Derwent Island Swims 750M | 1500M
£21.00 – £39.00
Saturday 11th September | 12pm & 2pm
A classic in the Keswick Mountain Festival sporting line-up; our Derwent Island open water swim series, this year consisting of 750 metre and 1500 metre options only. If you fancy something longer, check out our brand new Derwentwater Point to Point swim!
Enjoy swimming in the beautiful Derwent Water under the shadow of Catbells and views of Skiddaw and the Borrowdale valley.
Our 750 metre option is the ideal distance for those just starting out in the world of wild swimming and is a single lap that leads you out toward Derwent Island returning towards land. Open to ages 12+.
Our 1500 metre option is great for the more experienced open water swimmer and is one lap of Derwent Island. Ages 18+ only.
Greener feed stations:
Disposable cups are a source of waste so we're keeping their use to a minimum. There will be no cups at the feed stations so please bring a re-usable foldable ‘soft cup’ or drinks bottle. You will need to carry this with you and use it on the course if you wish to use feed stations. Foldable soft cups will be available to buy in Sports Registration on the day if you need one.
You will enter the entrants details at checkout.
- What's Included
- Outdoor Swimmer Training Guide
- ROUTE DESCRIPTION
- BIO SECURITY MEASURES
- Venue
- Previous Finishers
- Water Quality
What's Included
- Free photograph
- Electronic chip timing
- KMF swim hat
- Event t-shirt
- 1 concert ticket
- Hydration provided by Active Root Claim your free Active Root sachet here.
Outdoor Swimmer Training Guide
Our friends at Outdoor Swimmer have kindly provided a Beginners Training Guide for all KMF Swimmers! Click below to download.
If you’d like more advice delivered to your door monthly, take advantage of an exclusive KMF offer from Outdoor Swimmer where you can get 3 copies of their amazing magazine for just £10.00. Visit their website for more info.
ROUTE DESCRIPTION
All of our open water swims take you out toward Derwent Island in a clockwise direction and then back in towards Crow Park. The beauty of Derwentwater and its surrounding views of Catbells, Skiddaw and the Borrowdale Valley will make this swim a memorable experience for all participants. Our 750 metre option will turn around before reaching the island and our 1500 metre option will take you around 1 lap of the island.
A deep-water start will take you across to the shores of Derwent Isle, before swimming clockwise alongside its shores overlooked by the historic Island. Finish under the gantry back at the Festival base with an excited crowd ready to cheer you home. Please note: water temp for this event will be between 11oC – 14oC and you should prepare yourself accordingly. We recommend pre-event training in the water.
Gloves and socks are permitted.
Read acclimatising to cold water article by The Outdoor Swimming Society.CONTINGENCY PLAN
It is possible that events and courses at KMF may need to be amended at short notice due to weather issues, water quality or levels, road conditions or roadworks.
By nature, many of these factors are not possible to know well in advance. For each event there are a number of alternative options available which can be implemented at short notice. The organisers and race directors will always have athlete and spectator safety as the highest priority, and within that context will seek to provide the best possible experience.All sporting events would be impacted if the KMF Festival Village has to be closed. In this instance, as long as circumstances allow, all starts and finishes would be relocated to Lake Road and Lakeside Car Park and the events operated as smoothly as possible.
The prevailing wind direction is from the South West (i.e. along Derwentwater). There are options available to us to keep the event operating in high winds – keeping the swim in the lee of Derwant Isle, and starting and finishing from the beach adjacent to Keswick Launch. These would be exhausted before any cancellation decision.
Ultimately, we would consider cancelling the swim if the weather/water conditions are extreme, and there is a risk to participants safety. This also applies if the conditions are such that the water safety team are compromised in any way, and cannot provide assured safety cover to the event.
BIO SECURITY MEASURES
What is Bio Security?
Biosecurity means taking action in order to minimise the introduction or spread of invasive non-native species (INNS) and diseases.
Why should we worry?
The freshwater resources of Cumbria – its many tarns, lakes, rivers and becks – are of great ecological and economic significance. We love spending time in and on them so protecting them is something we all need to take responsibility for. Freshwater INNS are able to ‘hitchhike’ on our equipment, footwear, clothing and boats. When we move to a new river, tarn or lake, a species may be transferred and may become established, often having devastating effects.
What can we do to help?
As keen outdoor and sports enthusiasts we all need to help protect the landscapes we love. The bio security at the Festival will involve just a little extra cooperation and organisation. You will be required to ensure that your wetsuit is clean and dry before you arrive and that it is cleaned before you leave. The purpose of this is to do our bit to try and stop the spread of invasive aquatic species.
The Race Process
You will ensure that all equipment to be taken into the water is clean and dry before you arrive on the race morning. At the end of your swim you will exit the lake and your time will finish.
On your way to the Finish Line you will pass the Bio Security Wash Area where our volunteers will hose you down to wash your wetsuit. You will then walk up to the Finish Line to collect your t-shirt.
Once you have changed, we ask that you wash your wetsuit at the Bio Security Wash Area to wash the inside of your wetsuit and all other equipment in the fresh water tubs provided to ensure that any debris from inside has been washed off. Please check your equipment for obvious vegetation or other aquatic life and remove anything found.
Compliance with this process is essential to ensure that we are able to pursue our sport in such beautiful surroundings. For more information on the issues please visit http://www.cfinns.scrt.co.uk/.
Venue
The Festival Village is located adjacent to The Theatre By The Lake close to Derwentwater.
Address: Lakeside
Keswick
Cumbria
CA12 5DJ
Previous Finishers
Water Quality
Derwentwater has a history of Blue Green Algae presence in the water and over the past few years, with warmer winters, the bacteria which causes this is not always killed off over the winter months. It is therefore possible for blooms to occur as the temperatures rise in the Spring. (Many of you will remember that in 2019 the Keswick Mountain Festival swims were cancelled due to very late blooming of the algae. This is something we do not wish to see repeated.) We work closely with National Trust and the Environment Agency who help us to monitor the water in the run up to the Festival and inform us of any potential blooms.
Blue Green Algae is present in many water courses and not all forms are toxic. The greatest risks of a toxic algae are for animals and young children who drink water containing the algae and, in the case of dogs in particular, may pick up algae on their coats and then lick their coat, thereby consuming even more.
Blue Green Algae forms as a localised bloom, meaning that large parts of the lake can be unaffected even if it is present in some areas. Even when present, it is entirely possible to swim in Derwentwater without ever coming into contact with the algae.
What do we do if there is blue green algae in the water at the time of the Festival?
We will test the water, with support from the Environment Agency, in advance of the Festival and we will identify and monitor where the blooms are. If we find there are blooms of Algae in the water we will conduct a full analysis and amend courses if needed, so we are satisfied that the routes used in the KMF swims and the triathlons are safe for swimming.
Raise money for The National Trust
We are offering all competitors the chance to fly the flag for conservation & raise money for vital work to protect mountain rivers.
