The Lido Tour
By mid 2021 we were so into our outdoor swimming, reading lists of top lidos and keen to get out there and try them. We found two lists to try before we turn 50, both on The Guardian website, one new and one older. The newer one acknowledges the boom in outdoor swimming in recent years and recommends ten top lidos in the UK to visit: Ten of Britain's best lidos. An older article, An outdoor swimming tour of London, offered us quick wins while we plan excursions further afield. Here we summarise our experiences visiting and swimming in these lidos and ponds.
Charlton Lido was first on our grand tour. How did it go? Find out here...
A mid-winter late-night dip isn't what we'd imagined when we set out on this tour but Hampton Pool offers these sessions and we said yes!
A glorious dip in Beckenham Place Park lake. Glorious.
Away from the big smoke, we started the wider UK tour with Thames Lido in Reading. This swim comes complete with hot tub, sauna and Thames Lido toiletries.
Kenwood Ladies Pond on Hampstead Heath took us some time to locate, but when we arrived we enjoyed a swim with an old friend...