Wild Swimming Near London — Compton Lock via the River Itchen

Last month our social swim club here in London took a day trip to a superb wild swimming spot on the River Itchen — Compton Lock. It was stunning and absurdly easy to get to from London, the perfect vibe for a weekend wild swimming day trip.

There are a couple of ways to get to Compton Lock (which I've explained in full detail below):

• Option 1 (hike from Winchester) — a short 1-2 hour hike from Winchester along the River Itchen (returning to London via train from Shawford)
• Option 2 (direct to Shawford) — get the train direct from London to Shawford and walk about 10 minutes to Compton Lock (again returning to London from Shawford)

(P.S. if this sounds like a bit of you and you're based in London, why not join our social swim club? We run regular social swims at the West Reservoir + we'll be doing more wild swimming day trips like this in the near future.)

Option 1: Hike from Winchester to Compton Lock via the River Itchen (returning via train from Shawford)

This is a pretty easy hike which takes you through the historic ancient capital of Winchester (past the imperious Winchester Cathedral) then along the River Itchen until you reach Compton Lock for a swim. The post-swim pint in Shawford is, of course, entirely optional.

Here's a step-by-step itinerary:

Step 1: Train from London Waterloo to Winchester

There are plenty of direct trains from London Waterloo to Winchester which all take around 1 hour.

Suggested trains: We took the 09:35 from London Waterloo arriving in Winchester at 10:32. Our return train was the 15:17 from Shawford direct to London Waterloo. Timing-wise this was pretty much perfect — plenty of time to do the hike, have a swim and then enjoy a few drinks before heading home.

Step 2: Walk from Winchester to Compton Lock (along the River Itchen)

You can see the full route from Winchester to Compton Lock that we took on our wild swimming day trip here.

Winchester Cathedral

I would highly recommend going through Winchester Cathedral on your way out of the city. It's an incredible sight and once through the cathedral grounds you will walk past some of the nicest and most historic buildings in Winchester. The low-ceilinged Wykeham Arms is a particular highlight if you get thirsty.

St. Catherine's Hill (optional)

The view from St. Catherine's Hill. Pretty noice.

After following the River Itchen out of Winchester you can either continue along the river southwards towards Shawford, or turn east to ascend St. Catherine's Hill.

This is an ancient Iron Age hill fort with a lovely wooded copse and idyllic views over Winchester and the surrounding countryside. Well worth the climb especially if you want to work up a sweat pre-swim!!

Compton Lock

Continue following the river and eventually you will reach Compton Lock — a deep, swimmable pool surrounded by lush greenery on either side. There's also a nice patch of grass where you can leave your bag and have a post-swim picnic.

If the river is moving quickly there's a fun mini whirlpool which develops as the water flows under the footbridge. Hampshire's answer to Charybdis some might say.

Compton Lock. A few of our social swimmers luxuriate on the steps.

Step 3: Continue into Shawford

Once you've had your fill of Compton Lock continue along the river path for about 10 minutes until you reach Shawford. Incidentally this is probably the most sublime part of the walk, with a few riverside houses to admire and what appears to be some kind of duck paradise.

The Bridge Inn is right next to Shawford train station and the perfect place for a post-hike/swim pint. They even have a pub garden which is fantastic.

Was a bad day to be a Guinness at The Bridge Inn.

Step 4: Return train from Shawford to London Waterloo

Again, trains are pretty regular and most are direct. You can see the trains we took for our wild swimming day trip back up at Step 1.

Option 2: Direct to Shawford

This cuts out the walking if you'd prefer to just enjoy the swim spot and hang out by the water.

Step 1: Train from London Waterloo to Shawford

Step 2: Walk from Shawford to Compton Lock

Walk east out of Shawford train station along Shawford Rd, pass The Bridge Inn on your left until you cross the river where, immediately to your left, you will see a footpath which follows the river's edge. Turn onto the footpath and continue up the river until you reach Compton Lock.

Step 3: Return train from Shawford to London Waterloo

Hope you enjoy this lovely wild swimming spot! If you make a visit tag us @lewatermelonuk on Insta or TikTok and we'll give you a shout out. Happy day tripping swimmers.