our peaceful & scenic wild swimming lake
Open Water Swimming
changing facilities / toilets
hot drinks / snacks
Qualified Open Water Lifeguard
Welcome to our lake at Field Head Farm, a NEW open water swimming venue open all year round and set within the beautiful, rolling Staffordshire countryside.
It’s important to us that everyone gets the swim they crave and need here at Field Head Farm so whether you’re training for an event and want to cover distance or simply want to’ swimble’ whilst chatting to friends, you are all very welcome. We also welcome your ‘support crew’ and they can enjoy a coffee with a view whist you swim so you’ll all leave feeling relaxed and revitalised.
Our lake is naturally spring fed and not treated in any way, water quality is tested monthly and water temperature always displayed.
We are an Affiliated NOWCA (National Open Water Coaching Association) venue, all sessions are supervised by a Qualified Open Water Lifeguard as it matters to us that you are SAFE and ENJOY your swim, all of our supporting water safety team are also first Aid trained.
We also have a De-fib and First Aid kit on site and staff are in communication at all times via two way radios.
We work to the RLSS Promotion, Recognition, Rescue framework, which is the Promotion of swim safety and swimmer education, Recognition and subsequent reduction of risk and finally when required, safe efficient Rescue.
We have learned so much about running an OWS venue and are continuing to do so, the safety and enjoyment of our swimmers is paramount to us and so decisions about health and safety are made solely with this focus in mind.
We look forward to welcoming you, Anna, Mick and our team xx
Plan your swim
booking information
- All swimmers need to be a NOWCA member for £20 a year, we don’t offer guest swims. To register with NOWCA click here.
- Once registered, NOWCA will send you a confirmation email explaining everything. Please read it carefully and feel free to come to us with any questions
- All sessions and courses are pre-booked using the NOWCA ACTIO app. This can be downloaded from your play store, links are also available in the confirmation email from NOWCA.
- We will provide you with a NOWCA safety wristband which is used to scan you in and out of the water when you come to your first swim.
- This band also gives us access to all the vital information we will need should you get into trouble in the water, saving much needed time.
- We are unable to refund or amend any bookings
- Swims are £8 for a 60 minute session with a max of 25 swimmers per session.
- Access to the swimming area is via a sloping beach, there is plenty of space for you to acclimatise as you enter the water without feeling rushed by other swimmers. We also have a jetty, it just has 3 steps and the water is about 8ft
- Our circuit is 200m, so if you count your laps, we can record the distance you have swam on the app when you sign out with your wristband.
- As a NOWCA member, you will have access to the ‘NOWCA Wild’ app, which is packed with useful info and wild swimming locations but will also be the home for our Operations chat for Field Head Farm about our sessions.
Should we ever need to close or cancel a session, this is where we will inform you.
Open water Equipment checklist
- A safety Tow float is mandatory – firstly for visibility but this can also be used to hold on to should you get cramp or begin to feel unwell. We have spares if you forget yours or if it doesn’t arrive before your first swim, but we prefer you to have your own.
- We recommend a colourful hat – for visibility purposes as well as warmth in colder months, caps, bobble or swim hats welcome
- PLEASE Bring plenty of layers to change in to and ALWAYS more than you think you need, you will be very glad you did, Extra hat, socks, gloves…
- Wetsuits are not compulsory, however swimmers should be aware that the Royal Life Saving Society recommend swimmers wear wetsuits in water that is under 15°C. swim gloves and boots are also optional
- Hot water bottles? We always have these ready to use so please help yourselves but feel free to bring your own for us to fill. Pop it in your towelling robe to warm whilst your swimming, it’ll then help you warm up once dressed -you’re welcome.
- Be physically and mentally fit with no open cuts or grazes and have no pre-existing medical conditions that would affect you swimming in open water.
Children aged 12 – 16
We welcome children over 12 to swim and they will also need to be registered and have their own membership with NOWCA.
The water temperature must be above 18 degrees, a wetsuit and tow float must be worn and they must be accompanied by an adult in the water, spectating from the side is not enough.
Children are welcome to visit but MUST be supervised at all times, they cannot simply spectate whilst you swim.
Our facilities
We have lovely warm heated changing rooms and toilets on site, you’ll find it helpful to arrive swim-ready and have plenty of warm clothes to change into after your swim.
We will soon have a clubhouse, complete with log burner and plenty of seats for you to enjoy some Après Swim with the rest of the wonderful community that now swim with us.
Hot Drinks, Brownies and snacks, all made by local suppliers are available to buy after your dip and can be enjoyed in our communal space or by seats around the fire pit by the lake.
We’d love to offer more food to buy and are looking into this.
Are you new to open water swimming?
It is vital that Cold water swimming is treated with the respect it deserves to keep you safe.
NOWCA have a brilliant cold water induction online that will give you plenty of helpful information and advice.
We also offer Inductions here at Field Head Farm and details of these can be found on the actio app. If there aren’t any visible just let us know you’re interested and we can make some dates available for you
We are keen to welcome swimmers with varying accessibility needs although this may develop over time, if you are unsure if the venue is suitable for your needs, please visit us first and chat through any ways we can support you.
If you have any questions or thoughts you’d like to talk to us about just get in touch or feel free to pop down to one of our swim sessions to see for yourself
Private Hire
The lake can be hired privately for your group to swim for a lifeguarded session. Prices begin at £80 for up to 10 people with extra swimmers at £8 per person. Max is 20 people, children must be 12yrs +
Email: anna@fieldheadfarmstaffordshire.co.uk with your ideas or ask a member of the team.
Dogs
Our priorities are our swimmers and it will really helpful to us if you leave your pets at home please.
Swim timetable
This is our current swim Timetable and sessions will increase and decrease with the daylight as we wind through the seasons.
NB. All sessions and courses are pre-booked using the NOWCA ACTIO app. This can be downloaded from your play store, links are also available in the confirmation email from NOWCA. More details about registering and booking are above in the Booking Information
Lake activities
We offer a variety of activities on our lake, such as Stand Up Paddleboarding, Kayaking, Raft building and Pilates on Paddleboards which are all instructor led in conjunction with Phil @ C2C outdoors.
They all offer a lot fun, confidence building and self-satisfaction for families, businesses and sports teams and communities.
Phil also runs land based activities that will run exclusively for your group and bespoke to your requirements and interests.
You don’t have to be guests at Field Head Farm to enjoy these sessions as the lake now has it’s own facilities and for 2026 we are hoping to offer Children’s parties
Contact us or Phil for more information or follow this link to his website C2C Outddoors
Open Water Swimming Reviews
We held a women’s swim and social group at Field Head Farm and couldn’t think of a better place to make people feel welcome, comfortable and relaxed.
The team there are amazing; all communication before, during and after the event was spot on, we were welcomed and given a great briefing to keep everyone safe and calm a few nerves and post-swim we had a drink and chat lake-side which really topped the session off.
I regularly open water swim at Field Head and I cannot recommend this venue enough! It’s a fantastic venue with fabulous surroundings. Anna and her family are always so welcoming and grateful 🙏 If you are looking for a new swim venue or wanting to start for the first time this is definitely the place to go
I love this place! Anna and her team are so welcoming and friendly and go out of their way to make sure that all guests are having a great experience. The lake is wonderful to swim in – a great way to be present, exercise and also relax. Thank you Anna and team!
We have had a few fantastic swims at field head farm, Anna and her team are very friendly and welcoming, I would recommend anyone to give it a go it’s a beautiful place to swim.
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