Fantastic place and experience. You have to book in advance but it is affordable and worth it. We enjoyed checking the water temperature online the days before the swim. Lucky enough it was 22 degrees. When you arrive, you have to give your name and you will get a float - only 60 people at a time. We managed to go around the lake calmly 3 times. No rush whatsoever like when you are in a public pool.

Fantastic lake for swimming. Reasonably priced. A few people commented on lack of changing facilities but all outdoor swim places have suspended these due to Covid regulations. Bring an extra large towel or something like a DryRobe to make changing a bit easier.

Really nice lake for swimming. Decent size for a proper swim. Lovely vibe sitting lakeside before and after.

It's nice place but the lake is payable. Which is unfair. The lake is big enough for so many people but there is not everyone allowed to enter. In hot days it should be considered to allow people enter and enjoy the water. The management should consider hiring more people or allowing to enter for free. Lake been created to enjoy for everyone but unfortunately not everyone allowed. Whilst there is space but they saying it's booked for all day... How does that makes good place?

It's absolutely shocking! Council spend all those money to restore this beautiful place and lake only to then surrounding it with metal gates! U need advance booking and hour is over 5 pounds. Absolutely shocking! But if people would have a bit reason inside them they would stop using it completely, maybe then they will reconsider and open the PUBLIC SPACE for people, where it belongs!

Seems like management has recently changed or whatever. And they are not doing it right. It used to be a nice place for open water training. I usually used to go there for a 3km session once or twice a week all year around incl winter months and chaps knew me very well. Now it is a totally different thing, every time I go there I see new faces and some new rules... Sorry I'm not going to buy "it's too busy cause of summer" as an excuse . I know how it was last summer ! So if you decide to go there be ready for a night club like queue ( bouncers included) you will be let in the area a few minutes after your slot started and they will start pulling out of water 5-10 min before your slot is ended. You will be rushed to leave the area right before the next slot. Even if you book 2 slots you still have to leave and re-enter. For instance I need 20 min to put a wetsuit on and it was always ok to come 20 min before my slot starts and make myself ready . Literally today I had to change and put a wetsuit on in the public park as they could not let me in until my actual time started.... If new management reads this pls consider firing yourself and calling old guys back 😂

Beautiful! Fresh water, friendly life guards and a chilled atmosphere. Mostly very peaceful, with only occasional screeching children. Competent swimmers only. Ducks with goslings, and lovely reeded lakeside. A real gem of a place!

Really nice, surprisingly large park. Great for walking the dog and the swimming is fantastic in the lake

You definitely need to buy tickets in advance to swim here, it's £6 but I think it's worth it since there's not many places like this in and around London to open swim like this. The staff are really good and it's a really clean pond with a sandy bottom to enter the pond at. One warning, there's no changing facilities here so make sure you wear clothes that are easy to change in to from swim suits. Very relaxed atmosphere here though.

The swimming lake should be free to everyone be able to swim or at least more affordable. £5.80 for one hour and 40m passed you start to be told you will have to leave soon. There's no facilities so if you need to go to toilets you will loose at least 10m and queue in the very dirty and smelly nearby toilets. The lifeguards are doing their job and everything is so supervised that is silly that adult swimmers have to wear an inflatable waist band against their will. The lake and the park are nice but should be run by the council and not by a private company obviously more concerned with the profit then to offer a good service to the People. Im ok about paying a fair price for maintainance and lifeguards but this don't seem reasonable.

Nice, beautiful & specious park.

The lifeguards here are so good! Make you feel v looked after - it’s always v organised and safe. Especially during 30 degree hot days when it’s at its peak busyness. Well done to all the young people who are extremely professional here.

This is my absolute go to in ⛱️🌞. We swim three times a week or so and absolutely love it. The ducks, the friendly staff, the community..I am not a winter swimmer so can't comment on swimming all year round

Beautiful park and outdoor swimming pond if a hot day. You can only book for one hour though and I feel £5.50 per person is a little over priced for that short time. Saying that there are a number of lifeguards on duty which makes it feel very safe and I understand it cost money to staff such facility and comply with health and safety regulations. It would not put me off visiting again.

