Where can I swim outdoors in London?

Like walking or running or scrambling, outdoor swimming is just another way of moving through the world, of being in the open air. The very best summer afternoons are about blue skies, bare feet and damp hair. Whether in dappled sunshine or spiky rain, outdoor swimming still offers childlike joy. The good news for city dwellers is, there's no need to head for the coast to enjoy a dip in gentle rivers or friendly lidos. Here are some of the capital's best outdoor swimming venues. 

You'll find these London locations and hundreds of other great places to swim outdoors in the UK in The Outdoor Swimming Guide. 

HILSEA LIDO
50.8363, -1.0761 / London Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO2 9RP / 07903 823347 / Swimming and paddling / hilsea-lido.org.uk

If the entrance of Hilsea Lido seems strangely familiar, it may be because local filmmaker Ken Russell used it as a ‘holiday camp’ in the 1975 musical Tommy. Though less bustling than in its heyday, this elongated pool near Portsmouth Harbour is still beloved by the local community. Originally filled with seawater, its now-fresh water remains unheated. With two shallow ends, there is a four-and-a-half-metre-deep diving pit near the centre, with a two-metre-high diving platform. You are welcome to bring a picnic, or you can take advantage of the  neighbouring Blue Lagoon for home-made cake or buttered crumpets. This historic lido may have lost a little of its glamorous sheen, but volunteers have worked tirelessly to restore the diving platform, unblock the drains, give the art deco buildings a lick of paint, plant a pretty flower garden and offer a warm welcome.

Access
Access via ladders and diving platform. Level access to poolside; accessible facilities are limited – large changing area, but no specifically accessible toilets; no hoist.

Frequent local buses stop outside lido to Fareham, Southsea and Portsmouth city centre; Cosham railway station a kilometre away. On-site parking.

HILLINGDON SPORTS AND LEISURE COMPLEX

51.5510, -0.4673 / Gatting Way, Uxbridge, London, UB8 1ES / 03451 307324 / Swimming and paddling /
www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/london/hillingdon/hillingdon-sports-lc

Hillingdon’s large, art deco lido closed in 1998, but in anticipation of the 2012 Olympics restoration began in 2007, and the unheated pool is now at the centre of a new health and fitness hub. Once known as Uxbridge Lido, this attractive pool sits near London’s greener fringes. There are poolside sunloungers to hire, bubbling fountains and kids’ splash pools as well as a bustling cafe. Whether you’re a serious swimmer, a sun lover or a spectator, Hillingdon Sports & Leisure Complex offers something for everyone. You are advised to pre-book if you want to avoid the some - times-long queues outside the impressive, red-arched entrance.

Access
Level access to poolside; accessible toilets and changing rooms; manual hoist available. Uxbridge Underground station a kilometre away. Frequent U1 and U2 buses to West Drayton and Ruislip stop at College, adjacent to lido. On-site parking.

Old Deer Park, Richmond.  ©Shutterstock

POOLS ON THE PARK
51.4651, -0.3062 / Old Deer Park, Twickenham Road, Richmond, London, TW9 2SF / 02037 722999 / Swimming /
www.richmond.gov.uk/pools_on_the_park

Tucked in the corner of Richmond’s Old Deer Park, just down the road from Kew Gardens, you can discover Pools on the Park. The site has an indoor, twenty-five-metre pool, a learner pool and the thirty-three-metre outdoor pool on offer. The pools were built as part of a post-war commitment to improved community sporting facilities. Offering both spooky and festive swims, this heated pool is open all year around. In keeping with their green surroundings, the lido offers spacious lawns on which to lounge after your dip. There is a cafe on-site, but you could also enjoy one of Richmond’s many pubs and cafes a short
stroll away.

Access
Access via steps (across the shallow end) and ladders. Level access to poolside, accessible changing rooms and toilets; hoist and wet chair available. Less than a kilometre to Richmond Underground/Overground/railway station. High-frequency 490 bus to Heathrow Airport terminates at Pools on the Park. Limited on-site parking and nearby pay-and-display Old Deer Park car park.

