Are you a David Lloyd member? Swimming pools

[CheeryOchreCat]

A new David Lloyd is opening not far from us, and I am potentially interested in joining.

However, I'd like to understand a bit more about how they operate their pools. The new club will have one 20-metre indoor pool and one 25-metre outdoor pool. I appreciate each club will likely be slightly different but I'd like to hear from current members about how their pools are organised, especially if you have a set-up similar to what the new club will have.

Is there lane swimming available at all times? While I appreciate this will be club-specific, does it ever get mega-busy during lane sessions? Is it permitted to use equipment like fins and hand paddles?

Similarly, are the pool(s) regularly taken over for kids' swimming lessons, aqua aerobics and stuff like that?

What about during the school holidays? Are there adults-only times for the pools?

One of the main things attracting me to DL is the possibility of more choice when it comes to lane swimming times. We have a council pool but lane swimming is restricted to certain hours, and over the weekend especially it's very limited as there's swimming lessons, family swim and so forth. The pool itself is also small and the lanes get very busy. During the school holidays the lane swimming times reduce even further.

DL haven't released much info about the new club yet so it's hard to find out about how things might work, and I don't know any DL members in person.

Thanks for any insight!

Not a member but family are so I go as a guest. Bits of the indoor pool are frequently blocked off for lessons. It’s always super noisy as there are loads of kids. The outdoor pool is much quieter until the eeagher warms up then it is also noisy and busy.

Thanks for this. I am actually most interested in the outdoor pool as I think 25 metres is kinda the minimum for proper lane swimming, so useful to know it's often not busy. Though I can imagine it as the weather improves!

I've learned that some branches have a dedicated kids' pool. I must check if the new one will include that, as it would likely take some pressure off the main pools. Have a 2-year-old myself and would like to take her swimming, but I also want times where I can actually swim!

I'm a member. Pretty much always Lane swimming available. Our one restricts outdoor pool.to adults only until 4 pm and then kids 4-6pm during week days. Weekends it's open to kids for the whole time. They have lifeguards on duty when kids swim. So it's really great if you're there without kids for the whole day in the week to sunbathe quietly. Then go to the spa which is adults only while kids are in the pool then go back again if really want to.

The spa is absolutely fantastic. I go 2 to 3 times a week and it is the absolute high light. I also enjoy the yoga and sound bath and my family play tennis, user the gym equipment and we all play badminton a couple of times a month. It is v v expensive but we use it a lot and it's wirth it to us.

Ex member.

the outdoor pool was open all year. Most of the year - autumn winter and spring there are very few people in it. In summer it can get busy but my club always had two lanes roped off for lane swimming.

the indoor pool mostly was two lanes for lane swimming and (the equivalent of) two lanes of just space. There was a very small toddler pool aswell,

between 3pm-about 6pm most weekdays the indoor pool was used for lessons and no lane swimming was available but the outdoor pool wax always open.

the outdoor pool was heated but not as much as the indoor pool. Usually 20-25 degrees which is fine if you are swimming.

I am a member. Ours has a kids pool, but it is only for very little ones as it’s not big, and very shallow.
There is always at least half of the pool for lengths ( so two lanes)
They have Adults only sessions, kids swimming lessons, and Aqua exercise classes.
It can get noisy but I find it really quiet late morning - early afternoon. And of course the spa, sauna and steam room are pretty good.

Long term member.
We have indoor 25m and outdoor 20m (are you sure yours will be the other way around, seems unusual?).
Lane swimming almost always available. Can be limited 4-6pm weekdays due to lessons but even then they try to have 1 lane if at all possible.
Adults only before 10am.
Expensive, but good facilities.

I used to be a member. It was the other way around , 25m indoor 20 out. I’d go use the outdoor pool after I dropped the kids at school and it was relatively quiet with a few older ladies slowly going up and down for a few lengths and occasionally some one much more serious plowing through the fast lane. Something lovely going outside in January with the steam riding off the pool. There was always lane swimming but say a quarter of the indoor pool would get blocked off for lessons in the afternoon and I did take my kids for ‘fun’ swim when half the pool was open and the other half lane. I don’t recall them ever having lessons outside but I’m sure the pool was available for fun swim at weekends and maybe after school. What I liked about it too was they had a café and I’d meet a friend at the pool with her kids and after we’d go to the restaurant for the kids to have supper (there was even a segregated part for kids) and we’d have a glass of wine. DL is expensive though we were family members as my DH used it every morning at 6am when the serious swimmers were there.

Thank you everyone.

I've double checked and yes, it is says the 25-metre pool is the outdoor one, with the 20-metre one being the indoor pool. There will also be the splash pools for little ones as part of the indoor pool.

