Wild swimming spots · North West England
Wast Water
England's deepest lake — 79m deep, iconic view, popular wild swim.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1 h–2 h
- Nearest railway station
- Dalegarth · 5.3 km
- Dog-friendly
About
Wast Water in the western Lake District is England's deepest lake (79 metres) and the iconic 'Britain's favourite view' — the screes plunging into the lake, the Wasdale Head pyramidal mountains beyond. A popular wild swimming and open-water swimming venue (cold even in August), and the gateway to England's highest mountain Scafell Pike.
Photo gallery
Protected designations
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: Wast Water SSSI
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: Wasdale Screes SSSI
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Wast Water or Wastwater () is a lake located in Wasdale, a valley in the western part of the Lake District National Park, England. The lake is almost three miles (five kilometres) long and more than one-third mile (500 m) wide. It is a glacial lake, formed in a glacially "over-deepened" valley. It is the deepest lake in England at 258 feet (79 m). The surface of the lake is about 200 feet (60 m) above sea level, while its bottom is over 50 feet (15 m) below sea level. It is considered relatively clear (oligotrophic). It is owned by the National Trust.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
Description
In 1976, the "Wasdale Lady in the Lake", Margaret Hogg, was murdered by her husband and her body was disposed of in the lake. She was found after eight years, with her body preserved like wax due to the lack of oxygen in the water.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 54.4467, -3.2839
- Nearest railway station
- Dalegarth — 5.3 km
- Official site
- web.archive.org
Sources
- wikidata: Q514635 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Wast Water (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Wast Water in the evening.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Wast Water?
- Wast Water is in North-West England, United Kingdom.
- When was Wast Water built?
- Dates from the modern period.
- Is Wast Water a protected site?
- Yes — Wast Water is part of the Wast Water SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest and the Wasdale Screes SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
- How do I get to Wast Water?
- The nearest railway station is Dalegarth, about 5.3 km away.