Caroline’s at St Aidans
The starting point for many Leeds swimmers, Caroline’s is beautiful, dependable, accessible and very popular.
This site is provided for information. People do swim at this spot, but this website in no way should be taken as proof that it is ‘safe’ to swim here. You must always make your own risk assessment, based on your own level of swimming competence and the conditions. Swim at your own risk. Always err on the side of caution, particularly if you are new to open water swimming. Educate yourself about the risks.
About
St Aidan’s is on the site of an open cast mine, owned by Leeds City Council and managed by the RSPB. It’s bordered by the river Aire and acts as part of the flood defences for the area. ‘Caroline’s’ lake is home to coots, swans, sand martins, geese and grebes as well as increasing amounts of fish. The rest of the site has an impressive range of birdlife, including bitterns, bearded tits, marsh tits, little owls and others I can’t remember. Standing guard over the site is ‘Oddball’ - a walking dragline excavator that has been restored and can be visited a few days each year.
’Caroline’s’ is the FLOWS’ nickname for Bower’s Lake at St Aidan’s. As it is a lake, it’s not subject to the unpredictable currents of rivers. It has good parking and is relatively easy to get in and out of - all of these factors means it is one of the most popular open water swimming spots. This can means it gets very busy, particularly on sunny days. Recently this has meant that the access point gets very muddy. But please stick to using this point to access the water, to avoid disturbing the birdlife more than is necessary.
Why do we call Bower’s Lake Caroline’s? It’s named after the wonderful Caroline, a local who helped to make sure that the lake was available for swimming as originally promised by the council after the mining stopped. She’s also very knowledgeable about the wildlife on the site. And Caroline once noticed I was getting hypothermic after a swim and looked after me. Thanks Caroline! You’re the best.
Need to know
In 2021 the RSPB decided that swimming is no longer allowed at St Aidans, and put up signs to that effect. However they then reversed that decision in October 2022 - well sort of. They have said ‘subject to some improvement to the current setup it will be possible to allow outdoor swimming at St Aidan’s’. Those improvements have not taken place yet, and the signs telling people not to swim remain, but swimming continues on a regular basis.
The on-site staff also continue to be lovely and friendly. So to maintain this delicate relationship it is vital that swimmers treat the site and its inhabitants with respect.
only swim in Bowers lake (the lake closest to the car park and ‘Oddball’).
use one area to get in and out of the water - to avoid eroding the bank in other areas. This is shown on the map - from the car park, walk down the left side of the lake, past the wall and the bench, and then down the slope to the gap in the trees and rushes.
avoid swimming near to the sand martin wall.
leave the birdlife alone, particularly when there are chicks, no matter how cute they are.
only go near to the bank at the entry point, don’t swim too near to the edge so you give any nesting birds space.
no inflatables or stand up paddle boarding.
and like anywhere else - take your litter home with you.
Parking is available for £4.50 (or free for RSPB members). The gates close automatically out of hours, but the site remains open. There are now double yellow lines along Astley Lane which means that if you are visiting out of hours, or you don’t want to pay the car park fee you will need to park a little further away - there is a layby on Wood Lane. For info - it is not permitted to park either side of double yellow lines (so if you park on the verge you may still be ticketed).
I urge you to support the RSPB and their recent decision to allow swimming again by paying the car park fee, or by joining the organisation.
There are toilets and takeaway food available - but check the RSPB site for up to date info.
Blue-green algae occurs periodically at St Aidan’s. You can read more about it here. It tends to occur in hot weather, but there was a persistent bloom during the winter of 2020-21. As always - swim at your own risk.
Getting there
The postcode for St Aidan’s is LS26 8AL. But beware this may not take you to where you need to go.
From the car park, exit by the gate the opposite end from the visitor centre, and follow the path down towards the lake, this takes you along the eastern side (left side as you are looking from the car park). Walk past the sand martin wall, and after the bench, go down the slope to the entry spot. You’ll probably be able to spot this as it’s pretty muddy! But please don’t use any other place to get into the water. Let’s respect the wishes of the RSPB.
I recommend using the what3words app to help find exact spots. Selecting the links below will take you directly to a 3 metre square location.
Car Park - https://w3w.co/indicates.pixies.locator
Entry to water - https://w3w.co/zinc.bells.windmill
Red line is the sand martin wall - please steer clear.