of the race and their finish time will be affected. The event is designed in a way that the waves start to merge once swimmers get towards halfway and it is then less of an issue but please try to estimate an accurate mile pace that can be sustained for the full distance and select an appropriate Wave.
If you need to change your Wave Start Group before the event then simply log back into the entry system at https://www.resultsbase.net then go to ‘My Area’ and ‘ Tickets’ and find the relevant Ticket for your entry then go to ‘Changes’ and ‘ Change Distance/Wave’ n.b. Waves can be amended upto 1 month prior to the event but after this time they are locked down.
On the day the more relaxed pace swimmers (65 min/Mile Time) start first and approximately every 20-30 mins a slightly faster paced group will enter the water.
Swimmers will have a much better experience during the swim if selecting a Wave appropriate to their accurate Mile Swim Pace and will then be grouped correctly.
What Time does the Event Finish?
Swimmers will arrive at the finish between 13.00 and 16.30 (approximately) and prize giving will be held as soon as possible after the last swimmer is out of the water, back at the event HQ. If you stay for the prize giving you can expect to be on the road by 17.00hrs.
Is there an Age Limit?
Competitors must be a minimum of 17 years old on the day of the event. There is no upper age limit.
Is there a Cut Off Time?
We have a cut-off swim time of 65 minutes per mile, so with the staggered starts, the last swimmer must be out of the water at the finish line by 16.30hrs. There is also a mid course cut off of 13:30hrs at mile 4 to ensure the final cut off can be met by all swimmers in the water.
When does Registration Open?
Registration will be open on Friday from 16.30 – 20.00hrs, and on Saturday morning from 06.15hrs to allow those early swimmers to register on either day.
Can I Swim with a Friend?
If you and your friend swim at the same speed and you have added the same estimated pace into the registration system, then you will be placed in the same start group. However, we recommend that you don’t try to compromise your own pace to swim with a friend. We have found that inevitably one person is faster than the other, which can be frustrating for you and cause the faster swimmer to get cold waiting for the other swimmer.
Stop the Spread:
Protecting our fresh waters from Invasive None Native Species (INNS) is something that we must all address as a collective responsibility, so we are able to continue using lakes and rivers for leisure pursuits. Freshwater INNS are able to ‘hitchhike’ on our equipment, footwear and clothing. When we move to a new river, tarn or lake, a species may be transferred and may become established, often having devastating effects. As open water swimmers, we need to look after our swimming venues and help to educate others too. Read about how you can Stop The Spread HERE.
