Unmissable adventures on water: wild swimming, paddleboarding and more

The UK is home to a huge number of seas, rivers and lakes that offer idyllic wild swimming. Every month, Maria Hodson brings you her favourite wild waters for swimming and water sports, with details on how clean the water is, how to get there and where to park, eat and drink nearby.

Never tried wild swimming? Dip your toe in with our guide to Wild swimming in Britain: water safety and how to get started – or if you're keen to try SUP, try Stand-up paddleboarding: the ultimate guide.

Unmissable adventures on the water

Bradford on Avon Slow Swim and Picnic, Wiltshire

For all you drifters out there (high five), this is the event for you. Bradford-on-Avon Slow Swim and Picnic is a dreamy, drift-along-the-river group swim, held on a sunny June day. Swimmers gather on the grass by the medieval Tithe Barn in Bradford-on-Avon before pootling down the River Avon in one of four waves, all of which promise cake at the end. The swim is an entirely manageable 1.6km, meandering past the lush wooded banks of Barton Farm Country Farm and back again. Swimmers select the pace that suits, from the handful of sleek racers at the start to the happy dawdlers bobbing merrily along on inflatable sharks and flamingos at the end. The joy is in the journey, not the destination, and it is wonderfully refreshing to be positively encouraged to slow down and soak up the surroundings. Plus, there's cake at the end. What's not to love?

Day out: Bradford on Avon Slow Swim and Picnic

Grebe Beach, Cornwall

The location of this beautiful beach was almost whispered to me by a colleague who lived in Falmouth for years - and it does feel like a secret haven, off the beaten track and reached by a walk through towering trees from the carpark at the National Trust's Bosveal. On emerging from the canopy shade, visitors are greeted by the sight of this shining shingle cove, with its gently sloping beach and sheltered waters. I was set for a paddleboard outing, but wild winds prevailed and I spent most of my time kneeling on the board before eventually capitulating and swimming instead. No worries - the cold water was just as blissful.

Boulters Lock to Cliveden, Berkshire

Saturated in rich colours, this deeply beautiful stretch of the Thames from Maidenhead to Cliveden House offers a lovely 6km adventure by paddleboard. Both peaceful and merry, the river is fringed by mixed woodland while small islands dot the river, canal boats add pops of colour and the occasional pleasure craft dashes past. No wonder Jerome K Jerome described this section as “unbroken loveliness, this is, perhaps, the sweetest stretch of all the river…” in In Three Men in a Boat (1889). I paddled gently from Boulters Lock to Spring Cottage, shrouded by woodland on the National Trust's Cliveden Estate, and wished I'd thought to bring supplies for a quick picnic on one of the many islands. Next time...

Paddleboard here: the Thames, from Boulters Lock to Cliveden, Berkshire

Embleton Bay, Northumberland

Embleton Bay is vast, with a huge, long sweep of white sand, guarded on its southern end by the atmospheric ruins of 14th-century Dunstanburgh Castle. It’s a perfect place for paddling in the shallows and spotting inquisitive grey seals popping up to observe the action, as well as the occasional dolphin frolicking in the waves. If you choose to swim, brace yourself for the brisk waters of the North Sea, which remain zingingly cold year round. Warm up afterward with a beautiful 45-minute coastal walk past the castle to Piper’s Pitch in the Craster Quarry Car Park, for a traditional hot kipper roll.

• Embleton Bay and Dunstanburgh Castle, Northumberland walk

Clevedon Marine Lake, Somerset

One of the great things about Clevedon Marine Lake, in this time of increased water pollution, is that the water is tested and the lake kept in safe order. So for those swimmers of a more hesitant disposition, it is a wonderful way to immerse yourself in sea water without risking unknown hazards. This large tidal pool is filled with sea water from the Bristol Channel every spring tide. It’s free and it’s open almost always, excepting occasional maintenance work or adverse weather or water conditions. Strike out across the refreshing water to the central pontoon, from which you can dive back in, or get your head down for a series of laps, as the occasional paddleboard or canoe drifts around. And make sure you admire the view from this vast infinity pool across the expanse of the Severn Estuary, often grey but always atmospheric, with the spindly 19^th-century pier to the north and the rising wooded cliffs leading south-west.

St Anthony's Well, Littledean, Forest of Dean

Fed by natural spring waters, this ancient well sits deep in the Forest of Dean, guarded by venerable oak and beech trees. The cathedral of trees produces a mystical air, where in summer, a fiery sun is soothed by the lush canopy and, in winter, translucent light trickles through spindly bare branches. The spring feeds into a rectangular stone basin, which is about three feet deep, with a few steps down for ease of entry. The spring is considered a sacred site, with votives and tributes left at the source, and the fresh, pure water is icy cold, as it comes straight from the earth, making it popular as drinking water. Legend has it that the water can cure eye ailments and skin conditions, provided you visit nine times at sunrise in the month of May. Regardless of its curative powers, this is a delightful forest dip.