Sporting Activities

It is our aim to show you how beneficial it is to spend more time outdoor and engage in physical activities. On this page you will find a few of many sporting activities that are available along the Basingstoke Canal.

Suggested Sporting Activities

Swimming

Whilst a bit of wild swimming in the canal might sound like a good idea, it’s really not! Firstly it is forbidden under the canal’s bylaws, and the water in rivers and canals may harbour all sorts of nasty bacteria which, while natural can easily cause illness.

Added to that, jumping in can cause injury from unseen obstacles, or entanglement in reeds and underwater foliage. For safety advice and information, click here.

Every year over four hundred people in the UK & Ireland are lost to accidental drowning. Click here to read about Drowning Prevention Week (18-25th June 2022) on the Royal Life Saving Society website.

There are several places to wild swim in Surrey and Hampshire. To start, contact the Outdoor Swimming Society by clicking here or search on social media.

For something a bit more sedate, there are plenty of swimming pools in towns near to the canal.