There’s nothing better than a grey drizzly bank holiday weekend. On these days the lido, my lido, is empty save a few determined regulars. I swim up and down smiling broadly to myself. It’s like I have my own private pool. It’s quiet, and meditative, and special in its own austere way. These cool autumn days make me feel determined, in control, powerful.
Nothing better, of course, than a hot, blue skied, sunny summer day. On these days the lido comes to life with all of the world. The pool is full and it is madness here and I love it! Everyone is welcome: young and old, pale and walnut coloured, every shape and size. Sun worshippers, dive-bombers, strutting men with muscles and tattoos glistening with suntan oil, women resplendent with thongs and ample bottoms, small kids with inflatable unicorns playing in the water till their lips turn blue, heads up breaststrokers with perfectly dry hair and sunglasses, lithe teenage girls wearing bikinis and ankle socks. And all the while me swimming, weaving a delicate path through the mayhem.
They say the sea is never the same but it’s true for my lido and it’s true for all lidos. Every day different but every lido different too. All joyous, from the grand to the humble. Here are a few of my favourites
Parliament Hill Lido - my lido
This 60m long North London lido has to be seen to be believed. It’s special because it is lined not with the usual predictable blue or white tiles but a beautiful stainless steel lining that glistens and sparkles in the sun like a jewel. On a sunny day it takes your breath away as the sun reflects off the bottom. On a grey day the sky is reflected in the steel making it look greyer and more austere. This lido is a drama queen through and through
Hathersage Swimming Pool
In the middle of Hathersage, in the middle of the Peak District, in the middle of the UK, where you might least expect an outdoor heated swimming pool, you will come across Hathersage swimming pool donated to the town by a local business man. I stopped off there one winter, breaking a long drive home from Scotland. Everything around was grey or brown and bleak as I wound wearily the roads of Derbyshire. Just as I thought I’d had enough of the drive and the smell of coal fires and winter and the bare trees, there she was. A floodlit pool, steam rising off the water, happy laughing and splashing, a bandstand, a covered seating area.
Portishead Open Air Pool
Portishead open air pool makes a fabulously striking statement with its daring orange and yellow colour scheme, its geometric terraces and its denuded diving boards which stand sentry at the deep end. If ever a pool shouted Russian Constructivism it were this one, and visiting it makes me feel like I’m not only in a different era (all lidos do that) but also perhaps a different country.
Buckfastleigh Open Air Pool
Not every lido or pool has to make a grand statement. Some outdoor pools are quiet community resources, where you might make memories that will last a lifetime. Some pools are at the heart of their communities and this is one of them, run and funded by volunteers who tirelessly campaign to keep it open as a hub for those around. They are a glue that holds community together. Nestling in the middle of Devon on the edge of Dartmoor, this gem is worth a detour.
Pells Pool
Lewes in East Sussex is known more for its extravagant bonfire night celebrations than for its pool. Just far enough away from the sea to warrant its own dedicated swimming facility, Pells Pool feels like a nod to another time. Surrounded by high flint stone walls, this 46m long pool is apparently the oldest documented freshwater pool in the UK. Lawns, a mini book exchange (books themed on swimming) and its own artist in residence give this pool a genteel feel.
