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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be gobsmacked by the price of swimming

36 replies

catgirl1976 · 30/03/2015 16:20

I have a rare day off with DS, who is 3.

Dsis has an 8 month old and suggested we take them swimming together. She is a member of a local gym based on a holiday park type thing. There's a nice pool with fountains and slides etc.

So off we go. DSis doesn't have to pay as she's a member.

I walk up to the desk and say 1 adult and a 3 year old for swimming please.

That will be FIFTEEN POUNDS please.

Is it just me or is that insane? I paid and we had a nice time (40 minutes). You only get 1.5 hours and then you have to leave Hmm and DNephew needed a nap at 3pm so 40 minutes it was.

I'm still reeling a bit. Is that normal pricing nowadays?

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mumhum · 30/03/2015 16:23

That is extortionate. At my local pool I pay £4.25 as a non-member and DS1 is free, and will be up to aged 7. No fountains or slides though.

nochocolateforlentteacake · 30/03/2015 16:24

Is it a private gym? That's bloody awful. Our local council gym is free for kids and £2 for residents.

...but now you have to excuse me while I go and ask my neighbour why why why she is playing the same 3 musical notes over and over and over again on an electronic piano/kids toy, and has been doing so for the last 20 minutes. Boo Booo Boooop....

Schooldifferences · 30/03/2015 16:27

I think swimming is extortionate at the 4-5 quid a time. I think yours is different as youre basically paying to use the faciliities at a holiday park.

There is one we used to visit in Devon which was cheap as chips in term time, day time... and then a similar price at weekend/school holidays!

Original poster
catgirl1976 · 30/03/2015 16:27

Yes it is a private gym, also open to residents on the small holiday park. I was expecting too be more than the local council pool, but maybe in my head I thought £6 for me and either free or maybe £2ish for DS

I am still Shock

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CaptainAnkles · 30/03/2015 16:31

My local pool charges £10 for a family of four, and you can stay in as long as you want, so I would've been Shock as well.

Original poster
catgirl1976 · 30/03/2015 16:34

DS went down the slides 3 times. That's £5 a go. Shock

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irretating · 30/03/2015 16:35

That is very expensive compared to a council run swimming pool.

iliketea · 30/03/2015 16:37

I'm not surprised if it's a private gym. I'm a member of a gym with a pool and it would be £15 for an adult and child to go in with a member too.

Original poster
catgirl1976 · 30/03/2015 16:38

I'm curious about nochocolates neighbour. Is it like Close Encounters? Are they trying to communicate with some extra terrestials?

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Original poster
catgirl1976 · 30/03/2015 16:39

Lesson learned anyway. Council pool next time. If DS wants a fountain I'll take a watering can and improvise Grin

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OnIlkleyMoorBahTwat · 30/03/2015 16:45

It's not really that much for fountains and slides in a private facility TBH. It's nice that they let guests in as a one off, a lot of places don't. I'd love to be able to go to a pool with slides on occasion, but we don't have anything nearby. Our council pools charge 4.60 for adults and 2.50 for children, so 7.10 just for swimming in a normal pool.

Was it 10 and 5 for you and the 3 year old? I'm sure it's not on the same scale as a proper waterpark, but they often cost about 20 per person to get in. Wasn't the best idea to go when it was nearly nap time though - that wasn't their fault.

Original poster
catgirl1976 · 30/03/2015 16:48

There were 2 short slides (maybe 10 meters long) and the fountain thing. It wasn't like a water park. It's only a small pool. It wasn't even that clean tbh.

Buy hey ho, we won't go again.

Looking at the website it seems they hike the prices up for school holidays.

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ghostspirit · 30/03/2015 16:54

round here is 3.80 for an adult. children under 16 with a libary card swim for free

vestandknickers · 30/03/2015 16:58

That does seem on the high side, but I guess if its a private pool they can charge what they like.

Our local pool is great with a massive slide and fountains and I pay £12 for me and two children. We stay in for hours though and it is a healthy, fun thing to do so worth every penny!

mumhum · 30/03/2015 17:02

Did DSis not realise how much it was for you to pay when inviting you? I appreciate she pays as a member but she should be aware of what it costs for guests.

kinkyfuckery · 30/03/2015 17:03

£15?? Bloody hell, puddle next time!!

Did you find out how much was for you and how much for DS? Why on earth did you pay it? How much does Dsis' membership cost?

Charlotte3333 · 30/03/2015 17:06

Wow, that's ridiculous. We go to the same pool that the DCs have swimming lessons in, so it's free for them and £2 for me.

redautumnleaves · 30/03/2015 17:16

I've just got back from swimming at a local leisure centre with dd - £8.70 for the two of us! Crazy - although there were a lot of life guards watching, so I suppose we are paying for that. Certainly the money is not paying for the state of the changing rooms - Tiny, not enough of them and filthy, especially the floor.

Original poster
catgirl1976 · 30/03/2015 17:21

DSis was as shocked as I was. And she bought a coffee and a cake for DS later to make up for it :)

I shudder to think how much her membership is

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Original poster
catgirl1976 · 30/03/2015 17:22

(Coffee for me, cake for DS that is)

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BabyGanoush · 30/03/2015 17:26

extraordinary! Is it fancy, with slides and stuff?

Our local one is £3.75 for adults, kids are often free as we live in a "fat area" and the council promotes swimming for kids to combat obesity.

twirlypoo · 30/03/2015 17:35

I took Ds to splash landings at alton towers last week and that was only £7 and was awesome! Shock

bloodyteenagers · 30/03/2015 17:38

Ours you have to buy a pass. Anything from a day to a week.
A day is a tenner. But for that you can use everything. However the tenner also applied to the dc's.
The pool however during certain times has waves, fountains and slides.
This is council.

Private is cheaper. Can take me and ds in for under a tenner.

pinkdelight · 30/03/2015 17:51

I'm surprised you're so surprised! Private gyms run on membership fees. Most don't admit non-members or only do so at high rates. Makes sense as they want people to join. Doesn't make sense for them to charge low amounts to attract the wider public. The members pay for a private facility. Surely this is all obvious from the private business model? Comparing it to council pool prices (even your £6/£2 example) is daft. They are there 'for all', the private one is 'exclusive'.

Original poster
catgirl1976 · 30/03/2015 18:06

The gym is private but is the pool is open to the public and heavily advertised as such. It's not particularly fancy - plus you are limited to 1.5 hours. The whole site is both a holiday park and a local leisure facility open to the public, with horse riding, a spa, a hotel, Starbucks, Papa Johns etc.

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