Colditz Cove and Gentlemen's Swimming Hole, Rugby, TN

Friday, August 15, 2025, 9:00 a.m. central (10:00 a.m. eastern)

What better way to spend a hot summer day than a hike to a 60-foot waterfall, a picnic, and dip in a cool swimming hole!

It's a 2.5-mile loop hike around and behind Northup Falls in beautiful Colditz Cove State Natural Area near Allardt, Tennessee. Then we'll take a 15-minute drive to the Gentlemen's Swimming Hole Trail in Rugby, Tennessee. It's a 1-mile hike (or you can choose to do the entire 2.5-miles of the Meeting of the Waters Loop). We will begin at the trail head off Laurel Dale Cemetery Road and head down to the historic Gentlemen's Swimming Hole on the Clear Fork River where the early English gentlemen settlers of Rugby came to enjoy the cool waters of the river.

Bring your picnic lunch or we can stop by Brooks General Store to enjoy a cold shake and have Tiffany make you a delicious sack lunch. Make sure to bring water and snacks for the trail.

Swim at your own risk. Your canine friends are welcome as long as they're leashed.

Rugby is a living Victorian village, originally founded in 1880 as the Rugby colony by British author Thomas Hughes. You might also enjoy staying at one of the restored homes if you don'twant to drive home. Historic Rugby | A Living Victorian Village on Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau
[R. M. Brooks Store Today (rmbrooksstore.com)](https://www.rmbrooksstore.com/rmbrooksstore-2)

By committing to this event, you acknowledge you have read the following Disclaimer: Meetup organizers/leaders are not guides. Expect the same risks and take the same precautions you would take if you were hiking alone. You are solely responsible for your own safety and well-being. By signing up for and/or attending this Meetup event, you acknowledge, understand, accept, and agree that hiking and other outdoor activities can be dangerous and can cause serious bodily injury and possibly death. The organizers of this group and current and former members cannot be held responsible or liable in any way for the actions of any participant at any event. All attendees participate at an event at their own risk and are solely responsible for any damage to their property, and/or any injury to themselves or their guests. By signing up for this event, you affirm that you understand this disclaimer, and that you knowingly and voluntarily agree not to bring any type of claim arising out of or related to this Meetup event against the organizers of this Meetup group.