10.5 MILE ONE WAY OR 21 MILES TWO WAY
Chillswim have guided more swimmers than any other provider with over 500 swimmers making successful one-way and two-way length of lake Windermere swims. This is one of the blue riband challenges for an open water swimmer and a successful completion is something to cherish.
Chillswim only uses local pilots who know the lake with intricate detail which is particularly useful on early misty mornings or days with poor visibility. We operate 1:1 solo guided swims but can also accommodate pairs or groups of three swimmers (n.b. wetsuits are optional for all Guided Swims).
TO CHECK AVAILABILITY AND TO BOOK YOUR 2026 GUIDED SWIM CLICK BELOW;
We operate one boat per day on the lake and when you make your booking you will pay a non-refundable £200 deposit to secure the day for your swim in the calendar. The balance of your payment must be made not less than 4 weeks prior to the date you have booked, you will receive instructions on how to make the second payment in plenty of time.
To see the available dates click on the BOOK NOW button on the entry site – any dates that are already taken will be marked as ‘Sold Out’.
Once registered for the swim you will receive an automatic email confirmation from the entry site and then approx 4-6 weeks prior to your swim we will send a full briefing document about the challenge. Your pilot will also call you a few days in advance to talk about the weather and meeting times, locations, etc.
CHILLSWIM GUIDED WINDERMERE SWIM PRICES 2026:
- Solo Windermere Swim (one person, one way) £695
- Solo Windermere Swim (one person, two way) £895
(n.b. for 14hrs+ swim time an additional charge of £300 applies) - Two people Windermere Swim (one way, swimming together or relay) £795
- Two people Windermere Swim (two way, swimming together or relay) £995
(n.b. for 14hrs+ swim time an additional charge of £300 applies) - Three people Windermere Swim (one way, swimming together or relay) £895
- Three people Windermere Swim (two way, swimming together or relay) £1095
(n.b. for 14hrs+ swim time an additional charge of £300 applies)
BOOKING PROTECTION WITH X-COVER
When booking your swim it is possible to protect the deposit payment by choosing to include optional X-Cover insurance during the entry process. If you are unable to attend your swim due to specific circumstances such as illness, injury or relocation it may be possible to recover 100% of your entry fee through Booking Protect insurance (n.b. this option is only available at the time of booking and will only cover your deposit of £200).
OBSERVER/SUPPORT PERSON
An observer is essential for each swim and you can either bring your own support (max. 3 people to support on solo swims) or we can provide an observer to monitor stroke rate, manage feeds, etc for £90 one-way and £180 two way (just let us know well in advance to arrange).
ADDITIONAL SWIMMERS
It is possible to have unto 3 x swimmers per Guided Swim and this can been booked at the time of making your reservation in the entry system. All swimmers you should either be able to swim at the same pace to swim as a group or swim as a relay team with each swimmer in the water as the other swimmers rest on the bars awaiting their turn.
CHILLSWIM GUIDED SWIM INCLUDES:
- Chillswim’s RIB boat
- RYA Powerboat Level 2 pilot with over 10 year’s experience of guiding swimmers along Windermere
- Chillswim One Way or 2 Way Windermere Guided Swim Lake District Slate Trophy
- Live GPS tracking
- Results displayed on Chillswim website HERE
- Personalised certificate
SWIM DATES FOR 2026 CAN BE FOUND HERE
We operate guided swims between May and September when the water temperature is typically somewhere between 14 and 24 degrees. The warmest water in recent years has typically been in July but this is of course not guaranteed! Our Guided Swims typically start between 0600-0700hrs, when the lake is at its quietest, enabling the swimmer to make good progress before the commercial ferries and other motorised vessels begin to operate. We tend to have most of our guided swims on week days to avoid sailing galas, motorboat events, and the general high boat traffic that a tourist destination such as Lake District attracts.
MEDICAL CERTIFICATE
Open water is a strenuous exercise. To avoid any doubt in your health and fitness, you should undertake a medical check-up including an ECG test before starting training for this event. The medical must be signed by your GP, state reference to your intended swim, and be uploaded onto the entry system no later than 4 weeks before your swim.
Please do not post hard copies to us. If you have been ill or have experienced a change in your wellbeing or physical state such as pregnancy since your medical, please consult a doctor.
IS THERE A TIME LIMIT?
There is no time limit to completing your Guided Swim – swimmers complete the length somewhere between the record time of 3hrs 14mins (George Taplin 2025) and 8 hours for a One Way 10.5miles swim and anywhere from the record time of 8hrs 21min (Dani Wallwork 2023) to 16hours+ for a Two Way 21miles swim.
However, if the swim is expected to take longer than 14 hours an additional fee of £300 will be charged, please contact us if you think you may fall into this category.
ENGLISH CHANNEL QUALIFYING SWIMS
There are strict criteria for a 6 hour (solo) English Channel qualifying swim or 2 hour (relay) swims by the Channel Swimming & Pilot Federation (CS&PF) and Channel Swimming Association (CSA). Please check requirements with your channel swimming provider and we will ensure that qualifying swims are operated under Channel Swimming Rules.
TO CHECK AVAILABILITY AND TO BOOK YOUR 2026 GUIDED SWIM CLICK BELOW;