Vobster Quay - Open Water Swimming

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GREAT NEWS FOR SWIMMERS! - Our 750 metre swim loop has reopened for the Summer

Please note that Vobster Quay is a MEMBERS-ONLY site.
All visitors must PRE-BOOK their attendance via our online booking portal.

RELAXING & INVIGORATING

OPEN WATER SWIMMING

Welcome to the UK's friendliest open water swimming venue. Vobster Quay welcomes open water swimmers with a range of high quality facilities that provide all you need to enjoy a fun and leisurely swimming experience.

We offer full swim members the option to pre-book a timed swim session every day, for 7 days a week. The timed booking slots will vary from season to season but start at 08:00 mid-week and 09:00 at weekends for most of the year. Full details on our opening hours can be found online.

We are pleased to be announce that unless specified otherwise, all swim sessions now have full lifeguard cover. You no longer have to bring a buddy or a land-based spotter.

IMPORTANT: Please do not visit us if you are not a current member (or a guest of a member) and have not booked a session in advance - you will not be able to enter.

We love Summer! Long days of warm sunshine and cool drinks by the quayside but inevitably the Summer also brings some important changes to our procedures here at Vobster Quay. Please read on to ensure you're clued up on how these changes affect you.

DISCOVER THE VERY BEST

OPEN WATER SWIMMING EXPERIENCE

INDULGE YOUR PASSION FOR
SWIMMING AT VOBSTER

Nestled in the beautiful Somerset countryside, Vobster Quay welcomes open water swimmers of all levels with an exciting range of high quality facilities that deliver the very best swimming experience in the South West.

Whether you’re a casual swimmer or a high-performance triathlete, we think you’ll find Vobster Quay the perfect place to indulge your passion for swimming. With 36-acres of spring-fed fresh water regularly checked to ensure the highest standards of water quality, swimmers of all levels and ages will love the relaxed, stress-free atmosphere, the beautiful surroundings, great facilities and unbeatable swimming that we offer.

CHOOSE THE SWIM COURSE
TO SUIT YOUR ABILITY

To ensure that everyone gets to enjoy the very best swimming experience, we offer a choice of swim courses with progressive distances to suit swimmers of all levels.

Clearly marked in the water by large, high-visibility buoys, swimmers can choose between three different swim courses – 330 metre, 550 metre and, for more confident swimmers, a 750 metre course. For a short period over Winter, we scale things back to a ‘safety first’ shorter route that is just 140 metre long. How many laps you choose to do is up to you!

STAY SAFE ON EVERY SWIM
WITH LIFEGUARD COVER

We pride ourselves on providing waterside safety cover for all our swim sessions with a dedicated team of lifeguards keeping their beady eyes on the lake at all times.

To ensure the safety of all our swim visitors, our lifeguards hold an RLSS (Royal Life Saving Society) Open Water Lifeguard (OWL) qualification. This intensive qualification was developed by the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) to equip open water lifeguards with the skills required to provide rescue cover in still or non-tidal waters like those found here at Vobster.

By committing to such high standards, we feel confident that we're able to provide the best possible safety cover for all our swim visitors.

RELAX AND ENJOY THE
SWIM LIFESTYLE AT VOBSTER

Vobster isn't just a great place to swim - it's also a wonderful place to sit back, chill and enjoy a relaxing post-swim natter over a warming cup of tea.

Swimmers can enjoy their own dedicated seating area with breathtaking views across the lake. We've provided plenty of benches for you to sit back and unwind during those long, lazy Summer afternoons.

At the far end of the seating area you'll find our beautiful Vobster 'Heatwave' created by talented drystone wall specialist, Tom Trouton. Featuring a fire pit framed by a unique 'wave' design and a beautifully crafted stretch of wall complete with embedded ammonites discovered onsite during excavation, we're sure you'll love the Vobster heatwave!

A FABULOUS FUN-PACKED
SCHEDULE OF SWIM EVENTS

As a Vobster Quay swim member, you can look forward to a regular schedule of fun swim events throughout the year.

The highlight of the swim calendar is our ever-popular Glow Swim event. Swimming under the light of the full moon, enjoy a unique and exhilarating open water swimming experience like no other. Run to coincide with the full moon lunar cycle, we light up our 750 metre swim course to illuminate your way like beacons in the darkness. It really is a sight to behold!

