• Saturday 18th July

• 06:30 - Bantham site open to participants

• 06:45 - Aveton Gifford car park open to participants

• 07:00 - Aveton Gifford shuttle service beings

• 07:00 - Run 1 of coaches from Bantham to Aveton Gifford 

• 07:00 - Event village opens at Aveton Gifford

• 07:45 - Run 2 of coaches from Bantham to Aveton Gifford

• 08:30 - Run 3 of coaches from Bantham to Aveton Gifford

• 10:00 - Swoosh Swim start

• 10:15 - Mini-Swoosh registration opens

• 11:05 - First finisher expected

• 11:45-12:00  Mini-Swoosh start

• 12:00 - Run 1 of coaches from Bantham to Aveton Gifford parking field

• 12:45 - Run 2 of coaches from Bantham to Aveton Gifford parking field

• 13:00 - Final Swoosh finisher expected

• 13:30 - Run 3 of coaches from Bantham to Aveton Gifford parking field

• 14:00 - Friday campers off site

• 14:15 - Run 4 of coaches from Bantham to Aveton Gifford parking field

• 15:00 - Saturday campers on site

• 15:00 - Event ends 

Please allow enough time to register, drop your bag and be ready to swim. The briefing is at 9:20am and swimmers will enter the water from 10:00am.

For those parking at Aveton Gifford shuttle buses to the start from the parking field will also be running from 7:00am. Alternatively it is a short 15 minute walk downhill to the start.

It’s a busy morning, so please give yourselves plenty of time to arrive, park, shuttle and register.

You must be 16+ to swim in the Bantham Swoosh

Click here for the event map

Click here for traffic info for local residents

Aveton Gifford Parking
The Old Cricket Field,

For those parking in Aveton Gifford, the parking field is a short shuttle bus or 15 min walk to the start line. There are no parking passes but your name will be with a volunteer on the gate when you arrive.

If you are being dropped off by a supporter, they must drop you off at the parking field and NOT at the start.

To help keep the roads around Bantham clear, supporters are encouraged to park at the Aveton Gifford Parking Field and take a shuttle bus to Bantham Estate to meet you at the finish. There will be shuttle buses available for you all back to AG after the swim.

No parking in the village or on the roads close to the start/finish. Parking only in the dedicated parking areas at Aveton Gifford and Bantham Estate Park.

Car sharing is encouraged! Join the Swoosh Facebook group to find other swimmers who might be willing to share a ride.

Bantham Estate Parking
TQ7 3AN

The roads down to the Bantham Estate are incredibly busy and very tight. We advise all swimmers and spectators to park in Aveton Gifford and use our shuttle bus service.

Parking on Bantham Estate costs £12 for the day.

Coaches

• these are included in all swimmers tickets

• spectators need to purchase, ideally online but can be bought on day

• coach timings are found in the timings section. Please stick to your pre-booked coach time. It is a fairly long round trip for them to get to Aveton Gifford, drop of swimmers and get back to Bantham for the next run. We appreciate your patience.

Swimmers Parking in Bantham
Bantham car parking covers you for the whole day.

Departing vehicles: follow the diversion signs via Buckland to the A381, and NOT exit up the Bantham Beach Road to Bantham Cross.

Swimmers Parking in Aveton Gifford

Following the swim, four waves of coaches will transport swimmers from Bantham Estate car park to the Aveton Gifford parking field: from 12:00-14:15

If you have parked at Aveton Gifford, the parking field closes at 15:00.

Click here for the event map

Aveton Gifford Swimmer & Supporter Parking Field

The Old Cricket Field

The Swim Start

Timbers Car Park in Aveton Gifford, TQ7 4LQ

The Swim Finish

Bantham Estate, TQ7 3AN

Traffic Management & Road Closures

Be aware that many of the roads around Bantham will have traffic management running on them. Take a look at the map provided so you know how to navigate the area.

Swimmers Parking on Bantham Estate

The traffic to Bantham on a summer’s weekend is very heavy with regular, long tailbacks. Please avoid parking in Bantham and choose to park in Aveton Gifford if you can.

However, if you do choose to park in Bantham please follow the diversion signs to Bantham via Thurlestone and do not drive down the Bantham Beach road from Bantham Cross. See the map provided for routes available.

The roads around the event are very narrow, to help reduce the impact on the event and the environment, please do car-share where possible. The roads are winding Devon lanes with passing and single track sections so please:

● drive slowly

● pull in early

● err on the side of backing up rather than squeezing forwards

● leave plenty of space to the car in front

With these measures gridlock can be avoided. Please follow all travelling instructions, which are designed to keep traffic flowing. Just one car travelling in the wrong direction causes delays.

