London can seem like a daunting trip for a girl from the countryside. It’s busy, noisy and dirty in places. But for cold water / outdoor swimming, I find it the most accessible place in the UK.*
The plan was for a flying visit to the capital. Friday - Sunday. Follow me on my mini London Lido Tour!
*I am more than happy to be proven wrong, so if you have any suggestions, please do get in touch!
Day One: Friday - London Fields Lido
Setting off from Carlisle and regretting my frugal journey planning, I boarded the cheapest/slowest train at 8.08 am to get to London Euston just shy of 1 pm. As the transport links in London are so brilliant I decided to book my accommodation at the Travelodge just on the other side of the road from Euston. That way I had easy access to both the underground and bus station, as Euston is a real transport hub.
A mini-history of London Fields Lido
Dumping my luggage and popping a swimming costume, light towel and Changing Tube into my rucksack I headed off to my first Lido: London Fields. London Fields was built in 1931 by the London County Council but was abandoned in the 1980s. Left to ruin, the Lido was saved by local campaigners and brought back to life in 2006.
How to get to London Fields Lido
To get to London Fields Lido from Euston, I used the underground. I find the underground such a polar opposite to what cold water swimming manifests in me. My advice for using the tube is to make sure you know your route beforehand as it is quite easy to get swept along into the throng and intensity of the crowds. If you don’t know where you are going it can be quite an uncomfortable and anxious way to travel. The route took me from using the underground to the overground service. London Fields is one of the stops on the line and the Lido is a very short walk away.
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What are London Fields Lido facilities like?
The lido is run by Better. Better is a UK-based charitable social enterprise which has leisure centres up and down the country. As a result, the facilities are very good. The changing rooms are an ‘outside shoe’ free zone as a way to promote a clean environment. There are lockers for £1 and changing cubicles, more lockers and showers are around the pool outside. I was really happy with the lane width. Compared with my local indoor Better pool, it was pure luxury. Everyone had space. It is the only Olympic-sized outdoor pool in London and what I wasn’t expecting was warm water. Not tropical but not cold either, just nicely heated. The beauty of Lidos is that when the heavens open, like it did that Friday afternoon, you get the glorious visuals of thousands of little droplets peppering the surface of the water. They create their little masterpieces that you can appreciate in the moment, and hold onto the memory of.
London Fields cost £5.70, which was the most expensive of the 3 Lidos visited over the weekend. I can’t complain. It was cheaper than Carlisle swimming baths and I had a better swimming experience. The staff there was amenable and friendly. Lovely visit!
My evening was spent socialising with my sister and her partner, who were down at the same time for a gig on Saturday. It was great to get in a mini Warmcor strategy meeting over nice beers in Soho and then a lovely Japanese meal… in China Town… I don’t make the rules!
Day Two: Saturday - A double dip in Kenwood Ladies Bathing Pond and Parliament Hill Lido
Hampstead Heath Ponds has long been on my hit list to visit when I next travelled south to London. Finally! I made it!
Using London Buses
Saturday arrived and I was greeted by a lovely clear and bright morning. Hopping on the No.1 bus from Euston, the last stop on the route was Hampstead Heath so I could just sit back and watch the streets of London wake up in the early morning sunshine. I really rate the London bus system. From Euston to Hampstead was £1.75. All I had to do was tap my bank card to join the bus. No need to tap off.
The sun was shining as I skipped off the bus and I started my morning walk to the ponds. The dog walkers and runners were out in full force while the green parakeets sang from the branches above. Admittedly, I started my journey with the intention of going to the mixed pond. However, I arrived very soon after disembarking from the bus and I wanted more of a walk so I headed to the ladies' bathing pond. There are three swimming ponds on the Heath: Ladies, Men’s and Mixed.
Why are there wild Green Parakeets in London?
Just a little side note here. There are a few urban legends about how Green Parakeets came to flourish in the wilds of London. One of them is that a jilted lover of Jimi Hendrix took her revenge on him, by releasing his parakeets out of the window when he was in London. The other is that during or after filming The African Queen with Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, their exotic co-stars escaped. Whatever happened, it is another reminder about how we all must be careful about introducing non native species into new habitats, be that a parakeet in London, or New Zealand Pigmyweed in Derwentwater. What can start small, could spread and pose a threat to the native wildlife. In the case of the parakeets, ecologists have yet to make a ruling. For now, they’re very pretty and entertaining to watch.