I often get to use an outdoor heated pool near my office and yes, it's bliss, especially in the winter, so I'm quite excited about the possibility of that at DL! But I would describe myself as 'serious [one] plowing through the fast lane' so having proper space to swim is important, as is being able to use my various bits of swim equipment. From the replies it sounds like for much of the year at least, the outdoor pool (which is the one I'm most interested in) is fairly quiet, which is appealing. Summer, I might need to deal with the 6 weeks of school holidays.

I'm aware it's expensive. DL haven't released any info about membership costs yet at this club, so I'm holding my breath for that! I suspect it'll be expensive as it seems like it has everything (spa, courts etc.) plus it'll be brand new.

If we got my daughter a membership, does it include swimming lessons or are those extra?

Swimming lessons were extra at mine.

They never objected to equipment - floats, hand paddles etc at mine.

I thought I was hallucinating, I just replied to this thread on Reddit

Guilty 😅

I used to be a member at one and recently did a 2 week trial at another one. The 2 week trials are great for trying things out but only certain times they offer them. Ours was Nov/Dec time I think.

Outdoor pool was adults only a lot of the time and heated - when we went years ago it was well heated, when we did trial it was freezing and made it challenging to use. In summer kids were a lot and it got a bit like a kids party but was just school holidays and left indoor pool empty. The indoor pool has kids in until 8pm, it also was pretty cold though useable as long as swimming which I was. It had swimming lessons up until 8pm which blocked a fair amount but then no kids after 8pm and open until late. Spa was adults only. Prices have risen so much, we used to have 4 of us for £200 a month, now its far more which is why we haven't rejoined. It also seems now its more about a spa than swimming at our one.

Swimming lessons are extra. Kids clubs were included for most ages.

Our DL has the same set up as the new one- indoor 20m and outdoor 25m. It opened in 2023 so I think this is probably the standard new layout.

There are always two lanes in each pool marked off for proper swimming at all times, though this tends to be tricky in midsummer afternoons as kids will go into the laned off area to jump or somersault or whatever.

Both pools are adults only 6--10 am and 7-9pm weekdays and 7-9am and 6-9pm weekends.

I swim fairly seriously so trot out to the outdoor pool with my floats, pullbuoy, fins, paddles etc and no-one has ever queried it, except for "what brand is that" discussions.

We joined before it opened as there was no joining fee and a discount on month membership. We pay £250 per month for a family of 3 - DD is off at University so comes in on guest passes when she's about. They are generous with guest passes (to encourage more members!)

I used to go to David Lloyd and loved the outdoor pool. I would go during the week on my lunch break or sometimes weekend mornings and I usually had a lane to myself or just sharing with one other. I never saw kids in that pool - they usually were using the indoor one on the weekends. On hot summer days, the outdoor pool was rammed though - lots of young adults sat around outside socialising like a pool party vibe. This was on weekdays so really surprised me!

the spa was always rammed though

Mine is 20m outside and 25 inside. Inside has aquarobics and children's swimming lessons multiple times a week, plus a serious swim training session called "triathlon swim" a couple of times a week. They still have one lane roped off for lengths even at those times, generally.

Worth asking about e.g. fins. Floats and the thing you grip between your legs (name escaping me currently) are definitely fine but I feel like there was a fuss on the Facebook group maybe a year ago about not being allowed to use either fins or snorkels, can't remember which.

The outdoor pool at mine never has anything roped off for lengths but is reasonably quiet in the winter and anyone in there is generally doing lengths or cooling off along one side after using the sauna (no plunge pool at ours but the newer ones usually have one so avoid that). In the summer it is definitely busy all day every day through the summer holidays but you could probably get some lengths in after 4pm. It is also busy any warm day at the weekends probably from May to the end of September, but again doable after 4ish for us. Probably worth checking if they'll rope a lane off in the summer - I haven't ever asked at ours and just avoid peak times if I want to swim, or swim inside when the weather is good. May be worth checking out/asking to visit early morning if you're an early swimmer as ours is busier then as well, but still doable for sure.

It's vastly more flexible than the council pool, and that's the same reason I joined.

I really enjoy the fact the outdoor pool is heated but cold enough you don't overheat if you're powering along. Swimming in the dark on winter's evening is also wonderful.

That’s about what it costs for a single person membership at my local one! Why I’m no longer a member

Sounds like I'll need to ask about equipment like fins. Maddeningly, our council pool doesn't allow fins (even when you're alone in the fast lane), but the council-run pools in the neighbouring authority do! I'd have thought somewhere like DL would allow it. Snorkels I could kinda understand restricting, especially if there isn't a lifeguard regularly to keep on eye on you while using it: I'm a pretty proficient swimmer and find myself out of breath easily with a snorkel!

