Lido Swims 2023/24
During the 23/24 season we were bitten by the Lido Bug and off we went just after Christmas to the 50m Sandford Park Lido in Cheltenham. The lido is completely without heat and the first swim came in at a balmy 7.5 degrees.
For reasons that escape me, I decided to have a go at a skins swim this time and managed a respectable 500m. Having earned it, the bacon roll was a winner!
Feeling utterly invincible we decided to return two weeks later only to find that they were hosting an ice swim qualifier a week later and the temperature had dropped to 3.7 degrees! Wetsuits were the order of the day but your head really does have to be in the game for a swim sub 5 degrees. I could only manage a 300m stint with stops in between lengths just because of the pain in my hands – everything else was fine but goodness me my hands were hurting! Fiona, however, did a very respectable 600m with no issues whatsoever so her egg banjo was very well earned (and its why she looks smug in the photo)! The café at Sandford Lido is something else after one of these winter swims and is not to be missed.
One more winter trip to Sandford in February saw us complete the trilogy with a swim at 6.9 degrees and a respectable 600m swim which felt like a doddle compared to the one before.
In between the ice swims at Sandford, our winter program included regular forays down to The National Lido of Wales in Parc Ynysangharad at Pontypridd. This place is stunning and a joyous spot for a cold swim. For the 23/24 season it was heated to 15 degrees which is glorious when you have just driven past the Storey Arms in the snow!
There is genuinely no need for a wetsuit even though getting can be something of a challenge when the air temperature is anywhere near freezing. Hacking away at anything between 1 and 2km through the 45min session is refreshing and feeds your soul. You will find like minded people joining you in your lane in a supportive and inclusive atmosphere (I choose the medium lane as I am a bit of a plodder) and, if you prefer to bimble up and down, half the pool has no lanes and loads of friendly dippers and swimmers for you to chat away to. There is also the secondary pool with no lanes and which seems a tiny bit warmer not to mention the bonkers staff who tell you jokes over the tannoy and generally keep everyone’s spirits high and their minds off the air temp!
The lido winter swims help us to keep up outdoor lengths in the cold weather whether heated or not. The challenge can be anything you want it to be and it gives you a genuine feeling of accomplishment while retaining that fresh air buzz.