Beckenham Place Park Swimming Lake by PTP Coaching — Attraction in London

I really hesitated to post this review because I love outdoor swimming and I don't want to discourage access to spaces, but I feel people need to be warned. I swam here a couple of weeks ago and like others, suffered a severe swimmer's itch reaction. While the organisers state there is information 'all over the website' and that they warn you in advance, this is misleading. First, they send out a warning email the night before, but don't provide any advice. Instead they say 'find out more on our website'. If you then go to their website, it's near impossible to find any info and what's there is very limited (see photos). The only way you get any useful tips is if you happen to send them an email, as it's their auto reply. However, none of that info is in your booking confirmation either. When I notified the staff afterwards, there was a real lack of empathy and all they could say was "well we warned you it could happen". Even the advice a member of staff sent me in response to my notifying them was limited at best. I'm not sure why the detailed info in their auto reply isn't made accessible to everyone on booking. In addition, one of the tips is to bring your own water to rinse off after you swim which quite frankly is ridiculous. If you don't have appropriate facilities to manage a known issue, you should be closing the lake (as a swimmer, I'd much prefer this to paying for an allergic reaction). I swim at a number of different wild swimming spots and have never had any issues. At the very least, they should be offering a refund to people who do have this reaction seeing as they don't have appropriate facilities nor is the guidance made...

WARNING has parasite that makes itchy painful rash staff on email when informed are very blasé about this with a ready to go cut and paste response. They are aware the danger and not protecting people. Saying it’s mentioned on website FAQ but is no where mentioned when booking or any warnings when entering water. They offer no showers or signage letting people know. DO NOT SWIM HERE if weather is over 25 degrees, this duck parasite is active when it gets hotter and will effect you if you can’t shower immediately after exiting the water. It’s wild they don’t have posters about this. They need to install showers or even hoses to help people and young people who swim here. Impacted multiple people this summer and put lots of families off and individuals off coming back. This pond is still in need of some better planning and organisation perhaps better managers taking the contract? Actual site has nice staff. Young volunteer lifeguards. A bit of a walk from parking but all proper paths. Small ledge into water with some matting, dock is only in the paddle boarding area. Booking is somewhat challenging as a drop down menu on phone site can lead to accidentally leaving booking form and losing information put in so not most user friendly. Hours surprisingly short - last swim 2 in afternoon (currently in May) would reccomend swimming socks or shoes. Be aware of the persistent and territorial moor hens who will steal your sandwiches- avoid feeding as witnessed them peck a woman after someone near...

PARASITES IN THE WATER! I love this park and I have loved swimming in the lake in the past however I went on Monday, booked the hour before I went, arrived and checked in got in the water with zero awareness that the lake is infested with a microscopic parasite that causes an itchy all over body rash. I started itching on my way home, had a shower as soon as I got back which had no effect on the itchiness and 24 hours later I am covered in a chicken pox like itchy rash. Including in my face. I get that it’s not a chlorinated situation but you SHOULD let your customers now at the moment they check in for the swim so they can make a decision based on the information whether they would like to swim. There is no excuse for not doing so as far as I can see - aside from purely dodgy commercial ones. It’s a real shame because this is one of my favourite places in the whole of London and this mis-management has made it impossible for me ever to swim there again.

Thanks for your reply . But I do have more questions - I would like to know why your staff don’t mention it when you arrive and check in? That’s the obvious moment to double check if the swimmer/customer has seen the warnings. Not everyone is on Social Media and as you will note from other reviews whatever you’re currently doing to make people aware is not...