The summer weather has well and truly arrived, and what better way to cool down than with a swim? Depending on where you live, the beach can be a bit of a trek, and a public swimming pool may not be your cup of tea. If you’re looking for somewhere to go wild swimming in Suffolk as a family, this is the perfect spot…
Knettishall Heath lies between Thetford and Diss – though it’s still technically West Suffolk, rather than Norfolk. Spanning over 430 acres, the heath is home to an incredibly diverse variety of animals and plants, including a herd of wild ponies.
Snaking its way through the nature reserve is the Little Ouse: a 37-mile river that, for the most part, follows the Suffolk-Norfolk border. Dotted along the length of the river are various pools and shallow spots that are ideal for paddling, playing or full-on wild swimming in Suffolk.
To reach the spot we chose, use this what3words location. This is the entrance to the car park, where you pay via the RingGo app (code is 4868). The car park is closed from 9pm to 5am, free from 5am to 10am, and outside of those times, is charged at £3 a day via the app.
If you don’t want to pay for parking, there are a few free roadside spaces before you turn into the car park, but you’ll have to be quick to grab one!
Once you’ve parked up, you’ll find yourself beside plenty of space to sit: either in the sun or under the trees, at a picnic bench or on a picnic blanket on the ground. There’s also a small wooden play area for kids, sensibly constructed in a shady area so they can play out of the direct sun.
There’s a small block of toilets, well-stocked with toilet paper when we went, though understandably not the cleanest as a result of wild swimmers. Head over on a Friday or Saturday and you’ll also find a coffee van serving up hot and cold drinks, ice creams and pastries.
During the warmer months, you may also be lucky enough to have an ice cream van turn up at the car park entrance at some point during the day. We were, and found them to be sensibly priced and served with a smile.
The main attraction of this part of Knettishall Heath, though, is the natural pool. When I shared a photo of the area in a Suffolk photography group on Facebook, commenters recalled swimming there in the 60s, when the area was known as The Red Arches, thanks to its twin bridges.
It’s clearly a popular spot – and it’s easy to see why. For a UK wild swimming spot, the presence of toilets and refreshments is a bonus. The car park is sizeable. The fact that there’s a playground provides added entertainment for families when the lure of a splash around wears off.
The pool itself has lovely clear water, and it’s easy to get in. There’s a sloping “beach” area that leads down to the water, making it safe for even the youngest of visitors to have a paddle.
There’s a small weir at the right-hand side of the pool, where lots of the kids were enjoying being splashed by the water pouring down. For the most part, the water level was no higher than mid-thigh for me, although the area at the left-hand side of the base of the weir was deeper.
This Knettishall Heath wild swimming spot also offers banks where kids can scramble up exposed tree roots to explore their surroundings, and it wasn’t just the kids enjoying cooling off, either. Plenty of visitors had brought their dogs along for a dip and it was lovely to see both animals and humans alike taking advantage of this beautiful natural setting.
If you’re looking for more serious wild swimming in Suffolk, you’re probably better off finding an alternative spot. For a shallow, relatively safe introduction to wild swimming with kids, though, it’s well worth paying Knettishall Heath a visit this summer. Don’t forget your water shoes!