Waveney River Centre Hosts New 12km Wild River Swim
By Sophie Green - 5 December 2025
Sophie Green is the Marketing Manager at Tingdene Holiday Parks. Having grown up on the Norfolk coast and now living near Norwich, she combines local knowledge with over a decade of industry experience to share trusted travel insights and holiday home inspiration across the UK. A frequent visitor to Tingdene’s holiday parks in Norfolk, Suffolk, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and Essex, Sophie is passionate about promoting the natural beauty, local heritage, and relaxed holiday lifestyle across the UK.
Waveney River Centre was the official starting point for a major new event making waves in the Norfolk and Suffolk outdoor swimming scene – the BLUE Waveney Swim on Sunday 29th June 2025.
Organised by Beccles Lido and its new events company, BLUE Events, this exciting new annual challenge invites open-water enthusiasts to take on a 12km wild river swim from Burgh St Peter to Beccles, along the scenic and tranquil waters of the River Waveney.
A Unique Wild Swim Experience
Starting from our very own ramp access point at Waveney River Centre, the route flows with the help of a spring tide through the stunning Waveney Valley, with scheduled food stops at Aldeby and North Cove, before finishing under Beccles’ iconic iron bridge at Beccles Lido.
“We are always looking to improve and better our facilities at Beccles Lido, and to do so we need to raise funds.
We’ve had a great group of cold-water swimmers over the last three winters, and we’ve been inspired by their stories of sea swimming and distance swimming, including many channel and Lake District swimmers.
So, we wanted to create an event here that would appeal to and attract these people to the area, and hopefully encourage more to enjoy the wonders of open water swimming.
We’d like to thank Tingdene for allowing us to use the site and access ramp.”
— Matt Day, Managing Director of Beccles Lido
Open to All – Not Just the Elite
The event is not just for seasoned athletes—anyone over 16 with a love for open-water swimming is encouraged to take part. The route benefits from a tidal push, which makes the distance more manageable, and there’s even a three-part relay option for swimmers who want to share the challenge.
Event Details
- Date: Sunday 29 June 2025
- Start Location: Waveney River Centre, Burgh St Peter
- Finish Location: Beccles Lido
- Distance: 12km (relay option: 4.8km / 3.3km / 3.9km)
- Entry: £100 individual / £160 per relay team
- Age Requirement: 16+
- Mandatory Equipment: Tow float
Swimmers, who will each receive a goodie bag, will register at Beccles Lido in the morning, before being transported to Waveney River Centre by Grebe Coaches for the staggered start, which is expected to begin around 10:30am (subject to tidal conditions).
Supporting Outdoor Adventure on the Broads
We’re thrilled to support this event, which showcases the natural beauty of the River Waveney and encourages even more people to experience the Broads in a unique and active way. Tingdene Group is proud to provide access to our marina and launch facilities to help make the event possible.
We hope this is just the beginning of many more wild swims to come – and we’ll be cheering on every swimmer as they set off from our slipway!
? Ready to take the plunge?
Register now at: www.entrycentral.com/BLUE-Waveney-Swim
Fancy a Swim in a Swimming Pool?
If you’re not a seasoned open water swimmer and prefer the confines of an indoor pool, why not try our heated swimming pool on-site at Waveney River Centre?
