Wild Swimming in Dartmoor: Pools, Tors and Hidden Rivers
Dartmoor is one of the last truly wild places in southern England. Covering around 368 square miles of upland moorland in Devon, it offers something that few landscapes in Britain can match: an abundance of clean, cold, fast-moving water running through ancient granite valleys, pooling beneath waterfalls and threading through oak woodland that has barely changed in centuries. For wild swimmers, it is nothing short of extraordinary.
Whether you are a seasoned open water swimmer looking for your next challenge, or someone who has never done anything more adventurous than a hotel pool, Dartmoor has a spot for you. The key is knowing where to go, what to expect, and how to stay safe on a moor that can turn from sunny to treacherous in the time it takes to pull on a wetsuit.
Why Dartmoor is Special for Wild Swimming
Most of England’s rivers are lowland, slow-moving and subject to agricultural run-off that makes swimming inadvisable at best and genuinely risky at worst. Dartmoor is different. Its rivers — the Dart, the Teign, the Bovey, the Erme and the Plym among them — rise from blanket bog at altitude and tumble rapidly downhill, aerating and cleaning themselves as they go. The granite bedrock does not leach agricultural chemicals, and much of the land is managed as a national park, which places limits on how it can be used.
The Environment Agency monitors water quality at various points across the moor, and while no formal bathing water designations exist for most inland Dartmoor spots (those are generally reserved for coastal beaches), the rivers running off the high moor are consistently among the cleanest in England. That said, water quality can change rapidly after heavy rainfall, when run-off from livestock grazing land can temporarily elevate bacteria levels. Always check conditions before you swim.
Beyond water quality, Dartmoor offers a sheer variety of swimming environments that is hard to find anywhere else in England. You can swim in deep granite pools carved by waterfalls, wade into slow-moving stretches where dippers bob on moss-covered rocks, or strike out in long pools beneath ancient stone clapper bridges. Each valley has its own character, its own temperature, its own mood.
The Best Wild Swimming Spots on Dartmoor
Spitchwick Common, River Dart
If you ask any Dartmoor local where to swim, Spitchwick will almost certainly come up first. Located near Poundsgate in the South Hams fringe of the moor, Spitchwick is a wide, flat expanse of common land beside a magnificent bend in the River Dart. The river here runs deep and broad, with a large pool that is sheltered from the worst of the wind and receives enough sunlight on summer afternoons to take the edge off the cold.
The water is typically around 13–16°C in summer — refreshing rather than punishing — and the pool is deep enough for confident swimmers to enjoy a proper open water experience. There are natural flat rocks for sunbathing and a grassy bank for picnicking. It is genuinely accessible to families, though younger children should always be supervised closely as the current picks up further downstream.
Parking is available at the Newbridge National Park car park about a ten-minute walk away. This is one of the busiest spots on the moor in summer, so weekday mornings or off-season visits offer a far more peaceful experience.
Becky Falls and the Bovey Valley
The Bovey Valley is a designated National Nature Reserve and one of the finest examples of upland oak woodland in Britain. The River Bovey runs through it in a series of cascades, pools and gentle glides. While Becky Falls itself is a commercial attraction with an entrance fee, the surrounding woodland is open access and the river can be reached at several points along public footpaths.
The pools here are smaller and more intimate than those at Spitchwick — better suited to solo swimmers or small groups who want to sit quietly in the water and listen to nothing but birdsong and running water. The surrounding woodland provides natural shade, which means the water can be considerably colder than on the open moor. Come prepared.
Cramber Pool and the High Moor
For those who want genuine remoteness, the high moor offers a very different experience. Cramber Pool sits in a shallow moorland valley south of Princetown and is reached only on foot, typically from the Two Bridges road. It is a proper upland pool — dark, peaty, cold and windswept — and on a grey autumn day it can feel like the loneliest place in England.
This is not a spot for the inexperienced. The water is peat-stained brown (this is entirely natural, caused by tannins from the bog vegetation, and poses no health risk), the entry points are soft and boggy, and there are no facilities of any kind within miles. But for swimmers who are comfortable with cold water and open moorland, the experience of floating in still, dark water beneath an enormous Dartmoor sky is something that stays with you.
