Loving the Lido Life – Part 1

Summer has emerged from the strange spring that we encountered this year. Now the sun has made a long-awaited appearance, my thoughts turn to swimming. Not being a cold-water swimmer, I would say lidos are more my style. Lidos are joyful, relaxing, and rejuvenating places. These attributes are big draws for me, so throughout my life I have visited lidos wherever possible.

Casting my mind back to my childhood and teenage days in the 1980s, I remember spending hours in the summer holidays swimming and sunbathing. One location for these activities was Aldershot Lido in Hampshire. It was (and still is by all accounts) a fun-filled playground for families. I’ve recently found out that the lido was opened in 1930 and was used for the 1948 London Olympics for part of the Pentathlon competition. The renowned lido is open for swimmers every year from May to September.

When I think of the Aldershot Lido it conjures up memories of being there with my family and friends. There was always a sense of excitement when we were heading over there – either in the car or by bus. Once in situ we would spread out our picnic things and towels for the day. I recall looking over to the high diving board in awe, never quite summoning up the courage to take the plunge off it. I think I did dive from the smaller board occasionally though.

I’ve not visited the Aldershot pool for about 35 years, mainly due to living in Basingstoke and perhaps because it’s more the domain of families. I am pleased to see it’s still going, as we do hear that several of these wonderful places have closed never to be brought back to life. I think I’ve passed the family-friendly lido baton onto the next generations. For anyone wanting to visit the Aldershot Lido, please follow the link for booking times and prices: https://www.placesleisure.org/centres/aldershot-lido/centre-activities/prices-booking/

There is a fantastic and unique lido that I’ve visited more recently, which deserves special mention. I went there as part of my honeymoon with my husband James, in September 2021. It’s called the Jubilee Lido and is on the seafront of Penzance in Cornwall. The Art Deco lido was opened in 1935, having been designed by Captain F Latham, the Borough Engineer. The site has been through many ups and downs but has survived sea weather damage in 2014 and possible closure to come back stronger.

On this occasion we had booked in advance for a session in the saltwater main pool. When we arrived at the gates though we read that the water temperature was a cooling 18°C. We decided to upgrade to the Geothermal pool experience. Much more our scene at a very comfortable 33°C. Once we had changed into our swimwear we got in the pool and enjoyed the warming flow of water on our bodies. Total bliss! Ok, so we didn’t really swim in the end, but we took in the view from our luxurious vantage point.

After the dip in the geothermal pool we had a latte coffee in the lido café. James and I reflected on how much we had enjoyed the whole wonderful lido experience. It comes recommended and details of how to book for The Jubilee Lido can be found here: https://jubileepool.digitickets.co.uk/tickets

I’ve only told you part of my lido adventures, there will be more to follow very soon so keep a look out for the next instalment. If you would like to share your lido stories please do, in the Comments section below. Until next time, happy swimming.

Claire and James at The Jubilee Lido in Penzance