Good water: Parliament Hill Lido, London

One of the last Lidos to be completed by the London County Council, at a cost of £34,000 in 1938, Parliament Hill Lido looks like an old East German holiday camp from the outside, writes Roger Golten. Inside, thanks to the Corporation of London and several million quid spent in 2005, you have a treat in store. The immense 197 x 88ft (60 x 27m) pool is now lined with stainless steel, the water is bright, visibility is astonishing, and there is a super unpretentious atmosphere amongst the friendly staff and patrons.

Lengths or widths are allowed, except in the morning sessions when widths are apparently de rigueur. The pool is wider than most are long, and longer than an Olympic pool, with an extensive shallow end down to 2′6″ and a reduced-from-original deep end at 6′ 6″ (2m). All the diving boards have gone, alas, but there is still an aerating fountain at the shallow end and a paddling pool.

There is an truly appalling café, in dire need of a refurb inside the purpose-built deco building, but a delightful and delicious Italian café within yards further into the park, near the bandstand. We have been to the pool three times now. On Saturday (14 August 2010) I invited some friends to join me for a birthday celebration and about 15 of us swam. Water temperature was down to 19 ºC from 21ºC two weeks ago. Apparently the stainless steel liner boosts temperatures by about 2 º. I swam both both morning and afternoon after negotiating re-entry for us (a big sign says ‘no re-admission’).

In the morning it stopped raining and dried out just before we swam at 11.30am, and by the time we finished the first session at 12.45pm the sun came out for 15 minutes and never felt so good. The reflection of the liner is dazzling in all senses of the word. My second swim, before tea and cake back at the Italian café, was absolutely sublime (by this time there were only three of us), as the heavens opened and there was a torrential downpour for about 15 minutes. Head under the water, the huge pool liner tinkled with the sound of the rain, and at the water’s surface you could see the raindrops stippling the water level and bouncing up an inch or two.

Parliament Hill Lido is open all year round for morning swimming, and all day from May to September, costing £4.50 for a casual daytime entrance, £2 in the all-year-round morning sessions. I booked in advance for my daytime group and was quoted £2 each just by giving them notice of our arrival.

My top tips: take a swim hat for warmth (and a wetsuit if you must), and don’t forget your goggles because in my opinion the underwater view is one of the delights of the capital. If the temperature is too low for you (you can check in advance) then the newly refurbished Kentish Town Baths are about 10 lengths away. Watch this space as that will be my next swimming expedition!

Did you know?
Parliament Hill is so called because it was occupied by the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War (c.1650), and before that it was known as Traitor’s Hill.

Find out more from Swimming at Hampstead Heath

Photo supplied by City of London