A SCOTTISH beauty spot has been crowned the best place in the UK to go wild swimming.
It comes as much of the UK prepares for a heat wave over the weekend, with temperatures forecast to hit upwards of 26C in parts of Scotland.
The new analysis, from Betway Casino, analysed more than 40 of the UK's most popular wild swimming destinations, ranking each on metrics including search volume, Google ratings and reviews, and social media presence across Instagram and TikTok.
Loch Lomond has emerged victorious as the UK's most popular wild swimming spot, with more than 693,358 posts on social media.
The "iconic" freshwater loch, located in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, was praised for its "scenic shoreline, mountain backdrop and easy access from Glasgow", cementing it as a "go-to destination for wild swimmers across the country".
Also making it on the list was Portobello Beach in Edinburgh, which had a combined 58,569 posts across Instagram and TikTok.
See the full list below.
What are the 10 best wild swimming spots in the UK?
- Loch Lomond (Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, Scotland): 693,358 combined social media posts
- Ullswater (Lake District, England): 224,171
- Derwentwater (Lake District, England): 198,197
- Lake Windemere (Lake District, England): 171,880
- River Dart (Dartmoor National Park, England): 69,042
- Portobello Beach (Edinburgh, Scotland): 58,569
- Coniston Water (Lake District, England): 42,410
- New Brighton Beach - East (Merseyside, England): 40,099
- Cuckmere Haven (Sussex, England): 35,947
- Llyn Padarn (Snowdonia, Wales): 30,277
Betway Casino also compiled a list of the most underrated wild swimming spots in the UK, with Scottish places taking up four of the 10 top spots.
Horgabost, in the Isle of Harris, was crowned Scotland's most underrated wild swimming spot, and the UK's second most underrated spot, with a 2294 combined social media posts, a five-star Google rating and 260 monthly searches.
Meanwhile, Little Shore in Northumberland, in England, was crowned the UK's most underrated wild swimming spot.
See the full list below, with the Scottish spots highlighted in bold.
The 10 most underrated wild swimming spots in the UK
- Little Shore, Northumberland, England
- Horgabost, Isle of Harris, Scotland
- Black Moss Pot, Lake District, England
- Llanddwyn Island, Anglesey, Wales
- Dancing Ledge, Dorset, England
- Ravensheugh Sands, East Lothian, Scotland
- River Fowey, Cornwall, England
- Cellardyke Tidal Pool, Fife, Scotland
- Bude Sea Pool, Cornwall, England
- Loch an Ellein, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland
