The swim will start from Cigarette Island, situated behind Hampton Court Station. Your bags will be collected and taken to meet you at the finish on Ravens Ait Island, where you can change before boarding a boat across the river to Thames Sailing Club on the Surrey Bank. There we will celebrate with a prize giving, a barbecue and live music. We will operate a bus back to the start of the swim from the Thames Sailing Club after the celebrations. Tickets for this are available to purchase with your event ticket or from the shop at any time. The post swim celebration will last approximately 2 hours.There are excellent train and bus links links into central London and surrounding area from both start and finish lines (Kingston Station), and we encourage you to use public transport where possible.

This is not a race, this is a friendly challenge event with the focus being to enjoy the swim under safe conditions. You will be timed however, so you can take your timing information home with you should you wish. You will also receive a finisher's medal.We may also surprise you with some on the day prizes, but they won't be for speed!

Participants must be 18+ on of before event day.

This swim has an extensive safety set up, including safety boats, kayakers and event medics.

If you wish to cancel, you are not able to defer or get a refund, but we do have a flexible policy to help you, should you need it. Firstly, when you enter you will be offered Refund Protection by XCover through Ticket Tailor (the registration platform). This is an extra payment, but will mean that you may be able to claim your entry fee back under certain circumstances. Please see more information on the cover here. Instructions for making a claim are here. If you did not buy refund protection, you can transfer your place to someone else. This can be done by us once you have the details of the new ticket holder. Transfers must be completed before the event registration closes, which is typically one week before the event. It will not be possible to cancel bus tickets or spectator passes after 14 June 2026.

Yes. You can transfer your place between the morning and afternoon session or to someone else.Transfers between morning and afternoon sessions on the same day:You can transfer to the other session (morning/afternoon) ONLY if there is space in that session. Transfers must be completed prior to the challenge closing registration, which is typically one week prior to the event.Transfers to another person:You can transfer your place to someone else. All transfers must be completed two weeks before the challenge. Transfers to a King of the Thames event at another date:These can not be done.To action your transfer, please contact us - info@swimquest.uk.com.

If conditions are not suitable in the immediate lead up to the event, we will attempt to run a back up swim of the same distance at a nearby venue, and the after swim celebration will continue as planned at the Thames Sailing Club. In this eventuality, swimmers are responsible for their travel to and from the back up venue.

​To make sure we can complete the course in the time, we ask you can swim a km in less than 40 minutes.

Friends and family can meet the swimmers at the party in Thames Sailing Club after the swim. There are party passes available where you purchase your event ticket or in the shop at any time. Please note, there are a limited number of party tickets available to spectators.

The swim does follow the river downstream, meaning there will be some assistance from the flow of the river.

The King of the Thames Swim takes place on a well-monitored stretch of the River Thames, and swimmer safety is always our top priority. We work closely with the relevant river authorities and local partners, and we monitor conditions carefully in the lead-up to the event. On event week we will review all available water quality information alongside weather and river flow conditions. If anything suggests that conditions are not suitable for safe swimming, or if there has been excessive rainfall, we will take appropriate action and attempt to move the swim to the back up location, followed by the party as planned on Ravens Ait. Please note that participants would be responsible for travel to and from the backup location. As with any open water swim, participants ultimately swim at their own discretion and are responsible for deciding whether conditions are suitable for them on the day.

We will have a barbecue at the party in Thames Sailing club providing hungry swimmers with sausage baps (meat or vegan) in the morning, and burgers (meat or vegan) in the afternoon. Friends and family will also have a food included in their party pass.

Yes, when you have added your ticket to your cart you will be given the option next to add merchandise or party passes for friends or family. You can also go back later and purchase these items from the shop.

To login and manage your tickets you'll need the email you used for your Ticket Tailor purchase. Go to the event page and select "manage tickets" from the top menu. There you will enter your email address to be sent a unique link to access your order.Only the ticket buyer can do this. If somebody else bought your ticket please contact them if needed.