No!

We know that swimming in the river is not for everyone. There are plenty of benefits to spending time by the river, without swimming.

The weekend is jam-packed full of activities and not all of them involve raising your heart rate or getting wet. So if you just wish to pop down for an espresso martini and chill by the river, then be our guest.

Basic camping is available on the Friday and Saturday night at the event site, including toilets,  drinking water & showers, but no electricity. Campervans and Motorhomes are also welcome.

Complete the festival experience by making a weekend of it and enjoying time by the river or in Henley. You will wake up to stunning views of the River Thames, ready to enjoy all that the Henley Swim Festival has to offer.

The campsite will be open from 3pm on Friday to 5pm on Sunday. Campers can bring their cars to the campsite, and do not need to book additional parking.

Well-behaved dogs are allowed at the campsite as long as they are kept under control, on a lead, and are cleaned up after.

You can book camping through our on-line entry page, either when registering for a swim or as a stand alone booking.

There is plenty of parking available at the event, we encourage you to car share wherever possible.

Parking is FREE for all on Saturday, whether you are popping by to collect your race pack, or staying for the afternoon/evening.

On Sunday cars will be charged at £15 on-the-day, or £10 for swimmers if booked in advance when registering to swim (maximum 2 cars).

Subscribers to Outdoor Swimmer magazine will receive free parking, so should not pre-book.

Entry to the Henley Swim Festival area is free for all! There are lots of activities taking place alongside the river for all to enjoy, both for those that are planning to swim and those that prefer to watch.

There are costs to swim and paddleboard and we recommend pre-booking to avoid disappointment.

Other activities such as the Zorb Zone can be purchased on the day.

There will be event memorabilia, including hoodies & T-shirts, available to purchase on the day from Scimitar, you can have a sneak preview or order in advance here

The distance options for this outdoor swim event are:

200m Henley Splash (age 8+) | Zoggs Half Mile (age 9+) | Mile (age 14+) | 2x Mile (age 14+) | Suits vs Skins (age 14+) | 4x Mile  (age 16+)

All swims are downstream. The event village is approximately halfway along the mile course (ie there is a walk at the beginning and the end). The half mile starts in the event village, and there is a walk at the end. The 200m Henley Splash is entirely in the event village.

If you have any mobility issues that mean the walks could be a problem, please contact enquiries@henleyswim.com and they may be able to help.

The 4 Mile Challenge is for swimmers that wish to push themselves that little bit further, and is ideal as a fund-raising option.

Swimmers will swim the 1 mile course 4 times throughout the day. 4x Challenge swimmers start their first mile early at 08:30 to allow time to complete all 4 miles.

You will need to allow time to eat and drink, we suggest you bring enough food to last you through all 4 swims, as the queues for the food concessions may not fit with your timings. 

To enter this challenge you need to be sure that you can swim AND walk/jog a mile within 75 minutes. At the end of each mile, swimmers will need to walk back to the start (approx 1 mile) before starting their next mile.

After your final leg you will receive a finishers’ medal and a well-earned rest.

In a bid to once and for all determine the performance boost given by wetsuits, competitors will have the opportunity to take part in the “Suits v Skins Challenge“.

Anyone who wants to take part in this challenge will need to swim the Mile twice: once with a wetsuit and once without.

The winner will be the person with the fastest combined time for the two miles – but everyone taking part will see what difference swimming in a wetsuit really makes.

How to Enter:

Simply select Suits vs Skins on the registration form. You should wear your wetsuit for the first swim, and swim non-wetsuit for the second.

Once you have decided which distance you would like to swim, you can go to our online registration system and select your entry option. As well as providing your personal details, mile swimmers will need to select a start time.

NB: All Mile swimmers should be confident of being able to swim at least 2k non-stop to take part in this event and Half Mile swimmers should be able to swim 1km non-stop. All Henley Splash swimmers should have completed basic swimming lessons and be comfortable treading water in the deep end of a swimming pool. Ideally they should be able to swim 20 lengths without stopping.

Results will be available throughout the day and immediately after the event through the Nifty system and via text message. 

There will be presentations for the the Junior Zoggs Half Mile. Junior prizes for the Mile, Suits vs Skins and 4x Challenge will be presented at the end of the afternoon, or sent after the event. There will not be prizes for the adult categories.

The 200m Henley Splash is a participation event and will not be timed. 

Yes, you can swim with your children in all outdoor swim events.

The Mile – if your child is 14 or over you can swim the Mile together, please make sure you select the same start window during the registration process.

The Half Mile – if your child is 9 or over you can swim the Half Mile together.

The 200m Henley Splash – if the swimmer is aged 8-12, or has special needs, one adult can accompany them in the water free of charge. Register the swimmer for the Splash, tick the accompanying adult box, and add your details where requested.

If your child is aged 12 or under, you will need to make sure that they have either an accompanying adult swimming with them, or walking the tow-path alongside them. When you register your child for the event, you will be asked to confirm that you have understood this.

Children aged 13+ do not require this, however we very much hope that you will be supporting your child throughout their swim. You can walk alongside all the way.

They also ask you to be sure that your child has the capability to swim in the event that you enter them in.

In our Facebook Forum, Henley Swim Chatter, you can discuss anything with fellow swimmers from nutrition and training tips to event transport. It is for participants in all our outdoor swim events and you will be sure to find people who have swum your event and a wealth of knowledge there.

As with any outdoor swim event the water temperature will depend upon both the outside temperature and the quantity of rainfall in the days and weeks running up to the event. It is therefore very difficult to predict.

Based on previous years, in the middle of July they expect the water to be between 18 and 21 degrees centigrade.

Henley swim test the water throughout our season (June – August) to get an idea of the overall water quality on this stretch of the Thames. Over the past 5 years, 93% of our tests have come back as good or excellent measured against European Bathing Water standards.

However due to the nature of moving water, and the fact that a water sample takes several days to cultivate, they cannot guarantee that the water quality on the day of the events will be satisfactory.

Swimming in open water carries risks. Water quality is variable as is an individual’s tolerance to contaminants.

If you are part of a swimming club, and are interested in hosting your open water club championship at the Henley Swim Festival, please email enquiries@henleyswim.com

You could also compete against other clubs in their inter-club championships. More information can be found here.

They try to make their events as accessible as possible, within the limits of the locations of the swims. If you have any special requirements we suggest that you email enquiries@henleyswim.com and they will see if they are able to accommodate your needs.

There is more detail that may be useful to disabled athletes about parking, entry and exit points etc in their FAQs.