FINCHLEY LIDO
51.6045, -0.1718 / Great North Leisure Park, Chaplin Square, Finchley, London, N12 0GL 02083 439830 / Swimming and paddling /
www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/london/barnet/finchley-lido-leisure-centre/main-
pool-finchley-lido-leisure-centre

Next to the wooded Glebelands Local Nature Reserve, the narrow strip of Finchley Lido is nestled behind a modern leisure centre. The pool is only open in the summer – although there is an indoor alternative – and is closed in bad weather. There is an on-site cafe, and the leisure centre is part of an entertainment complex that offers plenty of restaurants. With its concrete surrounds and line of hard benches, this is not a place to picnic, but there is a shallow pool with stepped sides for those who want to lounge. This is perhaps not one of London’s destination lidos, but is a precious resource for locals seeking an escape from the capital.

Access
Access via ladders; steps into small pool. Level access to pool; good accessibility provision in leisure centre, but no hoist for outside pool. Approximately two kilometres from West Finchley and Finchley Central Underground stations; high-frequency buses stop outside leisure centre. On-site parking.

PARK ROAD POOL
51.5829, -0.1300 / Park Road, London, N8 8JN / 02083 413567 / Swimming and paddling / www.fusion-lifestyle.com/centres/park-road-pools-fitness/activities/lido

Just a stone’s throw away from London’s leafy Highgate Wood, you’ll find the fifty-metre-long Park Road Pool, fringed by yew trees. The site also has twenty-five-metre and learner pools, both indoor. The heated pool, recently extensively refurbished, is open all year round. In addition to the main pool, there’s a generously sized toddlers’ pool and plenty of poolside space to relax after your dip. One of London’s earliest lidos, the pool will celebrate its centenary in 2029. There’s an on-site cafe and plenty of historic pubs and other places to eat and drink nearby in Crouch End.

Access
Access via ladders and hand-railed steps. Level access to poolside; accessible changing rooms and toilets; no hoist or wet chair. High-frequency buses to Muswell Hill and Finsbury Park stop outside lido. Approximately a kilo-metre and a half to Hornsey railway station and Highgate Underground. On-site parking.

Hampstead Heath Bathing Ponds. © Shutterstock/Photocritical

HAMPSTEAD HEATH BATHING PONDS
51.5607, -0.1660 / Hampstead Heath, London, NW3 1BP / Swimming / www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/green-spaces/hampstead-heath

In the green escape that is London’s Hampstead Heath, you can enjoy a swim in one of the three Hampstead Heath Ponds, once reservoirs. A landmark legal ruling in 2005 established the right to swim in the ponds all year around; now the Men’s (Highgate) and Women’s (Kenwood) pools are open all year, but the mixed pool is closed during winter. Although lifeguarded, the ponds are deep and cold and can be tricky to get in and out of, so are only suitable for confident swimmers. There are cold showers and open air changing areas. These iconic lakes, a popular swim spot since Victorian times, are often busy in the summer and those seeking a post-dip picnic spot would be well advised to leave the confines of the pool area and find somewhere shaded on the expansive Hampstead Heath.

Access
Access to water different for each pond: water accessed from piers or muddy banks. Hampstead Underground station just over a kilometre away; Hampstead Heath Overground station 800 metres away. Buses to London centre stop on Pond Street, just under a kilometre away. Paid parking at East Heath car park several hundred metres walk away, across parkland.

PARLIAMENT HILL LIDO
51.5563, -0.1510 / Parliament Hill Fields, Gospel Oak, London, NW5 1LT /
02073 323779 / Swimming and paddling / parliamenthilllido.org

From the imposing brick facade of the entrance, everything about Parliament Hill Lido is redolent of the golden age of lidos. The art deco pool is little changed from the 1930s although modernisation has forced some changes, such as the removal of the diving boards. The lido was the first outdoor pool in Britain to have a steel lining fitted to the tank. Open all year around, the pool is unheated, and an electronic display warns you just how cold the water will be as you arrive; there is a sauna to warm up in on winter days. There’s also an art deco pool fountain, toddlers’ pool and a cafe for hot drinks and home-made food. There’s plenty of paved space poolside, but if you want greenery you will have to head to the wide, grassy Hampstead Heath.

Access
Access via ladders and handrailed steps. Level access to poolside; accessible changing rooms and toilets; hoist available. Lido is across road from Gospel Oak railway station, where there are high-frequency buses to Archway and Brent Cross. On-site paid parking.