Having lived in Vienna where there are plentiful opportunities to swim in rivers and lakes, more or less in the heart of the city, and totally unsupervised, one cannot help feel that this is a missed opportunity. I understand there must be fears regarding health and safety, but this is such a botched job, and the tows and the booking and the bureaucracy and the ugly fences simply ruin it. A real shame, because the park itself is lovely.

That's nightmare, just business for private company, time wastage for family, poor service

A wonderful place, a beautiful forest corner and a wonderful concert of birds

We swam here for the first time last week. It was our first open water swim not in a pool/the sea so we were a little nervous. Once we got over the pond weed, we enjoyed the ducks in close proximity and had a lovely chat as we did many a lap of the large lake. Nice, friendly atmosphere. Lifeguard on duty. The sun was also shining which was wonderful. We will be back.

The lake is a friendly and inclusive place to swim and the PTP team and 'beckenham bobbers' are a welcoming bunch. In winter you need to have done an induction. Changing is on the lakeside. There is a cafe in the park for tea or coffee and food post swim. There is also paddleboarding and sup yoga to try. Give outdoor swimming a try, you might get hooked!

Have had lovely swims here, staff all lovely, and a fun family paddle board session. The park and cafe are great too.

Just discovered this place and it's awesome. Booked a same day swim slot and had a dip in the lake, swimming with baby Moor hens. Had a gf pizza and beer at the house followed by a lovely afternoon stroll through the woods. Perfect hidden gem in London.

Did my first Paddle Board session today in beautiful sunshine. Both Pia and her colleague were really helpful as I was a bit nervous but made me feel confident and I really enjoyed the experience. Highly recommend this!

Just fill it in. Should never have been advertised as a swimming lake...ppl cannot be trusted to look after kids

Complete waste of time queued for half an hr to be told people booked earlier in the day and they were full .... this system IS NOT WORKING !!!! at least 40 people disappointed and children very upset..... especially when there are no notices regarding prior booking even on the official board of session times ..... to add insult to injury the session afterwards was also already booked to capacity. the lake was half empty so I also feel there max capacity should be upped as you are never going to have 100 people swimming all at once for two hrs.... this could be an amazing place sadly its been ruined by the horrible metal fencing incompetent staff and not enough parking I shall not be back unless changes are made No STARS MY FAMILY AFTERNOON OUT WAS RUINED update I have to add one star to submit this post 🤬

Waste

Waste of time.

Went here a while ago it was very fun

Lovely place to swim, never too busy and relaxing. Need to book but usually fine on the day

Not very inclusive

Beautiful grounds with lots of small garden areas, like the mounded garden. Lovely to stand at the top and look over the park. The lake is lovely, and there is plenty of places to sit. There's a pub in the park so you can have a drink too and look out. And there's a car park on site which is free in the evening! Beautiful park and very clean grounds. Compliments to the groundsmen that keeps it tidy and the public.

Love this pond but unfortunately I got swimmers itch from swimming there this morning, as did my boyfriend and friend who swam the other day. It’s incredibly uncomfortable so please be aware. Didn’t have this problem when swimming earlier in summer so may just be an one off but I don’t really feel comfortable going back :(

Good place to swim and nice people. I booked both cold water and 10 block bookings and asked to cancel them due to change of circumstances. The PTP team were very patient and helpful,I got my full refunds timely. Thank you 👍🤗

Great fresh water swimming lake in South East London. The lake has 2 circuits a 350m and 500m loop and is mainly used for swimming and paddle boarding (though the 2 activities are kept separate from each other). Changing is done out in the open, and amongst the ducks and geese! Safety floats are provided. Booking online is essential be careful when busy to arrive promptly at the start of your session as the number of swimmers in the lake can be tightly controlled. Excellent value for money.

Shame we only got one hour to swim. Really well organised and bliss on a hot summers day to go for a dip. The inflatable life preservers double up perfectly as a floating device for just floating around.

