Outdoor Swimming Pools in the UK: A Different Kind of Wild Swim
Britain has a complicated relationship with water. We moan about the rain, yet thousands of us voluntarily lower ourselves into unheated lidos, tidal pools carved from cliffsides, and Victorian-era open-air baths filled with nothing warmer than whatever the sky provides. Outdoor swimming pools occupy a fascinating middle ground in the UK’s wild swimming culture — they are not quite the unbounded freedom of a mountain tarn or a river bend, but they are a world away from the chlorinated indoor lanes of your local leisure centre.
For swimmers who want the sensation of cold water, fresh air, and sky above their heads, but prefer a clearly marked pool with lifeguards and changing facilities, the UK’s outdoor pools are an extraordinary and often underappreciated resource. This guide covers everything you need to know: the history, the best locations across England, Scotland, and Wales, what to expect in terms of water temperature, safety, costs, and how to make the most of this uniquely British swimming tradition.
The History of Outdoor Swimming in Britain
Open-air swimming in the UK has roots stretching back to the 19th century. The great lido-building boom of the 1930s gave towns and cities across the country purpose-built outdoor pools, often as part of the wider municipal parks movement. At their peak in the mid-20th century, there were over 300 lidos operating across England alone. Many were swept away during the leisure-centre construction wave of the 1970s and 1980s, when heated, indoor facilities were seen as the progressive alternative.
What remained — and what has been recovered through community campaigns — tells us something important about British identity. Groups such as the Lido Alliance and Save Our Lidos have fought hard to prevent further closures and, in several celebrated cases, have helped restore pools that were on the brink of being filled in permanently. The past decade in particular has seen a significant revival, with lidos and outdoor pools attracting record numbers of swimmers, partly driven by the well-documented mental and physical health benefits of cold water swimming.
What Makes Outdoor Pools Different from Wild Swimming?
Before we look at specific locations, it is worth addressing a question that often comes up in wild swimming communities: are outdoor pools really “wild swimming”? The honest answer is: not quite, but that does not matter.
Wild swimming, as understood in the UK, typically means swimming in natural, unenclosed open water — rivers, lakes, tarns, reservoirs, sea coves, and so on. Outdoor pools are man-made structures, usually with filtered water, clearly defined boundaries, and managed safety measures. However, they share many of the qualities that draw people to wild swimming in the first place:
- Unheated or minimally heated water that reflects the seasons
- Exposure to weather — wind, rain, sunlight, and genuine cold
- A strong sense of community among regular swimmers
- Significant physical and psychological benefits linked to cold water immersion
- An antidote to the sterile, over-regulated indoor pool experience
For many people — especially those with young children, those new to cold water, or those who find truly wild locations inaccessible — outdoor pools are an ideal gateway. They offer structure without sanitising the essential experience of swimming outdoors in Britain’s changeable climate.
The Best Outdoor Swimming Pools in England
Tooting Bec Lido, London
One of the largest and most famous lidos in the country, Tooting Bec Lido in South London holds 1,350,000 litres of unheated water and is 90 metres long. It has been operating since 1906 and is managed in partnership with the South London Swimming Club, one of the oldest swimming clubs in Britain. The lido is open year-round to club members, meaning committed cold water swimmers can access it even in January when air temperatures hover near freezing.
The water is not heated, so temperatures can drop to around 4°C in winter. This is not a pool for the faint-hearted in February, but it is precisely that challenge that draws its devoted community of year-round swimmers. The colourful changing cubicles — over 160 of them — are a heritage feature in their own right.
Brockwell Lido, London
Also in South London, Brockwell Lido was saved from closure by a fierce community campaign in the 1990s and is now operated by Fusion Lifestyle on behalf of Lambeth Council. It is heated, which makes it more accessible for nervous first-timers, but it retains that unmistakable outdoor lido atmosphere. The adjacent café and social space have made Brockwell a genuine community hub, and its outdoor yoga sessions, swimming lessons, and early-morning swims attract a loyal following.
Pells Pool, Lewes, East Sussex
Pells Pool is widely regarded as the oldest freshwater outdoor pool in England, dating from 1860. It is fed by a natural spring, which means the water is genuinely fresh rather than treated mains water. Situated in the heart of Lewes, it is unheated and open from late May to early September. The atmosphere is wonderfully low-key — locals bring picnics, children run along the grassy banks, and the whole experience feels more like a particularly well-organised wild swimming spot than a conventional public pool.
