20 of the best outdoor swimming pools and lidos in the UK (2023)

FAQs

20 of the best outdoor swimming pools and lidos in the UK? ›

Many of the UK's 100 plus lidos are seasonal, and in the depths of winter they hibernate under a silent blanket of leaves.

Many of the UK's 100 plus lidos are seasonal, and in the depths of winter they hibernate under a silent blanket of leaves.

An outdoor pool will cost between £60,000 – £110,000 to construct. The average cost to build an outdoor swimming pool is £85,000.

What's the difference between a lido and an outdoor pool? They seem pretty similar, eh. The key difference between lidos and outdoor pools is that a lido tends to be near a body of water, e.g. a beach or sea. Saying that, some outdoor swimming pools buck the trend – e.g. Brockwell Lido and Tooting Bec Lido.

Tooting Bec Lido, the largest swimming pool in England, is 100 yards long and 33 yards wide; it was rescued from closure in the 1990s.

Splashdown Quaywest - the UK's largest all outdoor waterpark. Splashdown.

It can be found on Hampton Row in Bath, and no one has swum in it since the 1980s. The pool dates back more than 200 years, but now it has been refurbished after around £9 million was raised by the public.

This is because potential buyers may see it as an expensive liability rather than an asset they can enjoy. However, if your swimming pool is well-designed and well-maintained, then it can add significant value to your home. According to some estimates, a swimming pool can increase the value of a property by up to 20%.

There are several lessons learnt from the exercise for swimming pool cost. Swimming pools are expensive in the UK. Due to the fact that the cost of labour is high and because pool builders simply don't build as many pools in the UK as they do in warmer countries, they can't achieve the same quantities of scale.

Planning permission is not usually required to install an outdoor domestic swimming pool as a pool is often considered as a garden project.

What are the disadvantages of outdoor swimming pool? ›

The biggest drawback of owning an outdoor pool is to clean it and maintain it. Since the pool is outside, it will frequently get dirty as the wind keeps on continuously blowing debris into the pool. Things like leaves, loose soil particles and many more will make the water unfit for swimming.

Right in the centre of Funchal, the Lido Bathing Complex is a safe place to swim for less experienced swimmers. Here you can swim peacefully in the turquoise waters of the Atlantic Ocean, under the supervision of the complex's lifeguards who guarantee your safety during the bathing season.

Cleveland Pools located in Hampton Row, Bath, Somerset, England is a semi-circular lido built to designs by John Pinch the Elder in 1815. It is believed to be the oldest public outdoor swimming pool in England.

Oxfordshire Lido – Oxford Wakeboard & Ski Club. Come and swim throughout the day! Swimming days & times are as followed: Monday - Saturday - 10:00 - 17:00.

A lido is an outdoor swimming pool or a part of a beach which is used by the public for swimming or water sports. [mainly British]

"Noah's Ark is America's Largest Waterpark®, located in the Waterpark Capital of the World. Situated on 70 sprawling acres in the heart of Wisconsin Dells, Noah's Ark is the best place for family vacations.

Siam Park is the biggest water park in Europe. Situated in Adeje, in the south of Tenerife, the park is home to an incredibly long network of impressive water slides.

Tooting Bec Lido, South London

Tooting Bec Lido is the largest swimming pool by surface area in the UK at, 100 yards long and 33 yards wide. The brightly-coloured changing room doors have made it a popular scene for fashion shoots and Brad Pitt's boxing “pool” scene in Snatch was filmed there.

The word lido comes from the Latin litus, meaning “beach”. But lido in Italian means “waterfront” or “beachfront resort”.

What is an outdoor swimming pool called? ›

In British English, a lido (/ˈliːdoʊ/ LEE-doh, /ˈlaɪdoʊ/ LY-doh) is a public outdoor swimming pool and surrounding facilities, or part of a beach where people can swim, lie in the sun, or participate in water sports.

Across the country, 85 pools have been closed and not replaced since 2019. The number closing due to financial reasons – either because of insolvency or the facilities being unprofitable – has doubled compared with in the three years before the pandemic.

The UK also has plenty of outdoor pools and lidos that offer the same benefits of wild swimming without so much of the, erm, wildness. From community-run spots to coastal lagoons, here's our round-up of the best outdoor pools in the UK.

If you do an internet search for the number of houses with pools in the UK, the first number that comes up is a staggering 210,000.

There is huge risk to swimming pools, lidos, and spas across the UK as chlorine shortages lead to many being forced to shut temporarily. Chlorine is the key chemical used to treat bacterial nasties in pool water and keep them clean for public use. However, chloring for swimming pools is starting to run out.

Roughly speaking, swimming pools should be drained and the water replaced every 7-10 years. However there are several factors concerning when it should be undertaken.

We spoke to experts at Money.co.uk who say it could cost an average of around 30p to fill up a small pool that holds 219 litres of water. For medium pools with the capacity to hold 455 litres of water, the average cost is around 63p, going up to £1.80 for large pools that hold 1,302 litres of water.

There are currently no building regulations for pool safety fences in the UK. However, you may require planning permission if you're building a swimming area from scratch. You'll need to consult your council's local planning department to find out if there are any restrictions on your building activities.

Usually you will have to store the water in a vented storage pool to allow chlorine to disperse before disposal. This can take at least 5 days, depending on the volume of water. You should dispose of backwash water from the pool filter to a public foul sewer or public combined sewer.

Swimming pools in the UK can be built without planning permission as they are covered by Class E coverage for householders. That being said, there are certain factors to bear in mind. According to national and local requirements, all swimming pools must be built at least 10 feet away from the walls of the house.