All you really need to swim is:

• A full-length wetsuit (“shoulder-to-ankle neoprene”)

  • See the skins swimmer section below for information on swimming at Bantham without a wetsuit, or anything less than a shoulder-to-ankle wetsuit.

• Goggles

• A bag of things to change into after the swim (max 4kg if you are using our baggage transport)

You may wish to bring things like, ear plugs, vaseline, neoprene gloves/socks/hoods etc. But these are optional.

Skins swimmers only: Skins swimmers MUST use tow floats.  See the skins swimmer section below for information on swimming the Swoosh without a wetsuit, or anything less than a full-length wetsuit.

IMPORTANT NOTE - This year, as an additional safety measure, we have introduced mandatory use of tow floats for all skins swimmers at all of our river swims. This means if your skins application is approved, you must bring a tow float and wear it for the duration of the swim. This is for your safety. If you do not wish to wear a tow float, you must swim in a wetsuit.

What is NOT allowed

• Tow floats

  • Having these as part of our swim makes it harder for our safety cover to identify you, as it doubles the the number of brightly coloured things in the water. If you have a medical reason for requiring a tow float, please email swim@levelwater.org

• Fins & hand paddles

• Headphones/music

• GoPros

• In fact any “extra” kit is not allowed at this event (watches are OK).

Arrival

Please arrive with enough time to park and board the shuttle bus if parking in Bantham. Please be ready to board the shuttle bus 15 minutes before it is due to depart. There are hundreds of people coming to the event so please come for the early buses. If everyone comes for the last bus you may miss the swim.

Registration

Once you’ve arrived in Aveton Gifford, head to the registration tent. Our amazing volunteers will check you in and check that you have your timing chip, give you your swimming hat and write your swimmers number on your hand.

Swimmer Pack

Your swimmer pack will be given to you when you register on the day.

The pack contains:

Numbered wristband (must be worn)

Numbered baggage tag (if you wish to drop a bag)

Skins swimmer wristband (if accepted through the skins swimmer process)

Timing chip (to be worn around the ankle)

YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO ENTER THE WATER UNLESS YOU HAVE YOUR HAND NUMBER, YOUR WRISTBAND, TIMING CHIP AND YOUR SWIMMING HAT.

Baggage

You can either leave bags with your supporters or give them to us to look after. Please label with tags provided in your registration pack. We will look after all small (4kg max) bags.

You can hand in your bag in Aveton Gifford - we will bring your bag to Bantham for you.

Cakes & Refreshments

The Bantham Swoosh supports Aveton Gifford swimming pool and the pre-school. They will have a fundraising cake stand at the start, please bring some cash or your bank card if you would like to support them

Changing

Changing tents are available. Please do not change in the loos as this creates long queues and is not fair on other participants who are waiting.

Water Bottles

Please bring your own bottle for water refilling so we use fewer cups.

There are no waves or pods of swimmers depending on your speed for the Bantham Swoosh. The water entry is narrow so the start is nice, slow and safe.

Once you’re in the water, it’s up to you. Enjoy the atmosphere and don’t forget to look up every now and then and enjoy the scenery around you.

Faster swimmers try to make your way to the front of the swim.

There will be a full water safety crew on the water at all times. If you need support or you notice another swimmer needs help, please alert one of the lifeguards. A full safety briefing will be provided before the swim in Aveton Gifford.

Tow floats, fins, music, GoPros, in fact any “extra” kit are not allowed at this event.

Once on the beautiful Bantham Beach, the walk back to the event village and car park is about 500m across the sand dunes. If you have friends/family meeting you at the finish, it’s worth giving them some warm clothes for you to wear on your return. If you have additional needs or require support across the dunes, please let us know before the event swim@levelwater.org

Swimmers Parking in Bantham
Bantham car parking covers you for the whole day.

Departing vehicles: follow the diversion signs via Buckland to the A381, and NOT exit up the Bantham Beach Road to Bantham Cross.

Swimmers Parking in Aveton Gifford

Following the swim, four waves of coaches will transport swimmers from Bantham Estate car park to the Aveton Gifford parking field: from 12pm

If you have parked at Aveton Gifford, the parking field closes at 3pm.

The Bantham Swoosh takes place on one of the most beautiful stretches of rivers, and ends on one of the most beautiful beaches, in the UK. It’s a great day out for the whole family.

Supporters are more than welcome but please be aware they need to follow a few rules to help make the day run smoothly for everyone.

Parking

We would love it if supporters parked in the Aveton Gifford parking field. There are shuttle buses available to take them to the start line, to Bantham Estate to meet you at the finish, and back to Aveton Gifford with you after the swim.

