FEATURE

With an increased interest in outdoor swimming there is a new demand for privately-owned natural swimming ponds. Ella Foote takes a dive into the trend.

 

Image: Mike Sannwald-Kirk

As aswimmer, it is natural to dream that one day you will have your own pool, all to yourself in your home garden. For decades these imagined pools were perhaps blue tiled, rectangular and would come with pool filters, chemicals, and heat pumps. But now, with the growing interest in ‘wild’ swimming a new dream pool has entered our minds, the natural swimming pond.

“I don’t think we would have considered anything other than a wild pool,” says Tracey, a swimming pond owner in Northeast England. “It had been a joke for most of my adult life that I would have a one-lane swimming pool in my backyard.” Tracey and her partner Lynette have always loved to swim and before they had their pond would travel to the coast for dips in the cold North Sea. With a reasonable sized garden, but terrible soil to grow anything, it was a dream to consider a swimming pond. When Tracey retired, she had a little money and so spent it all on the idea of having her own pond.

A natural pool or swimming pond is a pool that is free of chemicals and is filtered by water plants. Aquatic plants grow in areas around the pool which absorb nutrients from the water keeping the water balanced and crystal-clear. A hidden pump system below the surface circulates the water ensuring algae doesn’t develop and the result is a natural water pool that feels like wild swimming in your own garden. Natural pools are often designed with a concrete tank that is contemporary while ponds are shaped from the earth. The benefit, much like any outdoor swimming, is being able to swim in chemical-free water but also, they are easier to maintain and have lower running costs compared to conventional pools. As well as having your own place for relaxing, playing and exercising, a natural pool will transform a garden into an wildlife haven.