There are plenty of beautiful wild swimming spots in the UK but there’s one breathtaking spot that’s worth having on your radar if you like to avoid the crowds
Brits looking for a dose of staycation inspiration may want to consider a trip to Eryri National Park (Snowdonia), as its breathtaking landscapes are home to one storybook-worthy spot.
Those who don their hiking boots and head towards Mount Snowdon along the Watkin Path will want to leave time to explore the woodlands, and keep an eye out for the Watkins Path Waterfall.
This beautiful spot boasts a series of ethereal falls cascading down the mountainside, down to postcard-worthy pools with crystal-clear waters that wouldn’t be out of place in a fairytale. (In fact, they’ve actually been dubbed as the ‘Fairy Falls’ by locals for exactly that reason). Of course if you are heading to the national park, you may want to heed one hiker’s warning after he got to the top of Mount Snowdon only to be floored by what he found.
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The waterfall hotspot has an ideal mix of being easy to reach because of its location on the popular hiking route, but still being secluded enough that you don’t need to fight off crowds of tourists if you want to check it out for yourself.
It’s therefore no surprise that they’re regularly tipped to be among the best wild swimming spots in the UK, although the waters boast an average temperature of 14C so if you are going to brave a dip, you may want to pack a wetsuit into your hiking gear. Still, even if you don’t want to take a dip they’re well worth visiting, if only for the gorgeous scenery.
Visitors who’ve made the trek haven’t been left disappointed. “A lovely little walk on a hot day,” one happy holidaymaker wrote on Tripadvisor. “This took around 30 minutes and was worth seeing. There are lots of walks in this area. There was lots of parking, public lavatories and access to the river.”
Another added: “A beautiful hidden waterfall, it’s quiet there. We had nobody there, you have to take stairs down it’s quite steep but the waterfall is nice.”
While it is on hiking route, it’s easily accessible so more seasoned hikers may want to look at alternative routes if they’re looking for a challenging trek before heading to the falls. One person explained: “Beautiful but much shorter walk than we expected. Up a steep hill to reach the falls but a great bench for watching the fall.”
If you’re planning to climb to the top of Mount Snowdon however, then you may want to prepare for long queues to get to the top. In recent months, visitors have been left shocked as they’ve arrived and found queues of up to an hour long just to reach the summit, even during the early hours of the morning.
It’s also worth checking the weather; one woman was left disappointed after enjoying a long hike and waiting her turn to reach the top, only to then realise she couldn’t see very much because of the fog.
Taking to TikTok to share a clip of her hike, she quipped in the caption: “POV: You get mostly clear skies hiking Snowdon then it does you dirty at the summit.”
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