Outdoor Lido's in UK
Since Alfie was deregistered from the school system and we started home schooling him, I've been trying to find more and more things to do, for as little money as possible. It's important for us to keep his education fun and varied, not just for him but for us too.
One of the activities we both really enjoy for the physical side of his learning is visiting lidos.
What is a lido?
A lido is basically an outdoor swimming pool. It can be a part of a beach, and usually comes with other facilities. Many lidos are located close to other bodies of water, such as the sea. We've visited a few of them now and my plan is to travel and visit as many as we can!
They can vary massively in the facilities they have on offer but are often community ran/led and funded projects, so what's available usually depends on what funds have been granted, or obviously how many people they get paying to use them.
There is a lido in Beckenham (London's first purpose-built swimming lake) that is a huge 283m long by 45m wide - an Olympic swimming pool is typically 50m by 25m, for comparison - compared to more humble sizes of 24m long at Bristol Lido in Clifton. The prices can start as little as a few pounds up to £25/30 for an hour or two. So it really depends on what you want to get from your time there, how long you want to stay, where you're willing to travel etc.
So far we've visited Bathurst Lido (see previous blog post here: https://sarahschocolatekitchen.com/blogs/news/visiting-outdoor-lidos-in-u-k-no-1-bathurst-pool, and also Faversham Pools, and The Strand in Kent.
The Strand was actually recently recognised "by Historic Pools of Britain as the only riverside pool that uses filtered salt water" (www.strandpool.info) - this makes it completely unique. It's worth noting that this particular pool isn't artificially heated, so can get a little chilly, and we struggled with this a bit during our visit. It isn't one we'd return to for this reason, personally, but we know plenty of other people who love it there. I think it's a case of visiting and experiencing it for yourself, and making up your own mind.
Faversham Pools
Faversham Pools, based in Kent, is a registered charity that relies solely on custom to provide the facilities available. Not only are they open for general sessions for the public to enjoy but they also run classes and sessions at low cost for people to join in with and get that all-important exercise.
The price to attend for a general swim is not bad at all, just £8 for an adult, £6.50 for a child age 3-15 or £1 for a child 2 or under. There are also family tickets available, as well as monthly, quarterly and annual memberships to help people save money if regular visitors.
They also offer the option of hiring out the pool for £103/hour (including a life guard) which would be a fantastic option for a birthday party or family get together!
Both Alfie and I loved this one, especially as we caught it on a good weather day, it felt a little like being on holiday abroad sat chilling round the pool enjoying the sun. To know it's charity led and the money you're paying goes straight back into the local community by providing the pool and facilities is also a bonus in my eyes.
There are 160 lidos dotted around the country!
Here are some links to just a number of them, perhaps your next family day out can be a trip to your local lido?
https://www.timeout.com/uk/things-to-do/best-lidos-outdoor-pools-in-the-uk
https://www.better.org.uk/what-we-offer/activities/lidos
https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/training/cross-training/g32903276/popular-lidos-uk/