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Original poster

Unheated pool

34 replies

Funkyslippers · 05/07/2022 15:25

Just realised the pool where we're staying in Portugal in July is unheated - will it be warm enough for a wimp like me to swim in? Thanks

OP posts:
MissBattleaxe · 05/07/2022 15:27

We had an unheated pool on a holiday in Southern Spain one April and I found it unbearable. July might be a bit better. There would have been time for the sun to warm it up a bit.

IWasFunBeforeMum · 05/07/2022 15:28

Ours in August in Portugal was freezing, couldn't go in it.

MsSquiz · 05/07/2022 15:30

We've done Portugal in July with an unheated pool. I found the kids/baby pool unbearable because I couldn't fully get under the water to regulate my temp.
The normal pool was slightly better, particularly in the afternoon once the sun had warmed it slightly.

easyday · 05/07/2022 15:56

Well my mum used to swim in her unheated pool in Spain til mid October. As a kid we used to swim in unheated pools here (England). Y'all are too soft!

maddy68 · 05/07/2022 16:00

In July it will be warm. Most pools are unheated they get the heat from the sun

Lineala · 05/07/2022 16:05

We were in Portugal in March with an unheated pool, and it was fine, this time of year absolutely no problem. We were swimming in the river in the UK last week and it was lovely.

Augend23 · 05/07/2022 16:07

If it has a pool cover make sure you put it on every night at sunset/when you finish using it, whichever is the later. It will help prevent heat loss overnight and keep it warmer.

pollypeepants · 05/07/2022 16:09

Just back. We had an unheated pool and once in it was lovely. Bit cold going in though, best to jump right in and get it over with!
Our pool got the sun all day so if your pool is in the shade for part of the day it might be different.

Oblomov22 · 05/07/2022 16:17

Majorca, 27 degrees, but pool was freezing, we jumped in and jumped straight out, every single day. Wasn't for the faint hearted.

123Callie · 05/07/2022 16:20

Portugal isn’t as hot as Spain. I find unheated pools there too cold even in August sometimes. If it has a cover that will help.

bigbluebus · 05/07/2022 16:23

We had an unheated pool in Southern Italy in September and it was absolutely freezing. DH went in it once and I only dipped a toe in. And in my youth I used to swim in an unheated pool in the UK all the time. Couldn't do it now!

Nugg · 05/07/2022 16:23

Greece was fine I heated last week. Gets warmer as the day goes on if in the sun obviously but the sea is like a bath!

CombatBarbie · 05/07/2022 16:25

Place we used to go to in Spain was unheated, was bearable in Apr..well the kids were in it, I wasn't, fine in summer, unbearable in Oct.

Hoppinggreen · 05/07/2022 16:25

easyday · 05/07/2022 15:56

Well my mum used to swim in her unheated pool in Spain til mid October. As a kid we used to swim in unheated pools here (England). Y'all are too soft!

We use our un heated pool in Spain in October.
Its cold but not fatal

Oceanus · 05/07/2022 16:32

I'm home in Portugal staring at an unheated pool. There are about 20 people out and about enjoying themselves and a lot of very happy screaming kids. You'll be fine.

Roselilly36 · 05/07/2022 16:34

In a wet suit, maybe! Otherwise no way, it will be freezing.

DanceWithYourBalloon · 05/07/2022 16:35

A couple of weeks ago our pool here in SW France reached 29 degrees. It was lovely.

Oceanus · 05/07/2022 16:47

Roselilly36 · 05/07/2022 16:34

In a wet suit, maybe! Otherwise no way, it will be freezing.

Let me assure you global warming has very much arrived in Portugal! My neighbours have been using the unheated pool since April. I'm too lazy to cross the street to go to the beach but I saw plenty of parked cars this morning so I assume the fog isn't stopping anyone either, now that is cold water.

PipeScatter · 05/07/2022 16:52

I'm a wimp with cold water but I managed to get in the sea off the coast of the UK in May. Once you're in it's fine - just go quickly! It feels amazing when you get out and you get those lovely warm shivers!

PipeScatter · 05/07/2022 16:53

I hasten to add - there were no warm shivers getting out of the North Sea in May... I was thinking more of the lovely Portuguese warm sunshine in July! 😂

MisgenderedSwan · 05/07/2022 17:01

We stayed at a hotel with an unheated pool in Spain at the start of June and it was lovely to be able to dip in the cool (not cold) water out of the sun. Portugal in July will be absolutely fine. Never known an outdoor pool in Spain or Portugal be heated.

SkiingIsHeaven · 05/07/2022 17:06

Getting in is hard but once you are in you are in and it is great. You don't feel the cold after a while.

Yodaisawally · 05/07/2022 17:10

Should be ok unless it's olympic diving depth. Is there an option to heat if you wanted to pay?

Ratched · 05/07/2022 17:14

I swim in the North sea 4 times a week,,winter and summer.
We had an unheated pool in Tenerife and it was bloody freezing🤣

The warmer the air temperature, the colder the water feels. In my experience anyway!

Costacoffeeplease · 05/07/2022 17:15

I’ve been swimming in my unheated pool for months now, in the algarve.