Lovely little lake which was nice and warm when I visited (water temp 22c). You have to wear this pink floaty so the lifeguards can see you lol Make sure you pre-book a one hour slot in advance (£5.50 for adults). A couple of portaloos would be a welcome addition for customers 🙏

Went on Tuesday when it's closed - people hop over the fence to get in anyway. Lovely place, will be great when the temporary metal fences are down. Barbecue area with 3 brick barbecues next to it. I'll be back!

The lake just been finished and open end of July. As far as I know it's closed temporally because of public saftey concerns. More features will be added. The lake are in a nice area, close to the also newly opened and also considered not so safe playground. Kids don't complain though.

Good points: reasonable price, plenty of room, wildlife which doesn't seem bothered by swimmers. Not so good: complete absence of changing and showering facilities; lake surrounded by ugly 'temporary' fencing - why wasn't this dealt with at the design stage? Also note that the lake is now pretty cold, many users have wetsuits, which would be necessary to do more than a couple of circuits unless you're really used to it.

Fantastic facility in the middle of the city. Well done Lewisham council. The water was beautiful to swim in. The management probably needs a bit of work but I don't know what planet you're on if you think you can come to something like this in London and expect not to queue (or arrive in the afternoon and expect entry at all). Staff were professional and informative. But there's no pleasing some people.

Beautiful lake, friendly sociable staff. Safe place to leave bike as completely fenced off with just one way in and out which is staffed. Been twice in four days... will be my go to swimming venue.

Security at a lake, total waste of time

Bad idea and dangerous

Quite cold but very fun

It was so lovely. Swimming with ducks. Not overly full. Why did the hour go so fast? Just over a fiver (so a couple of coffee's money) for a wonderful experience was so worth it.

Nice

Wonderful place to swim, I did suffer from ‘swimmers itch’ quite severely after so the only point to improve might be a freshwater shower, otherwise, absolutely glorious!

Great location. My son enjoyed it.

Great place and atmosphere in a great park.

Cold but refreshing. Cold water swimming is supposed to release a lot of feel good hormones & certainly got everyone chatting. Had a ‘Cold water swimming induction’, so repeated into my head the sensible advice of ‘listen to your body’. Plus some sharing of open water swimming tips.

My son has had two birthday celebrations on the lake paddle boarding. Both great. Brilliant instructors and a super fun and healthy activity. Recommended. 🙌

The park itself is wonderful. Massive open spaces, proper woodland you can get lost in. But this lake is a massive white elephant. It's completely fenced off so you can't get anywhere near it. If no one had mentioned swimming it wouldn't be considered by anyone but morons. The lakes at kelsey Park and Crystal palace aren't fenced off and you don't get anyone thinking, brilliant I can take a dip. This inaccesible body of water is a blight on the park

Their water is deliciously wet and paddle boarding was brilliant.

I swim at the Beckenham lake regularly. It’s really well run. I would also recommend the paddle boarding especially for kids in the summer.

Great park and swimming area! Make sure you book in advance

Went to BPP lake today for paddle boarding with the family. Great morning out. The team couldn’t have been more helpful and welcoming. We will definitely be back regularly through the summer

I have previously swam here in the winter months and early autumn with a wetsuit in which I have thouroughly enjoyed the experience. The most recent swim which I swam in trunks was for a 50min duration. At the time I swam I noticed something biting me but continued on. I did not shower until I got home but by that stage I was really quite itchy over my entire body and limbs. The next day I came out with a load of bite marks similar to mosquito bites on my arms legs,torso, head and ears. These bites lasted over 7 days. Ptp warns you of swimmers itch on their website. I cannot fault the location, or staff for the service they provide. However this swim on this particular day was ruined by the after effects of the parasite which was present in the water. I will probably stick to swimming here in the cooler months when I can wear a wetsuit.

Place it's nice but unfortunately it cost over £6 for an hour lake access which I feel it is way overprice. This should be more accessible and flexible to everyone. I read this park has been well founded with public money but it is still a business. Edited: Thanks for the info, now it’s feel less greedy and more community focus which it’s indeed great. Wish you luck with future of the charity lake, it will be very welcome.