Jesus Green Lido, Cambridge
At 91 metres long and just 9.8 metres wide, Jesus Green Lido is one of the longest and narrowest pools in Europe — a single endless lane that follows the curve of the River Cam. It opened in 1923 and is unheated, fed by the local water table. Open from mid-May to mid-September, it draws a devoted crowd of Cambridge residents who treat their morning swim here as a near-religious ritual. Admission is remarkably affordable, and the adjacent parkland makes it a natural extension of the wider outdoor experience.
Ilkley Lido, West Yorkshire
Ilkley is one of the most famous wild swimming destinations in the north of England, largely because of the town’s broader connection with the River Wharfe and the famous White Wells plunge pool on Ilkley Moor. The lido here is an outdoor pool situated in the park alongside the river, and it sits within easy walking distance of proper wild swimming access points. It is heated, open during summer months, and particularly popular with families. The surrounding moorland scenery makes a morning swim here feel genuinely restorative.
Charlton Lido, London
Reopened in 2013 after a major restoration, Charlton Lido in Greenwich is a 50-metre heated outdoor pool. It is one of the more modern lido experiences — well-facilitated and maintained — and it operates year-round, making it a reliable option for London-based swimmers who want outdoor swimming without the commitment of truly cold water.
Parliament Hill Lido, London
Managed by the City of London Corporation, Parliament Hill Lido on Hampstead Heath opened in 1938 and holds some 5.5 million litres of unheated water. It is a no-frills, no-nonsense outdoor swimming experience — concrete surrounds, changing rooms that have seen better days, and water that drops to near-freezing in winter. It is beloved precisely because of its refusal to be glamorised. Open all year, it is one of the few pools in the country where you can genuinely claim to be swimming in challenging conditions.
Cleveland Pools, Bath
Cleveland Pools is England’s oldest surviving outdoor public swimming pool, dating from around 1815. After years of closure and a remarkable restoration project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund (now known as The National Lottery Heritage Fund), it reopened in 2023 and represents a triumph of community-led historic preservation. The semicircular pool is fed by the River Avon and set within a Georgian crescent of changing cubicles. It is a genuinely unique place to swim and an important piece of British social history.
Saltdean Lido, East Sussex
Saltdean Lido near Brighton is a Grade II* listed building, one of the finest surviving examples of 1930s lido architecture in Britain. After years of campaigning and funding battles, significant restoration work has been carried out. The pool is heated and open during summer months, but the real draw is the spectacular Art Deco building that surrounds it — a reminder of how seriously the interwar generation took their leisure infrastructure.
The Best Outdoor Swimming Pools in Scotland
Stonehaven Open Air Pool, Aberdeenshire
Stonehaven Open Air Pool is Scotland’s only heated outdoor Olympic-size pool, and it is one of the most extraordinary swimming experiences anywhere in the UK. Situated on the Aberdeenshire coast, the pool is heated to around 29°C — genuinely warm — while the surrounding air can be cool and blustery, and the North Sea crashes against the rocks below. It is open from late May to early September and on Thursday evenings offers a “Poolside Barbecue” event that has become something of a local institution. The contrast between warm water and cold sea air makes for an exhilarating swim unlike anywhere else in Britain.
Gourock Outdoor Pool, Inverclyde
Gourock Outdoor Pool, on the south bank of the River Clyde with views across to the Argyll hills, is another of Scotland’s heated outdoor pools. It has operated in various forms since 1909 and is now managed by Inverclyde Leisure. The setting alone — open sky, river views, and the distinctive light of the west of Scotland — makes it worth the journey. Open during summer months, it caters to families as well as serious swimmers.
The Best Outdoor Swimming Pools in Wales
Rhyl Outdoor Pool, North Wales
Wales has fewer surviving outdoor pools than England or Scotland, in part because of the challenges of running outdoor facilities in a climate that is, to put it diplomatically, generous with rainfall. Rhyl has historically had outdoor pool facilities, though opening schedules and operational status are always worth checking with the local council before visiting.
Tidal Pools of the Gower and Pembrokeshire
While Wales has fewer formal lidos, it compensates with an extraordinary number of natural and semi-natural tidal pools carved into its coastline. Blue Lagoon near Abereiddy in Pembrokeshire is arguably the most dramatic — a flooded slate quarry with sheer dark walls that plunges into the clearest turquoise water you are likely to find outside the Mediterranean. It is not a maintained pool in the traditional sense, but it occupies a similar psychological space: a defined, contained body of water that feels safer and more accessible than open sea swimming, while retaining all the wildness of the Welsh coast.
Moving Forward
Once you have the fundamentals in place, the possibilities open up considerably. The UK offers fantastic opportunities for anyone interested in this hobby, and with the right foundation you will be well placed to make the most of them.
