Farleigh Hungerford (River Frome)
A 70-metre stretch of the River Frome above a slippery weir, used since 1933 by Farleigh and District Swimming Club, believed to be the oldest river swimming club in the country. The water is about 2.4 metres deep, cool and never clear, with shallows by the weir for easing in. You need annual club membership, and it is wise to skip a swim after heavy rain.
Photo: Dr Duncan Pepper · CC BY-SA 2.0
Latest reading · SwimScore 83/100 (Get in) for a typical swimmer: air 15°C, wind 8 km/h, UV 0. Updated .
Know before you go
- Best conditions
- Settled weather after a dry spell; avoid high, brown water. Acclimatise in the shallows by the weir and check the depth and for obstructions before any jump.
- Getting in
- Members only: annual membership, no day tickets. The club lists £14 single and £28 family (2 adults, 4 under-16s) for 2026, valid to 30 September; join online, from membership collectors on site on warm days, or at Stowford Manor Farm on the A366. Under-16s must be with a responsible adult. Swim entirely at your own risk; no dogs, paddleboards, barbecues, camping, fires or fishing.
- Parking & transport
- Club car park at the field (Farleigh Hungerford, BA2 7RS).
- Lifeguards
- None; members are responsible for their own and their group's safety.
- Water quality
- Designated bathing water 'River Frome at Farleigh Hungerford' (designated 2024) was classified Poor by the Environment Agency in 2024 and 2025. The club says quality is low after heavy rain and advises against swimming then; Wessex Water publishes a live river-risk indicator.
- Season
- 1 May to 30 September, sometimes extended in warm weather.
- Who swims here
- Farleigh and District Swimming Club, founded in 1933 and run by and for its members (over 5,000 of them), holds an annual AGM and working party; it moved to its current north-bank site in 1992.
- Watch for
- River about 8 ft (2.4 m) deep with shallows near the weir
- Slippery weir; rocks and debris below it, where swimming is not allowed
- Murky water and possible underwater obstructions: no diving, no jumping from trees
- Cold water
- Weed entanglement
- Do not swim when the river is in spate or flood
- Weil's disease risk with open wounds
- Facilities
- Toilet · Changing hut · Car park · Two ladders into the river · Bins
Sources: farleighswimming.co.uk, farleighswimming.co.uk, farleighswimming.co.uk, farleighswimming.co.uk, farleighswimming.co.uk, assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
Hand-checked spots nearby
Safety Information
Community Reports
How was your swim?
How accurate were the predicted conditions?
What were actual conditions like?
What SwimScore would you give it?
Details
- Location
- Farleigh Hungerford, England, United Kingdom
- Type
- river
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Coordinates
- 51.3180, -2.2804