There are more than 160 lidos in the UK, and in the last five years, their revival has been turbocharged by local campaigning groups that have helped restore and reopen old landmarks – such as the UK’s oldest in Bath and Tooting Bec’s 90m pool in south London – and create brand new pools entirely. These include Sea Lanes on Brighton’s seafront and the soon-to-open outpost in Canary Wharf, London.
Whenever anyone wants to guess where I am, they always quip: “Are you at the Lido again?”. They’re usually right.
It was a nice little hobby until I wrote a book about lidos, then it got out of control. I had to swim in pools and lakes all over the world. It was a tough job, but someone had to do it.
Cleveland Pools lido was built in 1815 (Photo: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
The book came out during the pandemic and, with all publicity, talks and festivals cancelled, it sank like the rubber brick you had to pick off the pool floor as part of school swimming lessons.