What it’s like to swim at Kenwood Ladies Bathing Pond
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Kenwood Ladies Bathing Pond is a very private affair. The path down to the pay cubicle is gated off with signs that only ladies are allowed. Recently the Kenwood Ladies ponds have been in the news after a vote to bar trans swimmers was lost. Some swimmers have said that this has meant that they don’t feel safe in the women-only area.
While I was there, the ladies present were relaxed and took advantage of the women-only status with nudity in the changing areas. There are cubicles if you want to use them. If they are all full, don’t forget to take your Changing Tube with you if full modesty is your thing.
A swim at the ponds cost £4.50. The desk attendant stepped out of the cabin and explained the set-up and where to go. There are toilet and shower facilities, and there are lifeguards on duty. A colourful chalkboard displayed the temperature, which told me my mini lap of the pond was in 8.5 degrees water.
Everyone there was lovely and open to chat and offer help and direction. The local wildlife was a treat swimming alongside too!
Swimming at Parliament Hill Lido
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This section may be a tad biased as I’ve been to Parliament Hill Lido before. It is still one of my favourite places to swim.
Parliament Hill Lido was opened in 1938 and was part of the London County Council’s goal to make London a city of Lidos’. Under the leadership of Herbert Morrison, 13 lidos were built in the interwar period and their goal was to bring the seaside to the city.
First experience of Parliament Hill Lido
My first trip was in 2020, mere months before Lockdown. I had such a positive experience from it that it made me want to go again, the first chance I got. It was January and the sky was crystal blue and cold. The staff were kind and talked me through the facilities. When I went, there was an event that was due to start later on in the morning so the pool was super quiet and I had a lane to myself. The water bit at my skin and I just felt so attuned to everything that was going on around me. I loved it. I would look back on that trip over Lockdown with such gratitude, that the memory stayed with me when I wasn’t allowed to get out to swim. It was also the memory I used when reading The Lido by Libby Page when I turned into a bookworm during the pandemic.
What are the facilities like at Parliament Hill Lido?
2024, and I returned. I take a leisurely stroll from Kenwood Ladies Pond and I am greeted with a queue. This was the queue for the swim and sauna tickets. These are limited in number and only available for the one-hour session. This ticket booth opens a quarter to the hour. I decided not to compete and just go in for a dip.
My Lido ticket cost £4.50. If I had purchased a sauna ticket, that would have been £7.80. The facilities aren't as good as London Fields but what I like about it is the space. There is a pavilion-esque area where, in the morning, the sun beamed down on it, making you forget that it was below 10 degrees. This was down to how the lido was designed by the 1938 architects. They wanted to reduce shadows but capture the sun, to promote a nice sunbathing experience. Goal achieved! There are cafe facilities on site, as well as lifeguards that spontaneously burst into song.
Your belongings are left where you leave them but don’t fear. There is a lovely aura of comradery at the lido that makes you feel safe in the knowledge that your stuff will be all present and correct upon your return. If that doesn’t appeal, there are lockers in the main entrance area of the building.
Would I return to Parliament Hill Lido again? If there weren’t loads of other lidos to try out in London and across the country, then yes I most certainly would return. Parliament Hill will always be a firm favourite of mine.
Sunday
Call it a packing fail or a hotel room heating fail, but my kit wasn’t dry enough to get in another lido before my train back, so I took myself off for a walk along the river. I was very fortunate that the sun was beaming again.
What cold water swimming teaches us
I believe that what cold water swimming teaches us is to notice the little things. Walking along the Thames I enjoyed noticing the little details which we probably have to thank the Victorians for and most people might idly walk by. The lampposts of ornate fishes, the seating areas with sphinxes and camels as armrests. Cold water has taught me to be present and to relish the moment as it’s nice little details like that, that make London special and why I enjoy these flying trips.
I’m looking forward to my next London Mini Lido Tour. If you have a Lido that you think I should try, please do get in touch!
