Out on the Trail: Manvers Waterfront Boat Club Open Day

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of attending the Manvers Waterfront Club Open Day, located just 400 meters off the Trans Pennine Trail in Rotherham, to try out the free outdoor swimming session with my wild swimming buddy, Rich, and his son, Harley.  My wife, Sarah and our two border terriers also joined us to explore the footpaths around the lake that join onto the TPT.

Manvers Lake was created in the 1990s as part of the restoration works following the closure of the Wath Main & Manvers Main colliery complex and railway marshalling yard. The colliery complex closed on 25th March 1988, and the site remained derelict until the mid-1990s when Rotherham Council initiated an ambitious regeneration programme.

The area was cleared of contamination, landscaped, and given a new lease of life with the development of business parks, a nature reserve, and the creation of Manvers Lake. It is also located next to the Waterfront Golf Course.

Manvers Waterfront Boat Club was formed in 2009 and has the use of a purpose-built boathouse, which is owned and operated by Manvers Lake & Dearne Valley Trust Ltd, a charitable company formed in 2011 to look after the lake and surrounding area.

A warm welcome from Liam

We arrived on a hot Saturday morning to be greeted by a very friendly Liam who explained the swimming facilities offered by the club and how the open day would work. We all booked on the swimming while Rich and Harley also booked paddleboarding, one of three other activities on offer during the day.

After registering, we headed back to the car to get changed for our swim session at 11:30. There were about 10-12 other swimmers, along with Manvers members and lifeguards in canoes. We were issued with swim caps and tow floats before walking round the lake to the swimming area where we received a final briefing before entering the water.

Final briefing before entering the water

With a water temperature of 20.7 degrees, walking into the lake felt like walking into a tepid warm bath compared to the much colder temperatures we have become used to in our other outdoor swims.

Manvers members John, Lynne and Phill were all enthusiastic in telling us about how the Lake and club came about and how membership works.

Chatting to Lynne in the water Credit: Rich McManus

They also explained how outdoor swimming benefits them, from a full-body workout that improves heart health, to improved mental wellbeing from getting out into the calmness of nature and the release of endorphins from the cold water, and better sleep and a boost to the immune system.

After about 30 minutes in the water, we made our way out and back to the clubhouse. Rich and Harley joined the queue to try paddleboarding while

Credit: Phill Whitlam

Sarah and I enjoyed a fully loaded sausage & bacon butty and a cheese & ham toastie from the busy club café before exploring the footpath around the lake that combines with the Trans Pennine Trail to provide a 5km circular route.

As well as swimming, the club offers canoeing, windsurfing, dragon boat racing running, triathlon, photography, angling and a model boat club that used the opportunity to showcase some of their wonderful boats.

Model Boat Club

The open day was well attended and organised, with a little bit of queuing which was understandable given the volume of visitors on a hot summer’s day.

Annual membership is £90 (individual) and £140 (family) which gives free access to all the activities.

And the good news to the outdoor swimmers reading this, the club offers safe and supported swimming all year round, just don’t expect it to be 20.7 degrees every day!!

A big thank you to John, Lynne, Phill, Liam and other members of Manvers Waterfront Boat Club for a great day and for making us feel so welcome.

Robert
Date: 4th July, 2025