There has been a marked increase in wild swimming, referred to as the top wellness trend of 2022 at a global wellness summit media event in New York. In the face of constant pressure and uncertainty over future income streams, the case for farms and rural estates to channel resources into innovative diversification ventures has become more and more important. The Savills publication titled ‘Spotlight on Rural Tourism and Leisure’ highlights that one of the main macro themes driving consumer demand is wellbeing – and wild swimming could provide a growing opportunity for landowners to diversify their income and connect visitors with the natural beauty of their surroundings.
Despite the considerable outlay – installation starts at about £150,000 – the few specialist swimming pond (as they are known) companies that exist in the UK are currently rushed off their feet. As the concept is still fairly new here, rare are the houses that come up for sale with a swimming pond already in situ. However, it is a trend that is on the rise and a natural swimming pond may well soon join the wish list for buyers.
On a larger scale, there are already examples of rural estates across the UK embracing the wild swimming trend. One example is Elmore Court Estate in Gloucestershire, which featured in the above mentioned rural tourism and leisure spotlight. The estate has recognised that people crave experiences revolving around wellbeing, and in a bid to diversify further it has opened it.