Wild Swimming | Surrey

A beach in Surrey? 

Yup.

There's two actually. Well, two ponds. (Stay with me here)

There's the Great Pond & then there's the Little Pond. Always go to the Great pond, the Little Pond is exclusive to fishers - you don't want to be swimming with all that fish bait.  

Once you've made it, walk straight past the first 'beach', up 'n' over the clearing on the common and head down to the second 'beach'. It's always quieter there.

Bring a picnic, a good book & a rubber ring for floating about. 

Satisfied we'd got our last dose of summer sun, we headed down the road to near-by Tilford for another swim & to refuel at the Barley Mow.

When I was a little girl we'd tube down the river & let our feet slip away from the bottom as the river gradually got deeper. We'd jump from the high banks of the Wey & swing from the tyre dangling from the old willow tree. 
When the hunger pangs of swimming settled in, we'd all huddle around a camp stove in fluffy towels and cook fish fingers for tea. 
Those days are sadly over. There's a river warrant now who make sures people, ponies, dogs, cats, whoever, stay between the bridge & the weir.

It's not all bad news though, fish finger sandwiches got upgraded to pub grub & pints. 
We sat outside looking over the cricket green as the smalls ran through the giant sprinkler. 
Oh, Summer, I'm going to miss you!