Feral and free at Fritton Lake

Every swimmer loves a hotel with a pool, but Fritton Lake offers so much more for open water enthusiasts, Ella Foote discovers more

Shortly after arriving at Fritton Lake on the Norfolk-Suffolk border in East Anglia I discovered it was possible to swim between the counties by simply swimming across the width of the lake – an appealing goal for a weekend waterside.

Fritton Lake is a private members club and holiday resort that is popular with those who love the outdoors with a dose of comfort. The estate is home to a 1,000- acre rewilding project which puts nature at the forefront of everything the team does, including protecting and restoring the land and reconnecting people to wildlife. You can stay in a range of accommodation, which includes boutique style hotel rooms at the Clubhouse, stylish cabins in the woods or a self-catered cottage all within walking distance to the estate facilities.

As well as many leisure highlights on offer at Fritton, you are also a short distance from the coast for further swimming opportunities and adventures. However, there isn’t much need to leave the estate at all with an outdoor heated swimming pool, floating sauna, bio-gym, swimming lake and various other outdoor activities. We stayed in one of the farm cottages, which offered self-catering style accommodation. Perched on the edge of the land, it gave us a peep at the lake and an abundance of wildlife on our doorstep.

Our long weekend started with a swim in the heated pool, which washed away our car journey and anchored us into the pace of life at Fritton. We cooked in our cottage and had everything we needed to make a family meal before snuggling into super-comfy beds ready for a few days of activity and adventure.

If you are a morning person and like to rise with the birds, this is the place to do it. Birdsong fills the air each day and we witnessed barn owls hunting in the grassland outside our bedroom windows in the mornings. The lake is open in daylight hours for casual plunges or longer swims. You can join group lifeguarded and coached sessions if you want some extra support or advice. Swimming Coach Nicola Butler hosts swimming sessions in the lake, pool and in the sea in nearby Lowestoft, offering both group and 1-2-1 guidance if you want to polish up your skills while on holiday. We spent much of our time switching between lake swims and the pool.

If you like to be on the water as well as in it, there are also numerous ways to spend time with paddleboards, row boats and walking routes around the lake. While you can easily spend time across the estate doing your own thing, there are also activities and excursions you can book onto, popular with families, such as shelter building, foraging and Jeep Safari. If you like your rest while away, I can recommend you book into the treatment rooms for a variety of therapies – the hot stone massage was wonderful.

We made full use of our private garden and barbecue at our farm cottage but also enjoyed breakfast, lunch and an evening meal at the clubhouse while we stayed. The food offered is locally produced either from the estate or sourced from nearby locations. The Sunday roast is popular with the locals, but we loved the breakfast and bar meals at lunch. Kids are welcomed and celebrated at Fritton with plenty on offer for them, our kid didn’t want to leave the pool and devoured multiple burgers over the weekend – it was a pleasure to see him enjoy himself in the safety of the estate.

They say, “once in Fritton, forever smitten” and they are not wrong. It is the perfect place for solo swim escapes, family fun or a place to catch up with swim pals. Book a wild swimming escape or a longer stay. If you’re local, you can become a member and make use of the facilities, including pool and swimming lake, too!

To book or for more information visit frittonlake.co.uk