Few things refresh the mind and soul quite like a swim in the great outdoors. We've chosen four hostels close to some of the top outside swimming spots in England and Wales, including classic lidos and beautiful beaches.
YHA Ambleside
Windermere dominates the views from YHA Ambleside in the Lake District. This widely famed lake is one of the best known open-water swimming destinations in the country, with an extensive roster of events including the Great North Swim and the (frankly daunting) 11-mile Chillswim in September. It's a busy lake with motorboats, sailing boats and ferries, so if you're swimming independently, head to the quieter area known as Millerground, and always use tow floats and bright caps.
As the National Park's name suggests, there are myriad other swimming spots nearby. Quieter options that don't have motorboats include Buttermere, Crummock Water, Grasmere, Loweswater and Rydal Water. Have a look over an OS map and you'll also find quiet tarns and rivers for a wild swim. Just be aware: it's pretty chilly year-round. Fortunately, YHA Ambleside has a restaurant where you'll find hot food, fresh coffee and plenty of cake, best enjoyed looking out over the lake you've just swum in, with a smug sense of satisfaction.
And if getting wet just isn't your thing, or the weather's appalling, you're well placed for a visit to the homes of Beatrix Potter or William Wordsworth.
YHA London Central
Granted, London might not be the first place you'd think of when booking an outdoor swimming break. The capital city, however, has an increasing number of options for hostellers in search of a dip. The classic is, of course, Serpentine Lido in Hyde Park, just three stops on the tube from YHA London Central. The Lido is open to the public on weekends from mid-May and daily from June to mid-September. You'll also find changing facilities and a café. It's home to the Serpentine Swimming Club, the oldest swimming club in Britain. The club's members have access all year round between 5.30am and 9.30am.
If the Serpentine doesn't, erm, float your tow float, there are loads of other lidos: Brockwell, Parliament Hill and London Fields, as well as Hampstead Heath's swimming ponds. You'll find the water temperature of those run by the City of London at cityoflondon.gov.uk.
YHA London Central is our flagship London hostel, and its Fitzrovia location places it so centrally that you can access most of the city's biggest sights within 45 minutes. You'll find dorm rooms as well as private rooms, some of them en suite.
YHA Penzance
Come to Cornwall and you're guaranteed coast, beaches, surf spots and swimming locations. Penzance has an embarrassment of places for a watery plunge. Not only is it close to the beautiful Porthcurno beach, it's also home to one of the UK's most beautiful saltwater lidos, Jubilee Lido.
Jubilee Lido opened in 1935 and is a classic of Art Deco design, as beautiful as it is unusual, with a curved triangular shape. It's the largest seawater pool in the country, holding some five million litres and being refilled every high tide. It was built at Battery Rocks near Penzance harbour, a spot that was already popular with bathers, but now offers shelter from the often wild Cornish waves and has lifeguards to keep you safe. It's generally chilly, although it now also has a naturally heated and rather lovely geothermal sea pool.
YHA Penzance itself is also handsomely designed. A Grade II Georgian mansion, it was built at the time when visitors would come to the town to "take the waters", just as we suggest you do. As well as giving views over Mounts Bay, it's well located for the wealth of Cornish attractions.
YHA Sheringham
Pop on your swimming costume, wrap up in your long, fluffy change robe and take a 10-minute stroll from the hostel to Sheringham Beach for a North Sea swim. The North Norfolk coast is very much big sky country, and on a sunny day, the white sands (OK, a little pebbly) and blue waters of nearby West Runton Beach could almost be tropical… almost. Other Blue Flag beaches along this glorious stretch of coastline include East Runton, Cromer, Mundesley and Sea Palling. They're all good spots for a paddle, or rock pooling.
The town of Sheringham itself is every bit the classic British seaside spot with a handsome promenade and colourful beach huts. Be sure to drop in at the Fisherman's Heritage Centre for an insight into what life used to be like here. Sheringham is also the perfect base for heading into the East Anglian countryside for some wildlife spotting. The Norfolk Coast is also one of the best places in Britain to see birdlife. This stretch of coastline is also called the 'Deep History Coast' because archaeologists found the earliest evidence of humans in Britain, as well as the UK's biggest mammoth skeleton, found at West Runton. YHA Sheringham itself is a modern, refurbished hostel located in what used to be a convent school.
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Photo credit: Sean / Adobe Stock / Aerial Film Studios / Adobe Stock / Phil Sproson / Simon / Adobe Stock