This eases congestion on the roads around Bantham and helps to keep the day running smoothly.

The Walk

We’ve introduced an amazing guided walk from Aveton Gifford to Bantham for supporters. See the next section.

Swimmer Drop Off

If a supporter is dropping you off at the start, they must do this at the parking field and NOT at the swim start in Timbers car park. This will not be allowed. Attempting to do so causes huge delays on the roads and puts people in danger.

Ideally supporters would then park in the Aveton Gifford parking field and take a shuttle bus to Bantham. However, if they would like to drive to Bantham Estate to meet you they can pay on arrival.

The Bantham Swoosh is set in an incredibly beautiful part of the UK. Which is why we’ve added in a guided walk for supporters who are dropping you off in Aveton Gifford. The walk sets off around TBC, to ensure spectators reach Bantham to meet their swimmers finish.

The walk will be led by the local ramblers so you won’t get lost on the way.

It’s about 3.5 miles and should take around an hour and a half.

We will run shuttle buses for swimmers and spectators back to Aveton Gifford after the swim.

It’s steep in places with uneven surfaces throughout, so please come prepared with the correct footwear.

It’s not suitable for wheelchairs or prams.

Dogs are allowed but please keep them on the lead at all times.

If you have booked camping, you may arrive between 3pm-7pm on Friday. You must have your tent packed down and be out of the camping field by 2pm Saturday (to make room for our Saturday campers). You’re welcome to stay at Bantham beach for as long as you like once you are packed down.

Camping at Bantham Swoosh & Boomerang offers a tranquil camping experience on the Bantham Estate, near Bantham Beach in South Devon.

Enjoy a peaceful escape surrounded by rolling fields, salty sea air, and breathtaking views. With wide open spaces, it’s camping as it should be – quiet, wild, and refreshingly real.

Pitch up the day before and be swim-ready on event morning with the stress of driving or travel and even have a lie-in!

The world-class, sandy Bantham Beach is just a stroll over the hill.

Please note: dogs are allowed at the event village but not overnight in the campsite.

There are also other local options such as Higher Aunemouth Campsite, North Upton Campsite, South Devon Camping Lower Terawhiti Farm and Didwell Farm Campsite.

We will do everything we can to support swimmers with additional needs.

Access to and from the water’s edge is difficult. The closest a vehicle can reach the start line is around 50m, so a method of crossing this distance of tarmac and gravel is required.

The finish is on a sandy beach and there is a 500m journey over steep soft sand, steep narrow concrete steps and grass from the finish line back to the finish village. An alternative exit point 5.5km through the 6km swim is possible, but unfortunately this is before the best of the Swoosh itself.

If you require adjustments (e.g. access for vehicle pick-up/drop-off at start and finish villages, or putting a wheelchair into the baggage van for you) then please ensure you record this in the “access” box of your registration form. If you could email swim@levelwater.org highlighting this, to ensure your specific needs are met, that would be helpful.

If you'd need more complex adjustments (eg assistance from a helper whilst you're in the water, exiting at the early exit point or any kind of mechanised / wheelchair access to and from the water), please email swim@levelwater.org and we will contact you to figure it out.

If you have any concerns whatsoever about your medical fitness to participate, that you consult with your GP before taking part in the swim.

If you or any of your spectators have had diarrhoea/vomiting within 48 hours before the event, please do not attend. If you become unwell during the event, please let one of the team on site know and kindly head home from the event. (As long as it is safe to do so).

• Please bring personal medication if required (eg inhalers, epipens etc).

• It is important that you are aware of the symptoms of water-borne illnesses and do your best to look after yourself and reduce your risk of getting ill. Here’s an interesting article on the topic.

• If you’ve been diagnosed with a heart condition since buying your ticket, we kindly ask you to please not swim - this is for your own safety.

Skins Swimmers

Skins swimming means anything less than a shoulder-to-ankle wetsuit. So if you'd like to swim in a shortie wetsuit, neoprene 2 piece or no wetsuit at all; please click HERE and fill out the skin swimmer form by 30 April 2026.

Confirmed skins swimmers must wear a tow float and their skins wristband at all times. We recommend bringing a wetsuit as well, just in case.

Mini-swoosh is the children’s event which is a 1km swim in the main ‘swoosh’ part of the river. It will start when 75% of adult swooshers are out of the water.

Registration will be open at 10:15am and close at 11am. The briefing will be on the slip way (10 min walk from registration)

The mini-swoosh will begin at roughly 11:45am.

Children are required to wear a “wrist to ankle” or "shorty" wetsuit. Adults may wear any wetsuit or swim skins.

