UPDATE: As of Tues 18th May, the kickstarter was a SUCCESS! Feel Actual Emotion for all the people who've worked so hard to make this happen. Congratulations, you lot! Really look forward to swimming in Thames Baths.
I've spent some considerable time swimming round London. I've swum in more of the city's pools than most. And as is abundantly clear, my true love is swimming outdoors. I love what it does, I love having air on my skin, I love how every day is different, I love it in the rain and sun. There is something elemental about it that we are essentially cut off from in most parts of our lives. In London particularly, we are heated and cooled and bustled and jostled around, all our experiences tightly controlled, our access to nature doled out in tiny plantpot-sized portions. Swimming outdoors is a great antidote to all of that.
I also (mostly) love this city, particularly the public bits of it. As everything round us gets corporatised and privatised and reserved and oligarched, the public stuff we do have gets increasingly important. I look at that proposed new bridge and I despair. This is not for 'us'. This is not about community. And I think how ironic, that something that crosses a river will actually be so divisive. Never have the words 'judicial review' gladdened me so much.
But here's something. Something for all of us. All the swimming community (and what a community we are) and beyond. Thames Baths is the project that hopes to put a lido in the Thames. A year-round, 'gently-warmed' public amenity, in the Thames. Amazing thought, eh? I think so. It will be safe, sustainable, and at £10million, around a 20th of the cost of that wretched bridge.
Thames Baths - who incidentally are not some faceless conglomerate, they're three Londoners, you can see them on the link - are launching a crowdfunder to raise £125k to get to the next stage of development. It looks like a big chunk of ££. Hey, it IS a big chunk, there's no getting round that. But this isn't ££ that is going on some CEO jolly with celebrities (shorthand for 'I met Joanna Lumley* and she entranced me with her twinkly eyes'). This isn't ££ that will be spent 'attracting overseas investment' (shorthand for 'sold off to companies who put their tax offshore'). This is carefully controlled and budgeted to bring the project to the next stage, to make it ACTUALLY HAPPEN!
If you have the wherewithal to contribute at any level, please please do. If you know rich folk who care about the future of swimming, or frankly hate it but just ooze philanthropy - please shove this under their noses. This isn't a selfish, roped-off, benefits-just-for-MEEEEE project, this is for all swimmers. And we are multitude! We want to swim the future! LET'S DO THIS THING!
I've never done so many !! in my life. It's because I really care about this project. I want to swim the fu ... yeah. you got that already. But thanks for reading. Do share it around. All the kickstarter info and some great pics are here: Thames Baths.
*No disrespect to Joanna Lumley. I'm sure she's fabulous. It's just ... weird, innit? However, if she'd throw her obviously considerable charms behind a lido not a bridge, I'd probably feel differently.
* Oh and other celebrities are available. Always.
There are two swimming seasons in the media. One is around Christmas/New Year ('Look at all these fools jumping in cold water!') and the other is summer ('It's hot! Jump in cold water!'). We're just starting with the annual crop of 'here's the best places to swim in London', but they're often written by people who haven't swum in many, so it all becomes a bit of a 'lucky dip'. Yeah. I did say that.
I, however, DO know about the best places to swim, because I've swum in them all. The best ones are in my book, Swimming London. Buy it, shove it in your backpack, and get out there. (There's lots of indoor pools in it too, it's a really great book.)
So instead of relying on half-baked lists that don't really know what they're talking about, here's my top five, and then the rest. You don't need another list, you just need this one, it's got the lot. And then get my book for full info. You'll be truly Swimming London.
And by the way, the book also has loads of brilliant photos, taken by the very talented Luisa Martelo. She did NOT take the pics on this blog, I did with my phone. I am a bad photographer, but even I can't ruin Tooting Lido.
You WILL need to check on opening dates - not all of these are open all year round. And if I've missed any out, yell at me on Twitter @jennylandreth. Nicely, please.
MY TOP FIVE:
TOOTING LIDO Unheated 90m, glorious, biggest and best. The sunny pic above is Tooting Lido. Open to the public from May - that means NOW.
BROCKWELL LIDO: 50m unheated pool, near Brixton. Open all year. Two lidos in South London! We are spoiled. (They may be at no.2 in this list BUT their cafe is nicer than the Tooting Cafe.) (You can go to the Brockwell cafe without visiting the pool, but why would you?)
CHARLTON LIDO Also 50m, heated but not madly. This pool has been done up recently. It's a great swim, now FIRMLY in my top five. FIRMLY. The pic at the bottom is Charlton.
LONDON FIELDS LIDO Again, 50m of urban heated pool bliss. Have a very nice coffee in Broadway Market afterwards. It gets busy with trendy people. Men wearing knitted trunks. *tries not to look*
and sneaking in the top five by dint of having a lovely stainless steel bottom:
PARLIAMENT HILL LIDO 60m, cold, open all year. Right by Hampstead Heath.
THE REST:
LONDON DOCKLANDS a new addition. A GREAT addition. Three courses (400, 750m and 1.5k) with cable cars racing overhead, planes taking off over you from City airport, the Dome practically next door. GO.
HAMPSTEAD PONDS which has a ladies, a men's and a mixed bathing pond.
HILLINGDON Leisure Centre In Uxbridge. Lovely big pool, never very busy. Unheated.
RICHMOND POOLS ON THE PARK One indoor heated pool and one small cold outdoor one with weird steps.
THE SERPENTINE Right in Hyde Park. I once had a funny swim here with my friend Becky. Remind me to tell you when we meet.
HAMPTON Very heated. Very bacon baguettes.
OASIS Packed. Covent Garden One indoor, one tiny outdoor pool.
PARK ROAD LEISURE CENTRE. Beyond Crouch End, even. This one has apparently been done up since I visited. But the pool remains the same.
and last but honestly not least, and really worth a visit, our newest addition: KINGS CROSS POND. You have to book in advance. IT IS WORTH IT. It's more the kind of place you dandle around in, than train for a 10k. That first link goes to my review, but this one goes to the ticket shop. TICKET LINK.
(There is also Finchley Lido. I've tried about ten times to go there, but it never seems to be open so I can't recommend it. Let me know if it's worth a visit.)
Lake-type experiences:
Now, be warned. These places aren't 'swimming spots'. They are 'open water swimming spots'. I hope you know the subtle difference; if not you can ask me and I'll try not to be sarcastic in response. You'll meet loads of triathletes, wetsuits may be compulsory, and the opening hours are limited. BUT, so nice to get a decent lake swim in, eh?
WEST RESERVOIR - Stoke Newington. Rather a brilliant building attached.
THORPE LAKE - right out on the M25, west. You can see Thorpe Park rides above the trees.
HERON LAKE - Near Thorpe Lake.
FERRIS MEADOWS- Shepperton.
HAM LAKE - Not actually a ham lake. IN Ham, not OF ham.
DENHAM LAKE - a bit like being on holiday.
LEYBOURNE LAKE. I started swimming there last year. It's not v crowded, there's very basic facilities but it's a lovely swim. See you there.
and finally, DAY TRIPS
If you feel like getting out of the city but have limited travel time, try either GUILDFORD LIDO and last but DEFINITELY not least, as it's the oldest public freshwater pool in the UK and is really rather splendid and special, PELLS POOL, LEWES.
