Peak District Natural Swimming Pool and Garden

Set amongst open grazing fields in the beautiful Peak District countryside, this natural swimming pool and garden was designed to feel completely at home within its rural surroundings.

Our clients are an eco-conscious, fun-loving family who wanted to transform their garden into a place they could escape to every day. Their brief combined three important elements: a chemical-free swimming pool for exercise and family fun, a garden that would increase biodiversity, and a practical, low-maintenance design that could fit comfortably around busy family life.

A natural pool designed for family life

At the heart of the garden is a generous natural swimming pool, designed with different areas for swimming, playing and relaxing. A dedicated deep end provides plenty of opportunity for diving and jumping from the jetty, while a shallower recreational area creates a relaxed space for younger swimmers, paddling and simply enjoying the water.

A gently shelving gravel beach offers an easy, natural entrance into the pool. Its shallow water warms quickly in the sunshine, helping with natural thermal gain, while grasses, water mint and aquatic planting soften the water's edge and create valuable habitat for insects, birds and other wildlife.

The pool water remains beautifully clear without the use of chlorine or salt. A Biotop biological filtration system works alongside the planted regeneration zone, where aquatic plants contribute to the natural filtration process. The system is highly energy-efficient, creating a sustainable alternative to a conventional swimming pool.

Contemporary design within a natural landscape

One of the pool's defining features is its oval Brimstone Ash sun deck, creating a striking contemporary contrast to the loose, naturalistic planting surrounding it. The thermally modified timber is produced from British ash sourced as a by-product of ash dieback management, making it a particularly appropriate choice for this environmentally conscious garden.

Beneath the deck, the pool's biological filtration equipment is cleverly concealed, with discreet access hatches incorporated for straightforward servicing. Creating the sweeping oval shape required intricate carpentry and precise setting out, but the finished deck provides a beautiful place to sit, sunbathe and enjoy long views across the water and surrounding Peak District landscape.

The reinforced internal pool walls also make ongoing maintenance remarkably simple, allowing an automatic pool robot to clean the floor and walls while retaining the appearance and ecological benefits of a natural swimming pool.