SWIM ACCESS AND LAND OWNERSHIP

Just had to include the below video. The genius of Steve Coogan.

God knows why I’ve attempted to cover this complex matter!

First, land can be and is owned up to the river bank privately, which is stating the obvious. If you have to access a river swim through someone’s private land, you’d have to seek permission. Goes without saying. What is worth thinking about, is where you’ll be exiting the water or where you may have to exit, if you have any issues/an emergency. There are no issues entering or exiting the water with the use of public land, typically footpaths.

The public can generally access water (rivers), where a public right of navigation is established and/or a historic right exists. It’s more clear in Scotland, with a ‘statutory right to responsible access to most inland waters’.

Where things can get confusing : when local bylaws prohibit swimming in certain areas.

Realistically, the chances of you being prosecuted for swimming in a river are extremely remote and with open water swimming being so popular at the moment, I think pursuing a prosecution would be a fools errand and would open a whole can of worms. The land and river bank can and is privately owned but the water is not. One really important factor to consider in inland waters, are fishermen. It’s never really advisable to swim through popular fishing spots.

‘NO SWIMMING’ SIGNAGE

You’ll find various ‘no swimming signs’ around inland rivers and waters. These can be placed in various spots for any number of reasons, by any number of people. They don’t necessarily hold any legal weight.