To wish you could still just turn up & swim

No pre-booking at any pools near me.

The 45 min thing is really annoying. It churns everyone out into the changing rooms at the same time into sensory chaos. 45 mins is too short to waste the session time to get out early to shower and beat the crowd surging out as the next session ploughs in. It's only just worth the travel: time ratio.

It was a brilliant example of counter-productive Coz Covid- let's Social Distance the swimming session then overlap everyone in the changing rooms together 🤦‍♀️

I never had issues with pool capacity in the early 2000s, turn up, swim, leave when ready and all for £2. Those were the days.

I took up open water swimming in the end. It's less aggro. The swans are easier company than Splashy Front Crawl Man too.

It's like that at soft play too. You have to book at least a week in advance, otherwise it's full, then you only get 2 hours and it's heaving.

No it was the same when my kids were little 20 years ago. Only you couldn’t pre book.

the swimming pools were open for a hour at a time around lessons, lane swimming, aquarobics etc.

then they had a rule where under fives had to be one adult one child supervision, and under 7’s one adult two children. That meant the session filled up extremely quickly, if you weren’t queuing 30 mins earlier you were stuffed.

then they had the amazing idea to make swimming free for under 16’s. Great in theory, but meant groups of 20 or 30 teens went in and everyone else turned away.

i think I even got as far as writing to my mp about the lack of accessibility. I had something like 5 pools within easy reach, and it wasn’t unusual to have to drive between 2 or 3 before we got in.

Very annoying I agree. I love being spontaneous.

Agree, it’s annoying. I don’t want to have to decide a week ago that I fancy taking the kids swimming.

I much prefer the booking system. I used to hate going for a swim and finding it really crowded.

I hate having to book everything. I’m not sure if we have to book for swimming as I haven’t been for ages, but so many things you need to book for nowadays. Sometimes you just want to decide what to do last minute.

Although I’d rather book than be turned away, we never actually used to be turned away from anything.

At the council one near us you can just turn up - we did over the Easter holidays - but for the one with the waves and the lazy river and the ice skating etc I think you have to pre-book and yes it's annoying; you can't just take each day as it comes as easily when you have to plan everything in advance.

Less pools, more people wanting to use them. Supply can't keep up with demand

Yes, it’s a Covid hangover. It’s also eye watering expensive - £40 for a family of four here 😩

I remember during covid we paid 30 quid for our family to go swimming. We had 45 minutes in the pool before being slung out for the next load of people went in!

Our adult pool, now not only do you have to book a timed session but also what lane you want to swim in! Fast, medium or slow!

I start off medium then end up slow but that's not allowed!

Agree Covid used as an excuse, not the only thing where you cannot just turn up and pay on the door if there is space.

We have several pools in the area and never have to book. School swimming sessions only take up part of the lane swimming pool (and then there are usually other options available). Never heard of anyone being turned away, either. Most of our outdoor pools have opened by now as well so there are loads to choose from.

I don’t know how it was in the 90s, but it’s how it was where I live in London before Covid. Crowded and unpleasant when it came to pools, soft plays and other children’s venues. As I said, I much prefer the current booking system.

Everyone Active are shite though, absolutely buggered my local pool. You have to pre-book whether you want a fast, medium or slow lane... That's really not how it works irl surely? You get there and compare your speed to the others in the pool... It's all relative! Proper pisses on my chips that one 🤣

I hate not being able to stay as long the children want to.

It's one of those hangovers from covid that's really irritating. They do it to avoid people staying all day so they can get more people in and make more money.

I have to book "sessions" for a family swim I but I also have swim membership at my gym which was sold to me as unlimited access to turn up and swim whenever I like. But it's rarely the case as there always seems to be something going on in the lanes pool, some local swim group they've rented it out to or something or school swimming lessons or the pool is full of giant inflatables for a kid's birthday party so I turn up, get changed and then have to go home again. Pisses me right off.
Once I called to check if there was anything going on and if I could swim and they said yes, but when I got there, the pool was full of teeny boppers, there was rave music, disco lights and a constant wave machine on for three hours. They were like "you're still welcome to use the pool though" 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

Just another aspect of modern life that pisses me off. I should be on that "grumpy old women" show.

Really? That was never an issue at any of the pools I went to in the nineties - we just turned up whenever and went for a swim!

Booking is irrelevant - unless they insist on booking 30 mins in advance or whatever you could just turn up and do it on your phone before entering!
In my local area quite a few pools never re-opened after covid. So of course the remaining ones are busier.

if there's no space unless pre-booked OP, there simply isn't. You could get turned away at the door, same difference.

I’d much rather pre-book and know that I have a slot, that I won’t have to wait to go inside (if there are too many people already) and that it won’t be overcrowded.

My eldest is 25. When he was small we would get turned away if we weren’t in the queue 15 minutes before the session started.

Anyone turning up on time or within the first few minutes of the session starting could not get in.

This is not a new problem in busy areas. Back in the 80s they didn’t worry about overcrowding so much, and fewer people took their children to the pool anyway. For the last 20+ years it has been an issue.

But it was only pre-COVID that you could still just turn up and swim - we're not talking about the eighties or anything.

It’s also the slots though- schools 9-12, lanes 12-1, free swimming 1-3, lessons 3-6, clubs 6-8, women only 8-9.

Inflatables, polo or clubs at the weekend. It’s a bit chunked up. If you are late to a slot you’ve missed it.