Ah the glorious British Lido! Is there anything more refreshing, particularly in a hot city suburb, than the cold splash of an unheated outdoor 1930s swimming pool? Well, possibly eating an ice cream while you're still cool from the water.
In terms of atmosphere, lidos are as close to the beach as you can get without actually going to the beach. Children run around, adults sunbathe around the perimeter, groups of young people dangle their feet in the water.
We actually have those strait-laced Victorians to thank for introducing lido culture to the UK, although it wasn't really until the 1930s that the golden age of the lido began, as swimming for pleasure and socialising at lidos peaked in popularity. Now, we're in the midst of a lido revival, with many being restored to their former heyday glory – from stylish terraces to resplendent fountains, with the odd miniature railway and tennis court thrown in.
Find your nearest lido with our pick of Britain's best lidos and sea pools in the UK, with a brief look at the history of the lido and its recent revival.
What are lidos?
A lido is an outdoor swimming pool near a beach or even in a city where people can swim and relax. Facilities vary but lidos generally offer basic changing rooms and showers. The colourful row of changing rooms surrounding Victorian lidos is an iconic image.
How many lidos there in the UK?
At the height of lido culture, Britain had more than 300 outdoor pools. The trend really took off in the 1930s, influenced by Germany’s Volksparks, which were dedicated to healthy outdoor pursuits. Lidos gave coastal communities a sociable, open air place to swim, protected from the rigours of the harsh sea. According to All The Lidos, there are more than 160 lidos in the UK.
What is a seaside lido?
Imagine a swimming pool with a difference. Instead of a shallow chlorinated puddle, the water is deep and crystal clear, with a salty tang. The changing room doors are painted in bright, primary colours and face onto the deck with bravado.
As you step down the art deco terraces, a fountain heralds your arrival, catching the sunlight to throw a rainbow arc over the water. The pool itself is round, or triangular, or just simply vast. The azure water might be warm, or might feel absolutely freezing, but one thing is certain – the view will be spectacular. Welcome to the British seaside lido.
Once, our glorious coastal pools were squandered, left to crumble after decades of neglect. Happily, the tide is finally turning and this summer there’s no excuse to miss an alfresco dip.
- Cold water shock can be fatal, says first aid expert – here's what it is and how to stay safe
- Is it safe to swim in reservoirs?
Best lidos and outdoor pools in the UK
Jubilee Pool, Penzance, Cornwall
Jubilee’s triangular shape helps it withstand the wind and wave power from the surrounding seas. There is a shallow children’s section, café and terraces. It is now heated by geothermal energy making it a pleasant place to swim year-round.
Portishead Open Air Pool, North Somerset
Portishead Open Air Pool was at risk of closure in 2008, but thankfully local supporters sprang into action and the lido had a make-over to reopen in 2009 and is a popular swimming spot for all ages. Heated with green energy, come and enjoy a swim and a poolside picnic this summer.
Saltdean Lido, Brighton
With a pop-up cafe and sunbathing terraces, Saltdean is back to the glory of its heyday. There will be a full programme of events this summer, including live music.
Tinside Lido, Plymouth
This stunning semi-circular saltwater pool is 50m in diameter, has three fountains to play in and commands a spectacular vantagepoint, overlooking Plymouth Hoe. Plymouth has a second coastal pool, Mount Wise, which offers free entry.
Stonehaven Open Air Pool, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire
The Stonehaven Open Air Pool is at the heart of the community and even holds an Aqua Ceilidh during the Stonehaven Folk Festival. The seawater is heated to a cosy 29∘C, making it beautifully warm, despite its position as the most northerly outdoor pool in the British Isles.
Brockwell Lido, Herne Hill London
London has a surprisingly high number of lidos, but Brockwell Lido is consistently one of the most popular – in a 2025 study by the AA, it was even crowned the best in the UK. The art deco Grade II-listed building dates from the 1930s and the lido was reopened in 1994 after two ex-council employees took on the running of it. The pool is unheated but there is a sauna, jacuzzi and steam room – with an outdoor sauna open in the winter.
Teignmouth Lido, Teignmouth, Devon
Built in the 1970s, Teignmouth Lido is a newer facility than most of the UK’s outdoor pools, and is heated. It runs fun sessions with inflatables, and also holds club training most evenings.
Gourock Pool, Gourock
Just under an hour from Glasgow is Gourock Pool. The outdoor seawater pool is heated to 29°C and also has a diving board. Enjoy views of the Clyde Estuary or take part in one of the organised Starlight Swims in the summer.
Lido Ponty, the National Lido of Wales, Pontypridd
Originally built in 1927, this Grade II listed lido brings a Mediterranean feel to South Wales. Take your pick from three heated swimming pools – or book in for the inflatable obstacle course, Aqua Peddlerz and Water Walker.
Lymington Sea Water Baths, Hampshire
With a 110m seawater pool (one of the largest in the UK), Lymington Sea Water Baths focus on fun! Activities available include inflatable obstacle courses and stand-up paddle boarding.
Hayle Outdoor Swimming Pool, Cornwall
Sitting adjacent to Hayle’s sub-tropical gardens, Hayle Outdoor Swimming Pool makes a refreshing stop on a day out, with Hayle Estuary Nature Reserve nearby. Open in the summer, the pool reaches temperatures up to 24-26°C.
