- Fri 12 - Sun 14 Jun 2026
13:30
Age 16 & over
£65-£75
- 5 km lake swimming
Event overview
The Coventry Building Society Great North Swim brings thousands of people together for a unique weekend of open water swimming, community, and Lake District beauty.
Whether you’re tackling your first open water swim or going all-out for a 10K, there’s a place for you in the water. Expect a fully supported course, a festival atmosphere, incredible views and a shared sense of achievement.
Expect stunning scenery, the best of local food and drink, outdoor activities, culture, art, history and thousands of like-minded people coming together. Think of it more as an open water adventure than a race. There's plenty to keep swimmers and spectators entertained throughout the weekend, in and out of the water.
Highlights
- UK's biggest open-water swimming event for 15+ years
- Set in Windermere, England's largest natural lake, in the stunning Lake District
- Dive into nature and kick-off an active summer
- Variety of distances available for a range of ages and abilities
- Get your free training and preparation plans when you sign up
Open water adventure
The Arla Great North Swim is a weekend-long celebration of open-water swimming. Expect stunning scenery, the best of local food and drink, outdoor activities, culture, art, history and thousands of like-minded people coming together. Think of it more as an open-water adventure than a race. There's plenty to keep swimmers and spectators entertained throughout the weekend.
Prefer to enter directly? General entry options are explained on the 5K page.
Event photos
Event video
Charity places
Charity entries are not currently available. Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to hear when charity places are available.
- Average fitness
- Event expo
- Event village
- Families
- Spectators
- Swim hat provided
- Venue accessible
- Wetsuit advised
- Wetsuit not allowed if too hot
- Wetsuit required if too cold
Provisional timetable
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Swimmers with a disability
For safety reasons the Great Swim features dry-land sections at the start and finish of the course so may not be suitable for all swimmers. If you would like to take part but have concerns over the suitability of the course for you please get in touch.
Water safety
You are in very safe hands while taking part in your swim. There are lots of fully trained water safety kayakers, lifeguards and boats monitoring you all the way around, so you're never far from some friendly support.
If you find yourself struggling, or in need of a little breather, just lay on your back or tread water and pop your hand up, and one of the safety team will make their way to you to check everything is OK. There will be plenty of safety craft on the water and someone will reach you as quickly as possible.
- First aid
- Food stations
- Marshals
- No cut off time
- Out and back
- Water stations
- Wave start
- Way markers
Overview
In the running world this would be a half marathon.
This distance is suited to experienced, confident swimmers looking to go that little bit further. A 5k swim is equivalent to around 200 lengths of a standard 25m pool. For this distance cut-off times apply: swimmers must be able to reach halfway (2500m) within 1 hour and finish within 2 hours. Generally the 5k takes in 3 laps of the standard 1 mile route.
Map
Wetsuit policy
- Swimmers aged under 16 will be required to wear a wetsuit.
- Wetsuit use is optional for water temperatures of 15⁰C or above.
- Swimmers choosing not to wear a wetsuit MUST use an approved high visibility tow float.
- Swimmers wearing wetsuits can also choose to swim with a tow float.
- Wetsuit hire service available from £30.
- Accommodation
- Cafe
- Camping
- Changing facilities
- Free parking
- Restaurant
- Rural
- Toilets
Event HQ
Brockhole on Windermere, The Lake District Visitor Centre
Ecclerigg
Windermere
Cumbria
LA23 1LJ
UK
A remarkable location
In the past ten years, the Arla Great North Swim has expanded dramatically from an initial 3,000 participants to nearly 10,000. The venue at Brockhole on Windermere enables the Great Swim experience for both swimmers and onlookers.
Family activities
Brockhole-on-Windermere stands as a magnificent Lake District gem, perfectly situated along Windermere's shores and fully equipped to welcome visitors of every age and inclination. The classic Arts and Crafts mansion features remarkable architectural elements and a magnificent garden. The site presents numerous indoor and outdoor pursuits, ensuring entertainment regardless of weather conditions, ranging from walking trails and touring to retail therapy, displays, and exceptional regional cuisine and beverages.
About Windermere
Windermere holds the title of England's biggest natural lake, stretching an impressive 10.5 miles. Encircled by breathtaking landscapes, the lake and its surrounding peaks, hills, and dales have sparked creativity in numerous artists and authors, including Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter. The area combines natural wonders with modern amenities - offering plentiful wildlife observation, recreational activities, retail opportunities, artistic ventures, and beyond. Experience all the excitement during the Great North Swim weekend.
Make a weekend of it
The Lake District – awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 2017 – presents an extensive array of activities and attractions on a grand scale. Numerous essential sights and experiences lie within easy reach of Brockhole, providing ample reason to stay longer. Adventure enthusiast? Consider scaling England's tallest peak (Scafell Pike) or sailing across the country's most profound lake (Wastwater). Your visit wouldn't be complete without capturing a photograph at either end of Britain's most challenging road: the remarkable Hardknott Pass.
The event has a big feel to it, it's great for swimmers who often have quite small fields in their races. It's well organised, nice to do it once and in a lovely area. Pete
I cannot fault the day in the slightest the weather, scenery, supporters, staff, marshals, everything was just brilliant. I will most certainly be back, What a fantastic event this was. Al
Overall a great event, very well organised. I'll definitely be doing this race again next year. Laura
So good to do something that does so much for others and have a lot of fun along the way. Neil Osborne, WaterAid swimmer
I feel more confident, have more energy and I feel like I have something exciting to look forward to!!! Catalina Ospino, WaterAid swimmer
Really well organised and clear instructions. Whole event is inspiring and inclusive and about achieving what you can not just being as fast as possible. Stunning location. Nicola H
Extremely well organised and well run event, would highly recommend to all new and experienced open water swimmers. Emma R
Amazing event, I did the 1m Saturday and 2m Sunday events and loved them both. A well-organised event with amazing communication from the off. Lots to keep the family busy whilst you swim, and the designated swimmers-only area was amazing for a bit of alone time before the swim. Stalls and food vendors were fab with lots of choice and availability, and the ferries made transport there and back a piece of cake !! Loved, loved loved it and booked for next year already! Dionne R
Fabulous event Fabulous volunteers working so hard in order that we could enjoy ourselves Can’t thank the organisers enough for all the work that went in to make it a great event and a wonderful memory I also got a 2 mile Pb. Jim L
Great day and so well organised and supported. Very encouraging for all the first time swimmers . Jane L
Reviews thanks to RaceCheck
- Camping
- Goody bag
- Medal
Included
- Medal
- Finisher's swim bag
- Goodies
- Bring your own cup
- Sustainability policy
This event is in the process of updating its Sustainability Strategy in light of its collaborative approach and recent survey, however work to minimise the environmental impacts of this event continues, with focus on:
- Reducing plastic
- Reducing waste
- Cutting carbon emissions
- Responsible procurement
