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Portavadie, Argyll
Portavadie, on the banks of Loch Fyne on the west coast of Scotland, was originally earmarked as an oil rig, but plans fell through. Today it is a marina with holiday homes, a restaurant and bar, a gift shop, and a leisure centre with what is believed to be the biggest heated outdoor infinity pool in Scotland. There are also outdoor spa pools and a sauna, an indoor pool and a gym; treatments such as massages and facials are available. The facilities are powered by a woodchip biomass generator, and have views across the loch and over to the Isle of Arran.
£14 for a 90-minute swim, sauna and hot tub
Beccles Lido, Suffolk
Swimmers have long taken dips in the Waveney, and in 1894 an enclosed “bathing place” was dug out of the river at Beccles, a market town on the southern edge of the Broads national park. In 1959, this was replaced by an unheated riverside pool, which 50 years later became a three-pool lido. This year, the pools will be heated to 28C in winter for the first time, initially until 3 January, then, if popular, through to the end of March. The 30-metre main pool has a springboard and slide; there are also toddler and splash pools, a wood-fired sauna and a cafe. The timetable is yet to be finalised but there will be lane swimming, family fun swims and aquacise classes.
From £7.40 adults
Hathersage Swimming Pool, Derbyshire
In July, the Peak District village of Hathersage celebrated the 90th anniversary of its 30-metre outdoor pool. It was given to the village by a local philanthropist, George Lawrence, who was killed in the Sheffield blitz. The original coke boiler, which heated the water to a maximum of 20C, has been replaced with a modern renewable heating system (temperature at time of writing: 27C). It is open daily year-round – hours are reduced from November to March – with hot poolside showers, and a sauna from October. There are regular night swims with live music, and a cafe serving hot drinks and homemade food.
£8 adults
Thames Lido, Reading, Berkshire
The riverside pool on King’s Meadow, Reading was fed by the Thames when it opened in 1902, originally for ladies only. It was converted to mains water in the 1950s, closed in the 70s, and finally reopened after a three-year restoration in 2017. Today, the 25-metre pool is heated to 20-24C year-round; there is a hot tub (38-40C), sauna and steam room, and a cold-water drench bucket and “ship funnel” shower. Swimmers can also book a massage. The high-end poolside restaurant opens at 9am for breakfast (homemade granola, bacon butties, Turkish-style eggs) and serves lunch and dinner daily (such as crab tagliatelle or Ibérico pork).
From £25 for a two-hour swim, sauna, steam and hot tub
Chesham Moor, Buckinghamshire
The pool at Chesham Moor sports centre is believed to have begun as a deep puddle used for bathing in the 1890s. Today it is a 25-metre spring-fed lido, upgraded in 2023, with a Nasa-designed ionisation unit, which keeps chlorine levels low. It has solar panels and is heated to 27C year-round, although in very cold weather it may be a little cooler. It is open daily for a mix of lane and general swimming, plus aqua fitness sessions and swim masterclasses. There are also outdoor circuit classes and tennis courts, a nearby riverside walk, and a cafe serving hot drinks, sausage rolls, sandwiches and cake.
From £7 adults
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This “stepping stone to the sea” opened in 2023: a 50-metre, six-lane, beachfront swimming pool. It is heated to a minimum of 19C year-round. Coaching is available for all levels, from beginners learning to swim to open-water swimmers and triathletes. For a post-training refuel, Fika serves brunch and coffee, Wood x Coal cooks lunch and dinner over fire, and Bison Beer has 14 draught beers plus wine and cocktails. Just four miles along the seafront is Saltdean Lido, a 40-metre, crescent-shaped modernist masterpiece (built in 1938). This winter, it opens only for the month of December, when it is heated to 19C; there is also a sauna (run separately).
£11.90 adults
Hampton Pool, London
Built in 1922, this 36-metre pool next to Bushy Park in south-west London is now run by a charity. It is open 365 days a year and heated to a tropical 28C. There is also a 12.5-metre learner pool, gym, fitness classes and Sundeck Cafe (porridge, soup, jacket potatoes), and regular events such as moonlight and festive swims. Londoners are spoiled for choice when it comes to heated outdoor pools – other options include London Fields Lido (50 metres, 24C), Oasis Sports Centre in central London (27.5 metres, 26C and a sauna), Charlton Lido (50 metres, 22C), Pools on the Park in Richmond (33 metres, 25C) and Park Road Lido in Crouch End (50 metres, 22-24C).
Lido Ponty, Rhondda Cynon Taf
The National Lido of Wales, in Pontypridd, opened in 1927 – swimmers over the years include a young Tom Jones. It reopened in 2015 after a £6.3m restoration, and today has three heated pools: a main pool, an activity pool and a splash pool. The pools are heated to 28C in the summer, but in winter the heat is turned down to a bracing 14-15C. These cool-water swims are avaiable at weekends from 24 October to 28 November, for ages 16 and over. There are hot outdoor and indoor showers, and heated indoor changing rooms. Some swimmers may prefer to wait for the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day swims, when the heat is cranked back up to a steamy 28C.
£4 adults
Bristol Lido
This Victorian outdoor swimming pool opened in 1850, closed in 1990 and was almost redeveloped into flats. Instead, it was bought and restored by Arne Ringner, the businessman who later bought Thames Lido (see above), and reopened in 2008. The 24-metre pool is heated to 20-24C year-round. There is a sauna, steam room and hot tub, and a poolside restaurant and bar that runs regular supper clubs. Upcoming events include synchronised swimming shows, Christmas lunches and dinners (three courses £35/£50) and a New Year’s Eve party (£135 for a two-hour swim and five-course dinner).
From £25 for a two-hour session – swim, sauna, steam and hot tub
Faversham Pools, Kent
Faversham Pools comprises three heated outdoor pools – a 33-metre lido with three diving boards (1, 3 and 5 metres), a fun rapids pool and a toddler pool with slides – plus a 25-metre indoor pool and whirlpool bath. While the smaller pools are open only from April to September, the lido is open year-round, albeit with reduced hours from September to April (4-7pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 8-11am on Sundays). These winter outdoor sessions are lane swimming only, for over-16s. Tides Cafe serves warming homemade food, such as soup (perhaps Thai butternut squash or Egyptian lentil), toasties, macaroni cheese and curries.
£8.50 adults