Canonteign Falls and the Teign Valley
The River Teign offers perhaps the longest continuous stretch of swimmable water on the moor. From Chagford downstream through the Teign Gorge towards Fingle Bridge, there are multiple access points, a well-maintained riverside path, and a series of pools of varying depths and characters. Fingle Bridge itself — a medieval packhorse bridge — has a beautiful pool on its upstream side that is popular with locals and visitors alike.
The Teign Gorge section is particularly special in early spring and late autumn, when the crowds have gone and the oak trees along the gorge walls are either coming into leaf or turning gold. The water is cold outside of summer, but the gorge is sheltered from wind, making it a surprisingly pleasant swimming location even in cooler months for those who have built up some cold water tolerance.
Sharrah Pool, River Dart
Upstream from Spitchwick, the river cuts through a dramatic wooded gorge to form Sharrah Pool — a deep, clear swimming hole surrounded by boulders and ancient trees. Reaching it requires a walk of about forty minutes from Newbridge or Dartmeet, scrambling along a riverside path that is rough in places and can be muddy after rain.
The pool is significantly deeper and more powerful than Spitchwick, and the current running into it can be strong in wet weather. This is a spot for confident swimmers only, ideally those who have already swum in moving water and understand how to read a river. On a calm summer day, however, it is one of the most beautiful natural swimming pools in England.
Understanding Dartmoor’s Water: Risks and Realities
Wild swimming carries real risks, and Dartmoor’s rivers are not forgiving environments when conditions deteriorate. Understanding those risks is not about discouraging people from swimming — it is about enabling people to swim safely, for years and decades to come.
Flash Flooding and River Levels
This is the single most significant safety consideration on Dartmoor. The moor receives some of the highest rainfall in England — parts of the high moor average over 2,000mm per year — and when it rains heavily on the uplands, rivers can rise with extraordinary speed. A river that was knee-deep and gently flowing at midday can become a dangerous torrent by mid-afternoon following a storm on the high moor, even if the weather at your swimming spot seems perfectly fine.
Before swimming in any Dartmoor river, check the Environment Agency’s flood information service at check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk. Look at river level gauges upstream as well as at your specific location. If you can see that water levels are already elevated, or that significant rainfall is forecast for the catchment area, choose a different day. Never enter a river that is running fast and brown — those conditions indicate high run-off and poor visibility, which is dangerous even for experienced swimmers.
Cold Water Shock
Even in the height of summer, Dartmoor’s rivers rarely exceed 17°C, and the high moor pools can be considerably colder. Cold water shock — an involuntary gasping response triggered by sudden immersion in cold water — is a genuine risk and has been implicated in numerous drowning incidents in UK waters. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) recommends entering cold water slowly, allowing your body to adjust gradually rather than jumping or diving straight in.
The good news is that cold water acclimatisation is real and achievable. Regular swimmers who build up exposure over time find that their cold shock response diminishes significantly. The Outdoor Swimming Society, which is based in the UK and advocates for safe open water swimming, publishes excellent guidance on progressive cold water acclimatisation that is well worth reading before your first Dartmoor swim.
Currents and Weirs
The Dart in particular has claimed lives over the years, and most incidents have involved people underestimating the power of the current. The stretch of the Dart below Dartmeet and through the gorge sections runs fast even in dry conditions, and weirs — including those that may not be immediately obvious from upstream — create dangerous hydraulic features that can trap even strong swimmers.
Always scout a section of river before you enter it. Walk downstream from your planned entry point to check for weirs, undercut rocks, or strainers (fallen trees or debris that allow water through but can trap a swimmer). If you are in any doubt about a feature, stay out of the water.
Weil’s Disease
Leptospirosis, commonly known as Weil’s disease, is a bacterial infection carried in the urine of infected animals — most commonly rats — and can be present in freshwater across the UK. On Dartmoor, where livestock and wild animals are abundant, the risk is real but should be kept in perspective: the disease is rare, and sensible precautions reduce the risk substantially.
Cover any open cuts or grazes with waterproof plasters before swimming, avoid submerging your head in still or slow-moving water where possible, shower after swimming, and see a GP promptly if you develop flu-like symptoms (fever, muscle aches, headache) within two to three weeks of swimming. Early antibiotic treatment is highly effective.
