To think there is a severe lack of outdoor swimming venues in the UK?

[pinkmagic1]

I love swimming but hate sweaty indoor pools.
Today we went to Rutland water which has a man made beach and an area, watched by a life guard where you can swim. It was absolutely heaving.
We travelled over 30 miles to get there as there are no such places near where we live. All the lidos have closed and there used to be a lake with similar facilities nearby when I was younger but these are long gone. The lake still allows open water swimming clubs which is great, but nothing for a family wanting to enjoy a day in the water. People do still swim there but they get in trouble if caught.
Aibu to wish there were more places for safe and permitted outdoor swimming?

There are loads and loads of ponds in the Lea valley (Essex) but I can't find that any of them permit swimming. I did see signs up round one the other day that indicated swimming HAD been allowed there but no longer is. It's a pity - the owners of places where you could swim don't want the responsibility, I think.

We have an outdoor pool in our garden. Unfortunately it's undergoing repair so I can't even use it :( :( 7 months pregnant too. Humph

Except we live in England and this year there's only been about 4 days warm enough to use an outdoor pool without a wetsuit. More affordable indoor pools make sense, and sessions not at 6am or 9pm without screaming kids!!!

We have two outdoor swimming pools near us and an outdoor swimming lake set up for open water swims.

Loads in Cumbria - we went swimming in a river last night and DH and DS swam in a different river today. I was at Salford Quays this afternoon and there were lots of people of all ages swimming in the basins around the Manchester Ship Canal. You just need water - it doesn't necessarily need to be a designated swimming place with a lifeguard.

Wetsuits are not necessary, the body acclimatizes and it's possible to swim in just a swimsuit all year round.

It's perfectly safe if you take care to acclimatize yourself, are sensible, don't take risks and don't combine swimming with drinking.

At least nine or ten months of the year are too cold for outdoor swimming or too wet. It’s just not necessary.

They have cleaned up part of Salford Quays for outdoor swimming haven't they?The problem with undesignated areas is every year there is a tragedy just a couple of days a go in young girl died drowning in the river irwell

It's never too cold for outdoor swimming in the UK. Lakes, rivers, large ponds, and the sea should all be open to the public for swimming at their own risk.

We definitely need more lidos. Heated, many are used year round.
I swim in sea most of the year but accept it’s not for everyone. It is a brilliant treatment for depression and a surprising number of other conditions p, so it should be promoted more but zealous safety police try to sell the message it’s dangerous rather than teaching how to do it safely. I’d love more tidal pools too.

DD and I went to Cirencester outdoor pool for the first time today. Felt like we were on holiday! Just half an hour drive for us and no waiting. It was great. It’s open May-Sept

There's one locally. It gets very busy. People pitch up from afar for the whole day on v hot days like today and then there's a queue with a one out one in system snaking all the way round the car park.

I don't know if many of the locals bother trying to get in.

It would be a waste of money for councils to build outdoor swimming pools, they could only be used for two month of the year and I’m sure at the moment they have better things to spend their budget on!

Private outdoor pools have closed down a lot in the past few decades so doubt they are profitable so they aren’t going to build more.

So that's that then

Tons of free wild-swimming near me, as well as 2-3 outdoor pools. Plus the coast too.

I think you either love outdoor sailing or you don’t 🤷‍♀️ I find it much more refreshing and cleaner than the chemical soup of a usual pool. The water where I swim is crystal clear. Below 15 degrees I wear a wetsuit over 15 I don’t bother. Water temperature that is not air temp. This year I did winter swim club and venue has strict rules about winter swimming and you have to do an induction course but I loved it. Something quite cool about swimming in the cold (literally!)

@flashbac yep have a google;

1. activities away near Lincoln (my Current fav)
2. hart hill reservoir near Sheffield
3. Hatfield outdoor marina near Doncaster
4. manvers near Rotherham
5. Hathersage outdoor pool near Sheffield
6. pugneys lake near Leeds

All run supervised outdoor swimming sessions.

Hope that helps 👍

@flashbac oh also woodhall spa outdoor pool but that’s slightly outside the 1 hour radius!

I think rather than a lack of outdoor swimming, you just live in the wrong place OP 😄

The one fairly close to us (fairly northern, lots of hills) is heated and open all year round now. I'm not sure if it's heated past October/November though. On a day like today there'd be a 2 hour queue to get in. It holds Christmas eve and New Year's Day swim events plus live music and even cinema nights. We love it. I went with dd in April and it was perfect. Pool was 27 degrees, air was 10 degrees. Chip barm and an ice cream afterwards

OP just swim in your local lake. Noone can actually prosecute you for it.

@pinkmagic1 please don’t take @pierre advice it’s actually incredibly dangerous to swim outdoors without proper introduction as people get shocked by the cold panic and drown and here will be no one to help. Please please only go to supervised sessions. I have been a lifeguard in the past both pool and sea and lake and it’s so important to be supervised.

I have also had the unfortunate experience of pulling a 12 year old child from the water as a ‘civvy’ and I will never forget that. Thank god she survived but only because me and my mate were quick enough to get to her. Horrendous.

@Whatelsecouldibecalled thousands of people (probably more) wild swim in the UK each year with absolutely no supervision whatsoever.

Only a tiny minority of those get hurt or drown.

Absolutely nothing wrong with it so long as you take sensible precautions.

It's too bloody cold for 90% of the year.

Horrible memories of school swimming lessons at the town Lido. In November.

@adaline agree they probably do and most take proper precautions but the op was asking for ‘family’ outdoor swimming which I maybe wrongly assumed meant children too. The safest way to do this unless experienced would be with a supervised session.

I love wild swimming myself but know that I need warm dry clothes to get into, food for after and I know my limits.

Lots of people think a dip in a lake to cool off is great but get into difficulty and don’t know how to sort themselves out.

Absolutely agree sensible precautions are a must

There's one in Faversham near me but I didn't dare go down today, I bet it was heaving!