For the more serious swim fanatics, we also run regular Aquathlons. Bench mark your open water swim performance via a timed swim of up to 3.8 kilometres distance or try your first swim and run - the choice is yours!

ACCESS FOR ALL

NON-MEMBER SWIMMING

Nestled in the heart of the beautiful Somerset countryside, Vobster Quay welcomes open water swimmers. However in order to swim here at Vobster, you must be either a swim member or the guest of a swim member... until now!

Becoming a swim member is very simple and offers a number of awesome benefits including the one every swimmer craves - access to 12 months of the very best open water swimming right here at Vobster Quay. We understand that annual membership isn't right for everyone, though - for some, a visit to Vobster Quay is something they can only really do very occasionally. And we get that.

To ensure that our occasional visiting swimmers are catered for too, we now offer a weekly non-member day which is open to ALL SWIMMERS - members and non-members alike! From Tuesday 31st March until the end of September 2026, non-member swimmers are welcome every Tuesday. For your convenience, we offer a choice of three fully-lifeguarded open swim sessions running between 08:00 - 10:00, 10:00 - 12:00 and 12:00 - 15:30 respectively. Non-members do not need to be the guest of a member to take advantage of these 'open session' days.

Although these sessions are open to all swimmers, you'll still need to book in to attend. Booking is easy - just hop on to our online booking portal and REGISTER AS A SWIMMER, including accepting the terms and conditions. You'll only need to do this once. Once complete, just log in and you'll see the Tuesday swim sessions available to book up to four weeks ahead.

SWIM SAFETY ADVICE

STAY SAFE AS YOUR SWIM

We like to think that Vobster Quay offers the highest quality, friendly & stress-free place to open water swim. To ensure your safety and enjoyment, we ask all swimmers to observe the following rules and safety guidelines...

All swimmers must be competent pool swimmers and must be capable of swimming a minimum of 400 metres (16 x lengths of a 25m pool) continously and confidently over deep water.
We are pleased to be able to have a lifeguard on all swim sessions from 2022. You no longer have to bring a buddy to swim with or a land based spotter.
All swimmers must wear a suitable brightly coloured and highly visible swim cap whilst in the water.
All swimmers are advised to wear a suitable swim wetsuit for warmth and buoyancy.
Swimmers wishing to swim without wearing a swim wetsuit will be required to accept the terms of our non-wetsuit declaration.
Please swim either in the designated coaching and training area or following a clockwise rotation of the marked 750m swim course - see swim course site map boards.
Avoid swimming over divers bubbles - divers may make rapid ascents which could cause injury if you are above them.
Swimmers must be over 16 years of age.

To enjoy open water swimming activities at Vobster Quay, we ask that you are able to meet these simple requirements:

You have no health issues that may either impede or pose a risk to you whilst open water swimming.
You can competently swim a minimum of 400m continuously without swimming aids and without stopping.
You are comfortable swimming in deep water and can tread water for a minimum of 1 minute.
You have taken part in open water swimming activities before.

DEEP WATER DANGER

KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE

Vobster Quay is NOT suitable for children under the age of 10. Deep, cold water risks make the waters edge far too hazardous and no one wants a tragedy. Please help us to keep your children safe by observing these important guidelines...

Children 16 and older are able to participate in swim activities at Vobster Quay. They will need their own registration on our booking system (including completing all terms & conditions) and will need their own email address to register and book sessions.
Children aged 14 - 15 can be left by the water's edge. 14 year olds can also look after one other (sensible) younger child aged between 10 - 14 (subject to good behaviour). They can also be used as spotters for paddle boarders.
Children aged 10 - 13 cannot be left alone at Vobster Quay. They must be supervised by a non-participating adult or child aged 14 or older at all times.
Children under 10 and mobile are not allowed at Vobster Quay under any circumstances. This includes toddlers even if they are asleep / in a chair etc.
Very small children who are not yet walking and secured in a pushchair are welcome but should be monitored by a non-participating adult.

SITE NAVIGATION...

ACTIVITIES...

ABOUT VOBSTER QUAY...

Welcome to Vobster Quay - the UK's friendliest open water swimming, scuba diving and freediving venue. Based in the heart of the Somerset countryside, Vobster Quay is committed to delivering the perfect blend of inspiring open water activities and events, with a great range of facilities to ensure that your visit is fun, relaxed and, above all, safe.

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