Just to warn you if the larger pool is outside then it is likely to busier than the DLs where the outdoor pool is 20m as most people wanting to do serious lengths will go for 25m. The outdoor pool is adults only through the winter, but it's opened up to families through the summer holidays, although not all day, and as you would expect it's full of kids on the warmer days, especially at weekends.

The pool in my DL does get busy at the times you would expect it to, but there is always lane swimming available indoor and out, even when there are lessons on.

I've seen people using equipment but I generally swim at the quieter times of day, they may restrict if it's busy. The lifeguards at mine are very hot on applying the rules - as they should be of course.

Here it’s 25m outside, 20m inside. The outside pool is bliss for 3/4 of the year and then it gets busy with people hanging out and kids. Last summer you could feel and smell the sun screen, and taste it. The outside pool didn’t get cleaned frequently enough - airborne leaves and hair clumps. Flying ant day was an experience I don’t want to repeat. I gave up swimming at weekends during the summer unless it was 7-8am or after 7pm due to the children everywhere.

We cancelled our membership as it wasn’t worth the money. I loved the pools and the regular swimming but due to my own schedule it was as very difficult to go at times when it would be most pleasant.

I don't mind at all sharing lanes with others, I'm well used to it, so I wouldn't mind if the outdoor one was busier than at other clubs. But I am keen that there is dedicated lane time and the ability to actually swim: I do around 3k per session usually. If I'm sharing the pool with serious swimmers I don't mind at all, especially if the rules are actually enforced.

We were members of our local club - DH was only interested in the pool and we gave up our membership because it was a nightmare. Often only one lane open when aquarobics and other classes on (the kids classes etc), who make the water so turbulent you feel like you are swimming in the North Sea during a storm. Then there are the nights the triathlon team have 2/3 of the pool and you are forced to swim with the pairs of old ladies doing breast stroke who tut and complain if you need to get past them. He was a county swimmer in his teens and is a strong, fast and proficient swimmer. He just wanted to get in, do a hard 20mins before or after work and then head out. The pool looked lovely but any pretence at protected, always-available, dedicated fast lanes, was precisely that - a pretence.

Ours has 25m indoor and 20m outdoor. I never use the outdoor, so can't comment on that.

I go twice a week to swim (now for 50 minutes); the indoor pool is split in half, with one half further split into a fast and a slow lane. Between 1pm-2pm is adult-only swimming. I try to time my swim around lunchtime - so from 12.30 up till 2pm, as it seems to be quieter then. I'm an off-peak member, so can't go before 11.

The lanes are always present in the indoor pool.

I've seen one person use fins, but only once - no-one seemed to be stopping them though.

In general, I usually manage to get a lane to myself. I'm not especially keen on sharing a lane, so if both lanes are occupied I'll sometimes swim in the other half of the pool, depending on who else is in there.

If you do decide to join, check out the DL app, where you'll find timetables for each day. On certain days/at certain times there will be swimming lessons going on, which potentially could make the pool busier. At ours, on Thursday, there's an aqua class, which takes up the non-lane half of the pool. I've found that if I time my swim for when the class is on, sometimes it makes the lanes quiet. However, you do need to be careful to make sure you leave the pool before or after they finish, so that there is a shower available to use!

I looked at joining our council gym/pool before I decided on DL, but didn't like the fact that a) the pool was often very busy, and was used for local schools' swimming lessons at all times of the day, and b) you have to book the time of your swim. I like the flexibiilty of going when I want to.

Thanks for the thread as there is a DL opening near DHs office later this year and we were talking about whether the swimming would be worth it for me as our local pool drives me nuts with such restricted lane swimming - the lido in season is way better for that (and a glorious 50m) but the parking is terrible and takes twice the time to get to

I was a member but gave up my membership. This (along with getting rid of all outdoor tennis courts for padel/parking) was a huge reason why.
The outdoor pool becomes almost unusable in school holidays. Child free times become minimal and I found that as soon as there was a nice day, they would extend the children’s time or get rid of the child-free time altogether on the basis that ‘it was too good to waste’. The trouble is they know their money comes from families spending on lessons, food, etc and therefore prioritise keeping kids happy over people going there to swim/exercise.

Download the DL app, choose a club and you'll be able to see the wide variety in opening & adult only times for the outdoor pools!

At my club the outdoor pool is adult only before 10am & after 6pm in school holidays, adult only 100% of the time outside of that