Bristol Lido, Bristol
The grade II-listed Bristol Lido originally opened in 1850 and reopened in 2008. The glass-fronted restaurant and cafe surrounding the lido is the perfect spot for watching swimmers with a glass of wine. Enjoy a swim in the outdoor heated lido and sauna before enjoying brunch, lunch or tapas or a treatment in the lovely spa.
Best sea pools in the UK
If you fancy a wilder swim, there are some incredible tidal pools around the UK.
- Clevedon Marine Lake, North Somerset
- Walpole Bay Pool, Margate
- The Trinkie, Wick, Caithness
- Priest’s Cove Pool, Cape Cornwall, Cornwall
- Bude Sea Pool, Bude, Cornwall
- Westward Ho! Sea Water Pool, Westward Ho! Bideford, Devon
- Dancing Ledge, Swanage, Dorset
- Shoalstone Seawater Pool, Brixham, Devon
History of the lido
Lido architects employed in-vogue reinforced concrete to create clean, ultra-modern facades painted in dazzling white. Many were art deco classics, from Jubilee Pool, which stuck out like a ship’s prow from the harbour in Penzance, to Saltdean near Brighton, with its neon signage and large sundecks. Crowds flocked to swim in outdoor pools peppered along the British coast; at Hayle, Barry, Margate, Plymouth, Hastings, Exmouth, Grange-over-Sands, and even Gourock and Stonehaven in Scotland.
Hilsea Lido in Portsmouth was practically a resort, replete with putting green, tennis courts, and miniature railway. At the Super Swimming Stadium in Morecambe, a queue of people a mile long waited to surge through the gates on opening day in 1936.
However, the heydey was short-lived. After shutting during the Second World War, many pools were slow to reopen, if at all. The advent of cheap package holidays in the 1960s saw attendance drop off and triggered a downward spiral of under-investment, and closures that continued for 30 years.
By the time the Thirties Society sounded the alarm, publishing Farewell My Lido in 1991, the number of lidos and outdoor pools nationwide had plummeted to about 100. But all was not lost. In 1999, Roger Deakin’s Waterlog, a chronicle of the wildlife writer’s swimming odyssey across Britain, reminded readers of the unique beauty of the lidos.
“Lidos are to swimming pools as lingerie is to underwear. Their outrageous fountains and curvaceous terraces celebrate the exuberant beauty of the water they frame, so that a special sense of freedom comes over you when you stand poised to plunge in.”
Roger Deakin, author of Waterlog
Waterlog helped kickstart a national trend for outdoor swimming and sparked renewed interest in preserving the great outdoor pools that remained. Soon there were new success stories.
What was the British lido revival?
Plymouth’s art deco Tinside Lido had lain derelict for 10 years in 2003 when, on the heels of a campaign that secured Grade II listing for the pool, the city council pushed through £3.4million plans to restore it.
Further west, retired county architect John Clarke had waged a one-man war to halt plans for a ‘fun park’ at Cornwall’s Jubilee Pool. The planners saw sense and the pool was restored to its former glory, reopening in 1994. When Jubilee suffered huge storm damage in February 2014 and was forced to close, campaigners worked with the local authority to secure £3million for repairs, much coming from the Coastal Communities Lottery Fund.
Martin Nixon, chairman of the Friends of Jubilee, said the pool had a special place in the community: “Generations of local people have met there. Kids play tag, get older and fall in love there. We have had four or five generations of the same family swimming there together.
“The pool provides safe sea water swimming for young and old. And it is a listed building of great importance – the best example of art deco modernism, in terms of architectural merit, in the country.” A new section heated by geothermal energy is set to open next year.
Saltdean Lido teetered on the brink for decades. When investors revealed plans to build flats on the site, the Save Saltdean Lido campaign lobbied English Heritage to upgrade its listed status to Grade II* and the council took back control. Local residents created a business plan and secured £2.5 million from the Coastal Communities Fund and £4.7 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to restore it. Saltdean reopens this summer and is to be heated for the first time.
Saltdean Community Interest Company chairwoman Rebecca Crook said: “We’re completely dedicated to the lido’s success and not letting anything get in our way to do that. The community are really behind us.”
Portishead, Hilsea and Stonehaven pools were also all threatened but pulled through thanks to vocal community campaigners and volunteers who now help out with staffing and maintenance. Barbara Thatcher from Portishead Open Air Pool said: “Swimming outdoors is a really special experience. And there is safety here because swimming in the Bristol Channel is really dangerous. We love it. It’s absolutely packed out on a sunny day.”
But not all lidos had a happy ending. Along with Morecambe’s Super Swimming Stadium, the South Bathing Pools at Scarborough and Open Air Baths in Blackpool are gone. Exmouth Seaside Bathing Pool was replaced with an indoor facility and the Bathing Pool at St Leonards is now just a grassy field.
The fate of many other pools remains uncertain. Some are little more than a shell, others are fenced off but still filled with water, and used illicitly. Thankfully, the number of success stories is on the rise.
- Best wild swimming gear for an outdoor dip
- Best changing robes: Dry robes tried & tested for wild swimming, surfing and the beach
- Beautiful UK beaches to visit right now
- Best outdoor saunas in the UK – including the most remote sauna found at 60 degrees north
- Britain's best surfing beaches revealed: where to catch the perfect wave
