Wild swimming is an exhilarating experience. But lidos offer “all the joy of an al fresco dip without quite so much wondering what might be brushing past your legs beneath the surface”, said Helen Daly in Country Living. And they’re often accompanied by the creature comforts you crave after a swim: a café, a hot shower, and a sunny terrace.
Here’s our pick of the best lido spots around the UK: some freshwater, some saltwater, some heated, some unheated; all little pools of paradise.
Tinside Lido and Devil’s Point, Devon
This saltwater lido is “a crown jewel in the UK’s lido line-up”, said Freya Bromley in The Times. Built in 1935 in the “fashionable Art Deco style”, the grade II-listed pool is in a “prime” spot on the Plymouth seafront and a “joy” to swim in. As an extra treat, you can also go a little “wilder” at Devil’s Point nearby. It’s a small tidal pool at Firestone Bay that got a “welcome revamp in 2024 to strengthen it against the elements”.
Open for swimming until 13 September; tinsidelido.co.uk
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Parliament Hill Lido, London
“Hampstead Heath surely has the highest concentration of outdoor swimming places in London,” said Charlotte McCaughan-Hawes and Antonia Bentel in House & Garden. The lido is a short stroll from the famous ponds, and its “sparkling blue water” is perhaps a more attractive alternative to their “slightly muddy” water. It’s a popular spot all year round, with a dedicated band of all-weather morning swimmers, as well as sunshine-only summer splashers. Built in the 1930s amid the boom in lido popularity, the water is unheated and there are “lovely modernist” changing rooms.
Open all year round; parliamenthilllido.org
Stonehaven Open Air Pool, Aberdeenshire
In Stonehaven, the lido is “at the heart of the community”, said Rosee Woodland and Carys Matthews on BBC Countryfile. The Olympic-size pool is open to all ages and abilities, with a paddling pool for children, a café, and classes such as AquaZumba during the summer months. The seawater is heated to a “cosy 29C, making it beautifully warm”, despite it being the “most northerly outdoor pool in the British Isles”. Every year, it hosts an Aqua Ceilidh during the Stonehaven Folk Festival.
Open until early September; stonehavenopenairpool.co.uk
Ilkley Pool and Lido, West Yorkshire
“Anchored in another era”, this “wonderful” Yorkshire pool takes you back in time, said Christopher Beanland in The Telegraph. Opened in 1935 as part of the Silver Jubilee celebrations for George V, the lido celebrated its 90th birthday last year. The “curious mushroom-shaped pool is surrounded by mature woodlands and hills” begging to be explored. Since Leeds and Bradford lidos have both shut, this is the place to to spend a hot summer’s day up Yorkshire way.
Open until September; bradford.gov.uk