I love the idea of a lake. I understand that it was built as a swimming lake. I wish some more consideration was shown to the nesting birds around the lake at this time of year. There are some obviously distressed adult birds making a lot of noise whilst the swimming sessions are being run. Can the powers that be not limit the swimming area during nesting season? It's also frustrating being a photographer but not being able to get close to the water to photograph the views and wildlife without peering through fences.

Beautiful lake for swimming, paddling and boating. But the ticketing system is a mess, causing unnecessary queueing and time wastage.

Brilliant experience for swimming. Not for children under 8 as deep.

Best park on south London

This lake was designed for swimming and is by far the most pleasant open water swimming place I've been around London. You're surrounded by trees (no building), you can see the bottom of the lake, you often swim in the company of ducks and geese. It's a real blessing!

Beautiful park. Missed out on going swimming as very popular but did get to hire a stand up paddle board 🥳

Great outdoor swimming experience.

Fantastic 'wild swimming' lake, set in a beautiful park - you'd never think you were in London! Only let down is some poor organisation which I think is down to Lewisham underestimating its popularity... suspect this will be resolved. Note they only take cards and there can be queues as they only let a fixed number in at any time - which is fair. Definitely recommended!

Very nice indeed. Friendly helpful staff. Lovely 12 degree water. Not crowded

Decent place

I wasn't daft enough to go in but watched my daughter and sister go paddle boarding. They had a great time - can recommend.

Not a lake for swimmers. Forced to wear a tow float..

I really enjoyed my swim in Beckenham Palace Park - really relaxing. It was a warm day when I went - the water was a good temperature and it was no hardship drying off in the sun.

First swim here -loved it. Sandy bottom, moorhens on lake. Lots of people around to make you feel safe and that your belongings are secure on the side. Book in advance via the PTP coaching website.

Better every time I go. So warm in the summer and a sandy bottom. What else could you ask for?

Great experience despite the weather. Helpful and friendly staff. Thank you for my freebies 💜 Benji owner

Great Service! Friendly staff, really enjoyable swim.

Glorious! Quiet, tranquil swim in beautiful nature. Lovely friendly staff and a big grassy area to hang out on before or after your swim. Easy to book, and barely anyone there when I went. There are some reviews complaining about having to wear tow floats and suffering from swimmer's itch, but both of these things are well outlined on their website, so if you do your research before you come you'll know what to expect. Only four stars because it would be nice to have somewhere a bit more secluded to change - not necessarily a changing room, but some bushes to provide a bit of obscurity from the rest of the park would be good! The metal fence is a bit of an eyesore so would be nice to see that replaced with a row of shrubs or something. But all in all a wonderful experience and I'll definitely be back!

Oh my what a wonderful experience we had. Such a fresh and clean lake and enjoyed our swim so much on one of the hottest days so far! Swam alongside a couple of baby ducks which just added to the lovely experience.

The park is brilliant but never understood why the swimming lake is fenced off. It should be available to everyone.

This pool is nice enough whilst you’re there but we’re really itchy since getting out. Plus my swimming got green stains all this over it… THE FENCE NEEDS TO GO. People want to swim in a beautiful scenic park and the fence is enough to put me off going ever again. There’s enough security that if they simply spread out rather than having 5 of them standing around the entrance they could make sure non paying people aren’t getting in.

Good range and staff that are passionate, knowledgable and take the time to help you. Also a nice place for a quick (decent) drink.

Really horrible mess that they baracade you out and charge you £6 to access the lake.

Amaizng! Very well organised and the water is beautiful

Really fun open air swimming for £6

Lovely lake. Wish it was closer to where I live

Great afternoon swimming in the lake.

Nice spacious place

Enjoyed swimming in the pond and seeing the young water fowl. The temperature is pleasant at the height of summer, but would be too cold for me any other time of year.

Life guards do not look at people i was drowning the other day and no one came to help but after my mate got me out they stood where we was.

It's easy to book on the website, on the day is usually fine. It's so amazing to swim in the beautiful lake with the ducks - calming and therapeutic. The staff are nice and friendly. It's good having a float for visibility and also for if you get tired. We are lucky to have this gem of a lake in south London.