Open water swimming · Kent & Sussex
Access all water.
Lakes that ask nothing of you but your safety — and high-end technical coaching, in pool and open water, for everyone who wants to go further.
Who we are
The lake asks nothing of you.
Then we take you further.
TriSwim began in 2015 at a single lake in Kent — one coach, a handful of swimmers and a simple belief: open water should be for everyone, not just the people who already feel confident in it.
The lake is still where we start, and it asks nothing of you. No pace expectations, no lane etiquette, no boundaries — a briefing, a lifeguard, and people who will swim beside you however far you go. Come as you are.
But TriSwim was never only about the lake. We're a teaching and coaching organisation: pool teaching and strictly 1:1 coaching in our own private indoor pool at Sevenoaks Weald, squad swimming, specialist programmes and race preparation in open water. Our founder and head coach Laura Ansell has taught and coached for more than 18 years — from complete beginners and aquaphobic swimmers right through to Olympians, channel swimmers and full-distance world champion triathletes — and she exists to support the people who do want to develop: confidence, security, technique, speed, endurance and race skills.
And it reaches beyond the water. TriSwim Retreats, Laura's sister business, takes the same coaches and the same safety standards to lakes, bays and coastlines elsewhere — holidays blending culture, cuisine, adventure and of course swimming. People come for the water and stay for the people.
Here, water is connection. It's confidence. It's community.
Our reason for existing: nobody should learn to swim — or return to the water — feeling alone, rushed or unsafe. And nobody who wants to go faster, further or into their first race should have to work out how.
Book a swim
Live availability at Haysden, Penshurst & Chipstead.
See sessions →Join as a member
From £5.99/month — cheaper swims, plans and wellbeing content.
Compare plans →Book coaching
1:1 technique, video stroke analysis and coached group sets.
View coaching →Courses & events
Coached courses, swim clinics and swim escapes.
See what's on →New here?
Swimming with us in three steps.
Pick your path
Lifeguarded lake swims, pool teaching and 1:1 coaching at our Weald pool, squad sessions, specialist programmes, or a swim retreat with TriSwim Retreats.
Book your session
Reserve your lake slot, coaching hour, clinic place or retreat through our live timetable and membership portal.
Show up and progress
Expert guidance, tailored feedback and a welcoming community — wherever you are on your swimming journey.
What we provide
Eight ways to
swim with us.
Wherever you start, the coaches, lifeguards and lake managers you'll see on the bank are the same people.
Open water swims
Lifeguarded lake sessions at Haysden, Penshurst Place and Chipstead, with marked loops from 400m to 1.5km. Book as a member or pay as you go — no membership needed.
Book a swim →Pool teaching & 1:1 coaching
Strictly one-to-one teaching in our own private indoor pool at Sevenoaks Weald, or on the lake. Swim Smooth–inspired and built around your stroke type, not a drill sheet.
View coaching →Squad swimming
Set-based squad training in the pool and on the lake, with coaching on deck — for swimmers who want to train consistently, at their level, alongside others doing the same.
Ask about squads →Specialist swimming
Programmes built around one goal: getting back into the water after a long time out, channel and long-distance preparation, or race skills for your first triathlon or open water event.
Tell us your goal →Video stroke analysis
Above and below-water filming, reviewed side by side against model technique, with a written development plan so you know exactly what to work on.
Book an analysis →Memberships & the app
From £5.99 a month: cheaper swims, unlimited options, swim plans, a nutrition plan with 100s of recipe cards, yoga and PT workouts, meditations and partner discounts.
Compare plans →Courses & clinics
Coached courses and swim clinics in the pool and on the lake, with new places released to the live timetable as they open.
See what's on →Retreats & swim escapes
Holidays that blend culture, cuisine and adventure with swimming in the places we go — the retreats Laura runs with her sister business TriSwim Retreats, with the same coaches and safety standards.
Explore retreats →Why swim with us
Reasons people join once and stay for years.
We're not the only place to swim in Kent. These are the things that make it different.
Safety is the starting point
Every session is lifeguarded from the shore and the water, with a full briefing before you get in and marked loops so you always know where you are. Our standards are shaped by Laura's work as an Open Water Safety Officer for Sport England.
Swim as you are — no expectations
Nervous beginners start in shallow, shoulder-depth water with a coach beside them while triathletes lap the same loop. Nobody is out of place and nobody is rushed.
A route if you want to develop
Confidence, security, technique, speed, endurance and race skills — if you want to go further, there's a path: pool teaching, 1:1 coaching, squad sessions, video analysis and open water race work, all led by Laura.
Coaching you can verify
Swim Smooth certified coach and senior mentor educator, British Swimming Level 3, Triathlon England Level 2 and an MSc in Applied Sport Science — with 18 years behind it. You'll be told why a drill works, not just told to do it.
A community, not a lane hire
Familiar faces on the bank who know your name, your goal and your bad weeks. Members join for the swim and stay for the people.
One membership, three lakes
Haysden, Penshurst Place and Chipstead are all included — swim near home, near work, or somewhere with a better view.
More than the swim
Training plans, nutrition and recipe cards, yoga and PT workouts, audio meditations and partner discounts — all in the TriSwim app on iPhone and Android.
Pool and open water, one team
The coaches who teach you in the Weald pool are the ones who swim with you on the lake — so nothing gets lost when you move from one to the other.
Where to start
Find yourself here.
“I've never swum in a lake”
Start at Haysden — sheltered, shallow and beginner-friendly, with a coach beside you and a full safety briefing.
Book a first swim →“I'm getting back into it”
Book one session, see how it feels, then decide whether a membership works out cheaper for how often you'll come.
See memberships →“I want to swim better”
Start with video analysis. It tells us exactly where to focus, and gives you a written plan to work through.
Book an analysis →“I want to train and race”
Squad sessions, open water race work and a plan built around your event — technique, speed, endurance and race skills.
View coaching →“I want to learn to swim”
Adult teaching from complete beginners, in the pool and on the lake, at your pace and with no audience.
See what's on →“I want to swim somewhere new”
Swim retreats that blend culture, cuisine and adventure, run by Laura with TriSwim Retreats.
Explore holidays →Current water temperatures
Today at our lakes
Updated 27 August 2026
Develop your skills
Let our coaches lead the way.
Confidence, technique, speed, endurance and race skills — taught in the pool, tested in open water, with squad sessions if you want to train alongside others.
Open water swims
Lifeguarded sessions at Haysden, Penshurst or Chipstead — as far, or as slowly, as you like.
Pool teaching & 1:1 coaching
Private sessions in our own indoor pool at Sevenoaks Weald, built around your stroke.
Video stroke analysis
Above and below-water filming with expert feedback and a written plan.
Meet the team
Led by head coach
Laura Ansell.
Laura has taught and coached for more than 18 years — from nervous beginners and aquaphobic swimmers to Olympians, channel swimmers and full-distance world champion triathletes. She exists to support the people who want to develop: confidence, security, technique, speed, endurance and race skills. Around her, a team of coaches, lifeguards and lake managers who know your name.
Meet the team →Awards & accreditations
Recognised. Certified. Trusted.
From our members
"TriSwim gave me the confidence to get in the water again — and a whole community I didn't know I needed."
Have a question?
We're here
to help.
Drop us a message and we'll be in touch — whether you're stepping into open water for the first time, or chasing your first race.
Get in touch →