There’s nothing that evokes holiday vibes like luxuriating in a pool under the beating sun. But London’s lidos come a close second… Whether you’re doing laps in training, cooling on a summer’s day or breaking the winter ice to take an unseasonal dip, London has swimming options. Here are 10 of them…
The Serpentine Lido
The lake, London’s favourite swimming spot since it was created in 1730, is 100 metres long, making it the longest stretch of water in the capital for swimming. The Serpentine boasts the oldest swimming club in Britain (the first recorded Christmas Day race was held in 1864), but a better strategy might be to relax and watch the swimming happening to other people, glass of wine in hand at the Lido Cafe Bar.
Where: The Serpentine Lido, Hyde Park, W2 2UH
Website:www.serpentinelido.com
Brockwell Lido
Dominating the edge of Brockwell Park, the lido is a 50-metre, Olympic-sized art deco statement of a pool. ‘Brixton’s beach’ is a perfect place to enjoy outdoor swimming, but also caters for the health-conscious with a decent gym and The Lido Cafe, great for their brunches and their regular supper club-style kitchen takeovers.
Dominating the edge of Brockwell Park, the lido is a 50-metre, Olympic-sized art deco statement of a pool.
Where: Brockwell Park, Dulwich Road, Herne Hill, SE24 0PA
Website:www.brockwelllido.com
Tooting Bec Lido
Where does Brad Pitt come for a splash-around? Not Beverley Hills or Mustique but Tooting Bec Lido. Okay it just happened once, in the making of gangster flick Snatch, but it happened. The 100-yard pool has everything you’d want from a lido experience, from colourful changing huts to an all-year swimming club (the public can pitch up between May and September).
The 100-yard pool has everything you’d want from a lido experience, from colourful changing huts to an all-year swimming club.
Where: Tooting Bec Road, Tooting, SW16 1RU
Website:www.wandsworth.gov.uk
London Fields Lido
On the fringes fashionable London Fields, this open-air pool is open all-year-round. On a hot summer’s day expect to find it packed with East London’s cool set as Hackney heads to the heated 50 metre pool. If the pool isn’t enough, then perhaps the cafe, large sundeck and sunbathing area will sate your alfresco swimming experience appetite.
Where: London Fields West Side, Hackney, E8 3EU
Website:www.better.org.uk
Charlton Lido And Lifestyle Club
Venture to South East London’s Charlton and you’ll find a heated Olympic-sized pool along with, for added measure, a fully equipped fitness studio and an open-air cycling studio. Perfect for anyone training for triathlons. Straddling Woolwich and Blackheath, the lido is equipped with a sun terrace and seasonal café, for the more fair-weather swimmers amongst us.
Where: Hornfair Park, Shooters Hill Road, Charlton, SE18 4LX
Website:www.better.org.uk
Stoke Newington West Reservoir Centre, Hackney
Set over 23 acres of water, Stoke Newington Reservoir is ideal for all manner of water-borne activities, from sailing to canoeing to open swimming.
There’s an online induction, and Stoke Newington West Reservoir Centre only operates certain hours (including summer evenings), but it’s a great and hopefully safe way to experience outdoor open swimming in East London.
WHERE: WEST RESERVOIR WATER SPORTS CENTRE, GREEN LANES, HACKNEY, N4 2HA
WEBSITE: WWW.BETTER.ORG.UK
Pools On The Park Richmond
Sitting on the edge of Richmond Park, Pools on the Park gives you a choice: alfresco fun or indoor incubation. The vast pools lie side-by-side, giving swimmers the chance to alternate and enjoy both experiences. But get there early as the pools reach capacity quickly in hot weather.
Where: Old Deer Park, Twickenham Road, Richmond, TW9 2SF
Website:www.richmond.gov.uk
Hampstead Heath Ponds
Pondlife abounds on Hampstead Heath, thanks in part to the open-air swimming ponds. There are ponds set aside for swimmers, one for men swimmers, one for women swimmers and another for men and women. Perfect for picnicking and pondering life, locals claim that the ponds were the inspiration for C.S. Lewis’ Narnia.
Where: Hampstead Heath, Hampstead, NW5 1QR
Website:www.cityoflondon.gov.uk
Parliament Hill Lido
Just round the corner from Hampstead, you’ll find the lovely Parliament Hill Lido. Unheated, but open all-year-round, and with ample lounging space around the edges of the pool, the Grade II listed pool also features a paddling pool and has been relatively recently refurbished.
Where: Heath Lodge, Highgate, NW5 1NA
Website: www.parliamenthilllido.org
Beckenham Place Park Swimming Lake
After a flurry of activity in the early 20th century, London stopped adding new outdoor swimming pools, so the addition of one more down in Beckenham is a real bonus. Lewisham Council went halvesies with the Heritage Lottery Fund on the £4.9m refurb of Beckenham Place Park, and the newest addition to the public space is a swimming lake. Measuring 283 metres long by 45 metres wide and 3.5 metres deep at its deepest, the lake is on the site of an original Georgian water feature and is open all year round (though only life-guarded in summer).
Where:Beckenham Hill Road, Beckenham, BR3 5BS
Website:www.lewisham.gov.uk
