Lidos: where outdoor swimming meets accessibility

Two historic lidos in Derbyshire offer the perfect compromise between pool training and open-water swimming – and provide some valuable lessons in accessibility along the way. Words by adaptive swimmer Sophie Etheridge

A lot of open water swimmers refuse to swim in swimming pools. They enjoy the outdoors and nature too much, and a hot, stuffy indoor pool filled with people can feel about as far away from a good swim as possible.

That’s fine for casual swimmers, but those training for events soon realise the value of pool training; working on technique, intervals, building fitness and more. For me, the perfect compromise is somewhere in between – outdoor pools, or lidos!

Who doesn’t love a lido?

Recently, while on holiday, I had the chance to visit two new-to-me lidos. Both were completely different, but both were absolutely glorious.

The first was Hathersage Swimming Pool. Celebrating its 90th anniversary, Hathersage was somewhere I’d never heard of until a quick Google search uncovered it. From the photos, it looked pretty unique compared with all the lidos I’d visited before, I booked a swim so I could keep up with my event training.

When I arrived, it was even more fascinating than I had expected. Accessibility was pretty good once I’d worked out how to get into the pool, but the 100ft x 33ft dimensions made it feel quite different from a standard pool and had my watch in a frenzy.

What really caught my attention was the bandstand sitting almost on the edge of the lido. As a musician, I found myself imagining what it must be like to swim while a band plays from the bandstand. It seemed to perfectly capture what makes outdoor pools so special: you’re not simply swimming lengths, you’re swimming somewhere with character and history.

Swims two and three of my holiday were reluctantly indoors, but both were just as important and helped towards my weekly distance goal of 15km.

My final swim took me to another place I had never heard of and somewhere that the lifeguard at Hathersage suggested.

New Bath Hotel & Spa Lido in Matlock was again, unlike anywhere I had swum before. My friend Belle kindly took me there and I am so glad we arranged it. This historic lido opened in 1934 and is fed directly by an on-site geothermal spring. The spring water makes it the only lido in the UK heated by natural spring water.

It was around 20°C when I visited and we were incredibly lucky with glorious blue skies. Once again, I found the accessibility surprisingly good, making it possible for me to enjoy the pool without the barriers I so often encounter elsewhere.

It did make me wonder: why do some pools that are more than 50 years old seem to be more accessible than newer indoor pools?

We’re constantly told that accessibility has improved, and in many ways it undoubtedly has. Yet, in the swimming world, it can sometimes feel as though we’ve gone backwards.

Perhaps there is something we can learn from these historic outdoor pools; good accessibility doesn’t have to mean sacrificing character, beauty or history. It just requires forward thinking and individuals willing to adapt. It seems that the places that have been welcoming swimmers for generations are the ones getting it right.