Lake 86 Cotswold Water Park — Attraction in Great Britain

During the week, I was invited to swim up in the Cotswolds. I jumped at the chance to swim at Lake 86, somewhere I hadn't visited; I had a great time and would recommend a visit.

Lake 86 is sandwiched between Swindon and Cirencester; it's easily accessible from the M4 and the M5 motorways. Check out their website for their full address.

The lake has a great set-up; you can hire paddle boards, single and tandem kayaks and inflatable rafts for up to six; however, I was there for the open water swimming. The lake consists of two triangular courses set inside the other. The lake has two swimming distances, a 400m and 800m loop. I love visiting new places to swim, and the best bit for me is meeting people who share my joy of open water swimming.

Although Lake 86 wasn't 'accessible for wheelchair users, with some thought and prior planning, this shouldn't stop anyone who wishes to book a swim. My advice, phone beforehand and let them know that you may require some help. That's what I did; they were happy to help me.

There is also a rather lovely coffee shop, Ohana. The shop sells quality coffee, excellent cake and crepes. There's nothing better than congratulating yourself with a nice...

Booked a swimming spot online and even rang in the morning to ask if we could change our booking time which they did no problem. We then drove 3 hours there to be told we couldn't swim because it was members only. The man was very rude and said that it was "all over the website which I clearly didn't read". I asked him to show me and he got the site up and nowhere did it say we had to be members (and no one told us this when we rang up either). He then had to admit that I was indeed right and that he would change the website but still refused to let us swim!! Terrible...

Took my three and a half year old daughter here this morning. Her first time on the water in a kayak. (Which she love by the way) A very easy registration process online and the staff were very helpful and gave a great safety speech beforehand. Changing area, and plenty of toilets. And a very nice snack bar. The flat white was perfect. My daughter now wants a kayak from Santa Claus 🧑‍🎄 😁 We will be back...