Each child must be accompanied by an adult with a 1:1 ratio unless otherwise approved. Please contact swim@levelwater.org if you or your child have any accessibility needs.

Swim Safety at the event

We take our swim safety very seriously, and will have the following measures and support in place to give you peace of mind when taking part:

• There will be a main briefing at the start for all swimmers about 40 minutes before entering the water

• 20 minutes prior to the main briefing there will be a briefing for swimmers with disabilities or swimmers who require extra help

• There are paramedics on hand at all times and qualified lifeguards with medical training

• Our Water Safety Team will be on the water and in sight throughout the event including staff on paddleboards, boats and jet skis. They are local and have years of experience on this river.

• If you require assistance, our lifeguards are all first aid trained, qualified and experienced.  They can help you take a rest, give you a little encouragement, jump you forward a bit, or bring you to the finish for medical assistance.  

• A warm up tent is available if you need it.

Please note that training is required to take part in both events, and it is important to practice swimming outdoors in varied conditions to prepare.  A good level of swimming is necessary to complete the swims, but you don’t need to be an olympic swimmer to take part!

The water at Bantham Beach consistently tests excellent year on year, so you can feel reassured that you are swimming in beautiful water at the Swoosh.

The water is so clear in fact, you can even see crabs scuttling along the sandy sea bed.

Entry types

Charity Place

A charity place comes at a reduced fee (£70 instead of £120) and with a fundraising target of £250. All the money you raise goes towards 1-1 swimming lessons for children with disabilities across the UK.

General Entry

General Entry is £120 and gets you access into the Bantham Swoosh.

Volunteer & Swim

These tickets are very limited and give you reduced entry into the swim (£70 instead of £120) and you agree to volunteer the day you are not swimming. You’ll also receive priority entry for the 2027 Bantham Swoosh.

If you do not volunteer, the charity will ask you to pay the additional amount of £50.

What’s included with your ticket?

The swim! Your entrance fee covers the costs of putting on a complex event like this, including swim safety cover, medical cover, timing/safety chips, baggage transfer, coach transfers and an event swim hat and gift.

Can I get a refund?

After the initial 14 day cooling off period we don’t offer refunds on tickets. If you cannot swim then you can transfer your ticket to someone else.

We have an adverse weather cancellation insurance policy. If this is triggered and pays out to us, we will be able to refund an equivalent proportion of your ticket price. The details of this policy are below.

Cancellation by us

Level Water works hard to deliver events that are as safe as possible. The safety of our participants and staff is always our priority. There are inherent risks and challenges of swimming in the sea, river or lakes, which can lead to situations where event cancellation, rescheduling or reformatting is required.

We may have to cancel an event if circumstances beyond our reasonable control arise, including, without limitation, war, civil or political unrest, terrorism, adverse weather or poor water quality.

We are not insured for all event cancellation eventualities.

If circumstances beyond our control require us to cancel the event, then Level Water has no responsibility for any costs you have incurred and unfortunately won’t be able to issue a refund on your ticket purchase unless it is weather related.

Cancellation insurance for adverse weather.

Level Water holds adverse weather event cancellation insurance for our 2026 events.

If we cancel the event due to adverse weather, we will file an insurance claim. If this is successful, the insurance payment will be used to issue refunds or partial refunds.

Whilst we’ve taken care to ensure that the policy includes relevant details, as with all insurance policies, the final discretion is with the insurer and therefore cannot be guaranteed.

The details of our insurance policy state that;

• The event can proceed in continuous moderate rainfall

• The event can proceed in wind speeds up to 20mph

• The event cannot go ahead in continuous heavy rainfall

• The event cannot go ahead in wind speeds over 20mph.

The policy excludes cover for cancellation, abandonment, disruption or rescheduling of the event directly or indirectly resulting out of, contributed to by, or in connection with fog, mist, low cloud or restricted visibility.

The policy covers extreme weather conditions which:

a) occur on the day(s) of the event and which are deemed by you or the event organiser on the day of the event to pose a serious threat to the safety of those attending the event;

and/or b) occur during the policy period and which result in conditions which the local authority consider to pose a serious threat to the safety of those attending the event;

and/or c) occur during the policy period and which prevent You or the event organiser from undertaking the necessary set up to enable the event to proceed due to: (i) concern for the safety of those responsible for the necessary set up, or (ii) reasons of physical impossibility

We have a process in place with Event Water Safety Limited to ensure that we monitor the weather meticulously in the run up to the event. Level Water will take the decision, based on advice from Event Water Safety Limited as to whether or not the swim is safe to go ahead.

We will communicate with you at the earliest possible opportunity if there is a risk of cancellation.