Jelly babies!! Fed to you at 1 mile intervals along the route washed down with refreshing water and maybe a quick swig of an energy drink.

You will be transported with other excited swimmers from the Event HQ Car Park to the Start and then again from the Finish to the Event HQ Car Park to collect all your goodies after a great swim.

Want some company on the 11 miles? Swim Safety will look after you the entire way, professionally guiding you along the stunning route and making sure you are back in time to receive your age group prize (for wetsuits and non-wetsuits).

The extremely coveted Chillswim Windermere hoody AND a swim cap and just to end the day perfectly, a medal to flash all over social.

Free Parking on the day of your swim, no need to cling on to that fiver for months.

Level Water will ensure you are training in style with a Level Water swim cap, you’ll be the envy of your local pool. Keep an eye out for more goodies along the way to celebrate all your fundraising.

The route starts at Fell Foot Park at the Southern end of the Lake and after 11 miles finishes at Waterhead at the Northern end.

After the start from Fell Foot swimmers will then follow relatively close to the Eastern shore for the first 2 miles before being guided across towards the Western shore and then continue to swim relatively close to the Western Shore, passed the Ferry Crossing and to the west of the islands around Bowness including the largest island Belle Isle and continue North until crossing back over to the complete the swim at the traditional Windermere End to End Finish at Waterhead.

Swimmers will keep within approximately 50 metres of the shore for the vast majority of the route guided by the Numbered Event Mile Marker Buoys, the Feed Station Boats at the half way point between the Mile Markers and of course by the Support Paddlers and Watercraft provided by our professional Swim Safety Team who will be directing swimmers throughout.

You must wear a swim tow-float/dry bag for this event. Please note that the entry fee does not include a tow-float, you can purchase one at point of entry or if you require one after entering please CLICK HERE

There will be boat-based feed stations along the route near to the shore approximately halfway between every mile marker of the swim with water, energy drink and jelly babies.

Here are a few tips on how the event flows and what to expect:

Arrive at Event Registration either the evening before or the morning of the swim and we’ll give you your race pack with swim hat, timing chip, tow float sticker and wrist band for your allocated start time.

Wetsuit swimmers can get changed at Event HQ with baggage storage available.

Non wetsuit swimmers take their bag with them to the start, with baggage transport to the finish.

You board the bus according to your event start time (based on your predicted mile pace).

We have a large marquee at the start for shade (!) or rain and a relaxed atmosphere to prepare you for your full length of England’s longest lake 11 mile swim. A full event briefing is given to you at the start of the swim.

As you set off, water safety kayakers and support boats are there to look out for, and support, you.

Mile markers are positioned to help guide you down the lake with feed stations starting at mile 1.5

You can stop for a drink at the feed stations or swim past and continue on your swim for the 11 miles.

At the finish, your medal is placed around your neck, a warm drink awaits and buses are on hand to shuttle you back to the Event Car Park.

Non wetsuit swimmers can change at the Finish Area and wetsuit swimmers can use the changing shelters at the Finish Area.

Although this really event is about taking part and completing the journey, Chillswim do have prizes for the fastest in each age group for both wetsuit and non-wetsuit swimmers.

On the day the more relaxed pace swimmers (max 52 min/mile pace) start first and approximately every 30-45 mins a slightly faster paced group will enter the water. You’ll have a much better experience during the swim if you put down an accurate swim time and you are grouped correctly.

The entry system asks for your mile pace. Enter what you think you can do, you can always change this closer to the time. Many people tend to underestimate their mile swim time or add a slower mile time to ‘play it safe’. This creates problems as the start waves times are staggered based upon the pace of the swimmers and in the early stages you will be swimming with a group which the water safety team cannot separate for individual swimmers. In simple terms, if you add a time which is too slow for your ability, you are likely to be asked by the water safety team to slow down in the early part of the swim and your finish time will be affected. However, as the swim progresses the event is designed in such a way that the start waves will converge meaning that swimmers can swim freely at a pace which they feel they can sustain to the finish.

Swimmers will arrive at the finish between approximately 2pm and 5.15pm and prize giving will be held as soon as possible after the last swimmer is out of the water, back at the Event HQ

Competitors must be a minimum of 17 years old on the day of the event. There is no upper age limit.

We have a maximum estimated swim pace of 52 minutes per mile for all entrants, bearing this in mind and for the safety of the swimmers and the water safety team there will be a cut off at the halfway point and also at 8 miles and 10 miles where swimmers that have drifted significantly behind the max swim pace will be transported to the finish by the water safety team.

With the staggered swim starts we expect the final swimmers to be out of the water by approximately 5.15pm with the cut off times at 5.5miles at 1315hrs, 8 miles at 1445hrs and 10 miles at 1615hrs with the sweep boat ensuring that no-one is left behind in the water after this time!

Swimmer Registration on event weekend will open on Friday evening from 1600 – 2000hrs, and on Saturday morning from 0530hrs, to allow the early swimmers chance to register on either day.

If you and your friend swim at the same speed and you have added the same estimated pace into the registration system, then you will be placed in the same start group. However, we recommend that you don’t try to compromise your own pace to swim with a friend. We have found that inevitably one person is faster than the other, which can be frustrating for you and cause the faster swimmer to get cold waiting for the other swimmer.