The Great British Swim: Can a Person Swim Through All the Canals and Rivers in the UK?

 

The Great British Swim: Can a Person Swim Through All the Canals and Rivers in the UK?: A Complete Guide

Picture the scene: the misty dawn, the only sounds the gentle lapping of water against the banks and the call of a moorhen in the distance. For anyone who has ever spent an afternoon lazing along a towpath, the waterways of the UK are a tempting proposition for adventure. With over 2,000 miles of navigable waterways stretching across England and Wales, it is a landscape that is inextricably bound up in both industry and natural beauty. But it poses a rather ambitious question: could one ever swim all of them?

It is the sort of logistical problem that could begin as a discussion in a pub after a long journey where you have had to call Taxis Hemel to get you to the train station because your car is in the shop. As you watch the countryside roll by, your thoughts may turn to the ribbon of water that you have just crossed over on a bridge, and you may wonder where it leads and whether anyone has ever been foolish or brave enough to conquer it all by physical effort. The answer, as it happens, is a complicated one that involves geography, law, and human endurance.

The Disconnected Reality of the Waterways

First of all, we have to examine the map. The UK has a very extensive canal and river system, but the idea of swimming from Land's End to John o' Groats via inland waterways is immediately thwarted by the reality of the situation. Contrary to what one might believe, not all of the UK's canal systems are connected . Although there is a very large and connected system that allows boats to travel from as far south as Godalming in Surrey all the way up to Leeds in West Yorkshire, this is not a nationwide system.

There are large, isolated systems that lie completely outside of the main network. The largest of these is in Scotland. The Caledonian Canal, which stretches from Fort William to Inverness via the famous Loch Ness, and the Union Canal that connects Glasgow to Edinburgh, are entirely separate systems . In order to swim between these systems, one would have to exit the water and cross the land, thus immediately eliminating the possibility of a single, continuous swim. Additionally, even within the connected system, the challenge of swimming the tidal estuaries and rivers necessary to cross some of the gaps between systems is a monumental

The Perils Beneath the Surface

Even if one were to assume that one could magically teleport from one isolated area to another, the mere act of swimming in the canal is dangerous. This is where the romantic ideal collides with reality. On a hot summer day, the water may look tempting, but the authorities have made it clear: “swimming is prohibited in our canals and rivers.”

The reasons are numerous. Beneath the deceptively calm surface lies a world of hidden risks. There are sudden depth changes, strong undercurrents near locks and weirs, and a tangled darkness of submerged debris like shopping trolleys, bicycles, and sharp industrial remnants. Boat traffic, even at the mandated speed of 4mph, poses a danger as narrow canals leave little room for maneuver . There is also the risk of leptospirosis (Weil's disease), a bacterial infection found in rat urine that contaminates the water. While long-distance open water swimmers do exist, they typically stick to the sea, lakes, or purpose-built venues.

Giants of Endurance: Swimming Around Britain

However, if a swim around Britain through its canal system is not feasible, what about a swim around Britain itself? This is where the question shifts to the superhuman. The most well-known recent example of this is Ross Edgley, a British extreme athlete who, in 2018, completed the first ever swim around mainland Great Britain .

This was not a canal swim; this was a 157-day, 1,780-mile journey through the hostile waters of the English Channel, Irish Sea, and North Atlantic. Edgley’s body went through extreme alterations—he grew what he called "rhino neck" from his wetsuit chafing against his skin at all times, his tongue fell apart from the salt, and he was taking in as many as 15,000 calories a day just to stay in the water . Edgley’s achievement illustrates that while the canal system is a no-go for swimming, the coastline itself is the ultimate marathon.

More recently, Edgley has also shown his prowess in freshwater by setting a record for the longest non-stop river swim in the Yukon River in Canada, swimming 510km in freezing conditions . It is clear that the human spirit is willing, but the choice of body of water is crucial. For the average person planning a trip to witness these bodies of water, the experience is much more laid-back. If you are planning to visit a launch point to witness a marathon swim competition or simply visit the historic points, transport is essential. Booking Hemel Hempstead Airport Taxis can ensure that you reach London Luton or Heathrow in comfort, ready to transfer to a train to head north to the canal systems of the Midlands or the stunning Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in Wales.

A Five-Year Journey by Boat

While swimming the entire waterway system is impossible, crossing it by boat is a dream come true for many. The owners of narrowboats, also known as "continuous cruisers," take years to cruise through the locks and tunnels. Paul Miles, a boat owner, recently completed a five-year journey to reach the northernmost point of the interlinked waterway system at Tewitfield on the Lancaster Canal.

His travels are a reminder of the amazing engineering and sometimes the drama of the waterways. To get to the remote Lancaster Canal, he had to travel over the Millennium Ribble Link, which is a tidal route that opened in 2002 and is described as "extreme narrowboating." This involves traveling out into the tidal estuaries, where the possibility of being swept out to sea is all too real. This route, which takes him three days by boat via the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, allows a friend to travel home by train in 50 minutes, which is a world of difference in speed. It underlines that the canals are definitely meant to be traveled at a stately 4mph, not breaststroke.

Also read: Behind the Wheel on the Wrong Side: How Easy Is It to Drive a Left-Hand Drive Car on UK Roads?

A Tale of Two Journeys

But can a person swim through all the canals and rivers in the UK? The answer is a definite no. The system is fragmented, it is illegal for safety reasons, and the sheer difficulties of tides, weirs, and private waterways would be impossible. But the point of the question is answered in other ways.

You can live the waterways intimately by taking a narrow boat, inching through ancient locks and over massive aqueducts. Or, you can watch in awe at the extreme sports enthusiasts who tackle the seas that surround this island, testing the boundaries of human endurance. Whether you are standing on the towpath with a cup of tea, or are rushing to catch a plane home after a weekend of exploring the historic docks, the waterways of the UK are a source of endless fascination. They are a band of history that we are honored to travel alongside, even if we cannot merge with them.