It Would have been Beautiful.

If I had known beforehand that Esthwaite Water was a no no for swimming, I wouldn’t have attempted it. However online searches suggested to me that it was a hidden beauty spot, thanks to Outdoor Swimmer and The Guardian! Even my go to guide, SwimmingTheLakes had swam Esthwaite Water in 2015.

Esthwaite Water

So imagine my excitement when I donned my swimming kit and strolled out into blissfully warm waters of 19°C. The shingle beach was a welcome from scrambling over boulders and slipping on stones.

Esthwaite Water lies between the busier lakes of Windermere and Coniston and was a favourite of local champion Beatrix Potter. There’s even a car park right next to the lakeside. Perfect!

However my relationship with this tranquil lake came to an abrupt end when an angry Scotsman pulled up in a jeep and shouted aggressively, ‘get out of the water, there’s no swimming!‘ No please or thank you to be heard! To say I was shocked was an understatement!

Sadly I was only in the water for two minutes, before I retreated to shore with my tail between my legs. I did not see the no swimming signs until we pulled out of the car park. Oops!

Later research informed me that Esthwaite Water is in private hands and is a favourite for trout and pike fishing. D’oh!

So there you have it, my escapade into a forbidden lake.

Have you flouted rules, (conscious or not) to get somewhere?

Thanks for reading,

Christine x