Swim Camp

Cassie is one of only three British swimming athletes to have ever won an Olympic medal for the 10km open water swimming marathon and is one of open water swimming’s true legends.

Her international swimming career started in 2003, when she was 16, at the European Championships in Dublin. This was followed a year later at the World Short Course Championships in Indianapolis.

Cassie made the jump into open water in 2006. In 2007 she won silver in the 10km open water swimming event at the World Championships in Melbourne, despite being stung all over by jellyfish. A year later, she again took silver at the 2008 Open Water World Championships.

Representing Great Britain at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Cassie came 8th in the 800m freestyle and won a Bronze medal in the 10km open water swimming event. She also made history as the first swimmer in the world to both final in the pool and medal in the open water event.

Since retiring from swimming, Cassie has taken up coaching, which has seen her travel all over Europe delivering coaching sessions. Alongside her coaching career, she has a growing career as a sports commentator. Cassie was the lead swimming pundit at the London Olympic Games for Sky Sports News in 2012.

“Swimming was my whole life for over 20 years. I poured every ounce of enthusiasm into it. I am so fortunate to have found these new outlets for that enthusiasm.”

Colin Hill is our resident open and cold water swimming expert based at the hotel. He takes guests on a series of guided swims from our jetty. Choose from an introduction to open water swimming and cross lake swims, to wild swimming adventures to Kailpot Crag and full moon swims. He also teaches technique with full video analysis from his endless pool based onsite at the hotel.

Director of Ullswater Swim Place, Colin is inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame. He is an English Channel Soloist, has completed several two way Windermere Solo swims and has taken part in many open water races and crossings around the world, including winning a 25km Madeira Swim Race. Colin has been Winter/Ice Swimming World and UK Age Group Champion for 450m, he also became the first UK male to officially complete the Ice Mile (International Ice Swimming Association) and organised the London 2012 Marathon Swimming Olympic Race.

Colin has taught Idris Elba, Jo Whiley for Sports Relief 2020, and been featured on SAS: Are you Tough Enough? and Extreme Sports Red Bull.

Find out more about Colin.