What should you avoid in a pool? ›

Pools are significantly safer than the ocean. While swimming in the ocean can be thrilling, you also face a plethora of potential dangers, such as sharks, jellyfish, and other sea creatures, unpredictable waves, and riptides that can threaten even the strongest swimmers.

Pools with vinyl liners will last more than 20 years, as long as you replace your liner every 6-12 years. Concrete pools have exceptional longevity, but you need to resurface the concrete every 10 years or so. Fiberglass pools have the longest lifespans of any in-ground pool, often easily surpassing 30 years.

Using chlorine keeps the water crystal clear, making the lido safer for everybody.

Wear neoprene booties and gloves

As the temperature starts to drop, it will be your extremities that notice and suffer from this first. Keep them toasty with gloves and boots and this will keep your winter lido swims much more pleasant.

For swimming it's best to wear specifically designed swim-wear. For women, that's a swimming costume, bikini, tankini or burkini. Fitted t-shirts and/or leggings worn under swim wear are also OK. For men: trunks, swim shorts, board shorts or fitted nylon leggings are best.

Is Venice Lido worth visiting? The answer is: certainly yes! As you see, Venice Lido is not just a place to go sunbathing in summer, but an island full of things to do, including a long and relaxing walk along Viale Santa Maria Elisabetta, a street that crosses the island from the vaporetto stop to the beaches.

Due to the calm seas with waves usually 1-2 feet, the water is crystal clear and it's stunningly beautiful dressed in a myriad of shades of blue and green. If you think the Caribbean Sea is lovely, then you will be impressed with Lido Beach and the Gulf of Mexico.

Today's Lido Beach sea temperature is 59 °F.

Lidos gave coastal communities a sociable, open air place to swim, protected from the rigours of the harsh sea. Today, there are more than 100 lidos in the UK, with more renovation projects in the pipeline.

How many lidos are there in England? ›

Many of the UK's 100 plus lidos are seasonal, and in the depths of winter they hibernate under a silent blanket of leaves.

Blue Abyss factfile

Blue Abyss would occupy a 10-acre site on the Aerohub Business Park at Cornwall Airport Newquay. Spaceport Cornwall is located on the same site. It will house the world's largest and deepest indoor pool, measuring 40m by 50m on the surface, with a 16m wide shaft plunging to a depth of 50m.

The key difference between lidos and outdoor pools is that a lido tends to be near a body of water, e.g. a beach or sea. Saying that, some outdoor swimming pools buck the trend – e.g. Brockwell Lido and Tooting Bec Lido.

Jesus Green Lido is one of the few remaining examples of the lidos that were built across the country in the 1920s and 30s. It's the largest pool in Cambridge and one of the longest outdoor pools in the country. The pool is open from 7am to 7pm every day.

The UK's oldest lido is preparing for its first summer season since it reopened following a £9.3m restoration project led by locals. Cleveland first opened in 1815 with a single pool fed by waters diverted from the River Avon.

Tooting Bec Lido, the largest swimming pool in England, is 100 yards long and 33 yards wide; it was rescued from closure in the 1990s.

The Oxford dictionary suggests liːdəʊ as the phonetic way to say it. And the accompanying audio says "lee-doe". The Cambridge dictionary agrees, its audio also suggesting "lee-doe". In fact, all the dictionaries agree, lido should be pronounced "lee-doe".

OUTDOOR swimming in Scotland is not only possible but enjoyable if you take the plunge in one of our fantastic outdoor public pools, or lidos.

The UK also has plenty of outdoor pools and lidos that offer the same benefits of wild swimming without so much of the, erm, wildness. From community-run spots to coastal lagoons, here's our round-up of the best outdoor pools in the UK.

7.5m people swim in open water and in outdoor pools.

How many houses in the UK have swimming pools? ›

If you do an internet search for the number of houses with pools in the UK, the first number that comes up is a staggering 210,000.

By the 1930s, there were bathing houses, floating baths and beaches on the river, and numerous lidos across the capital. The Thames is now deemed too dangerous to swim in downstream of Putney, and there are just 17 lidos and outdoor pools in London.

Tooting Bec Lido is the largest swimming pool by surface area in the UK at, 100 yards long and 33 yards wide.

In British English, a lido (/ˈliːdoʊ/ LEE-doh, /ˈlaɪdoʊ/ LY-doh) is a public outdoor swimming pool and surrounding facilities, or part of a beach where people can swim, lie in the sun, or participate in water sports.

Drowning is the primary danger associated with open water swimming. In fact, 79% of all drownings occur in open water. Swimmers in open water risk becoming fatigued, experiencing a cramp, getting swept away by a current or riptide, and much more, which can result in drowning.

We have over 3,100 clubs, servicing 400,000+ members.

In England and Wales:

The right to swim in the sea is clear and not disputed. There is a right to swim in tidal waters. There is a right to swim in waters that are navigable and open to powered boats.

Generally, the building and alteration costs to your home will cost anywhere from £800 to £2,000 per square metre, while the cost of the pool will be around £1,500 to £3,000 per square metre. You'll also need to consider issues such as air handling within the pool room and the pool cover.

1. Phoenix. This city is the king of swimming pools, with 32.7% of all homes featuring a pool.

The town's name comes from the Italian word lido, which means "shore" or "bank." (The Italian root derives from litus, the Latin word for "shore.") By the mid-19th century, Lido's reputation as a chic vacation destination for the well-to-do made it the envy of seaside resorts everywhere.

Why are they called lidos? ›

Due to the vibrant entrances, changing blocks, cafes and sunbathing areas, these outdoor pools became known as lidos, which is the Italian word for 'beach'.