West Reservoir Centre © Julian Osley

WEST RESERVOIR CENTRE
51.5671, -0.0919 / Green Lanes, Hackney, London, N4 2HA / 0208 4428116 /
Swimming / www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/london/hackney/west-reservoir-centre

With London’s high-rises as your backdrop, you can enjoy a dip in the twenty-three acres of West Reservoir in Hackney’s Woodberry Down. The site offers a 100-metre warm-up course, a 200-metre course and longer courses as the water warms up through the summer – swim sessions are available all year around. Sessions are for experienced swimmers only, and over-fourteens; swimmers must wear a red cap (which can be purchased from the centre). The centre also offers sailing and kayaking if you’re not quite ready to get out of the water. The West Reservoir Centre has a number of amenities (and good accessible facilities), including changing rooms, showers and a cafe. The Coal House Cafe, found 450 metres away on the other side of the reservoir, is also a popular local spot for
coffee and breakfasts.

Access
Water accessed from piers or water’s pebbled edge. Frequent buses to London Bridge and Waterloo from Green Lanes, 150 metres away. On-site parking.

LONDON FIELDS LIDO
51.5426, -0.0614 / London Fields West Side, Hackney, London, E8 3EU /
02072549038 / Swimming and paddling / www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/london/hackney/london-fields-lido

London Fields is one of the capital’s rescued lidos, and while the fifty-metre-long, floodlit pool may not be the best spot for a leisurely swim, it is a great example of how even historic lidos can be made accessible to everyone. The 1930s heated pool was closed in 1988, and the local community waged a twenty-year battle, facing down bulldozers and squatters who held raves in the empty tank, to finally see it reopen in 2006. It was also extensively refurbished again in 2017. With plenty of poolside space as well as a cafe, you won’t be short of options for a post-swim snack. The lido offers lane swimming but also a wider lane for social swimming. With plans afoot to add a learner pool (which should open by 2022), this is a resource for the whole community.

Access
Access via ladders, handrailed steps and handrailed slope. Level access to poolside; accessible toilets and changing rooms; sloped access to water and hoist. London Fields Overground station on opposite side of London Fields park. Pay-and-display on-street parking near lido.

OASIS SPORTS CENTRE
51.5155, -0.1255 / 32 Endell Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9AG /
02078 311804 / Swimming / www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/london/camden/
oasis-sports-centre

If you want to discover Theatreland’s best-kept backstage secret, seek out the rooftop Oasis Sports Centre. Opposite the Shaftesbury Theatre, tucked behind Covent Garden’s Craft Beer Company, you’ll discover this blue haven. After your swim, you can enjoy a coffee on the wooden sun terraces. Open all year round, this heated pool offers remarkable value for money for those seeking a different day out in the city. Although the pool lacks the charm of London’s art deco lidos it is a historic site; there has been public bathing on the site since Turkish Baths opened here in the mid- eighteenth century. The pool really is in the heart of the city, within walking distance of Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden, Leicester Square and Oxford Street, so post-dip you can take in a show, do a bit of shopping or have lunch in Chinatown.

Access
Access via ladders. Ramped access to poolside; accessible changing rooms and toilets; hoist available. Less than half a kilometre to both Covent Garden and Tottenham Court Road Underground stations; frequent buses to Putney Heath serve St Giles High Street, 300 metres away. Paid on-street parking, and Covent Garden car park 300 metres away.

SERPENTINE LIDO
51.5047, -0.1690 / Hyde Park, London, W2 2UH / 07941 846566 / Swimming and paddling / www.facebook.com/serpentinelido

Serpentine Lido is an ornamental lake in London’s Hyde Park, created in the 1730s by the damming of the River Westbourne. The Serpentine is home to one of the UK’s oldest swimming clubs, the Serpentine Swimming Club, who take a dip here every morning between 5 and 9.30 a.m. The general public can swim in the lido section of the Serpentine during its summer opening; it opens at weekends in May and daily from June to September. A sloping beach provides access, and there is a paddling pool for children. The Serpentine hosted the swimming section of the triathlon during the 2012 Olympics, and also hosts open water swimming events. If you don’t mind sharing with the lido’s ducks and geese, the grassy banks are perfect for a picnic, although you might choose instead to head to the stylish lido cafe.

Access
Access via beach-style, sloped entry with handrails and anti-slip maps and a jetty. Level access to waterside. Hyde Park Corner, Knightsbridge, Marble Arch and Lancaster Gate Underground stations all within a kilometre of swim spot. Pay-and-display parking on outskirts of Hyde Park.

Tooting Bec Lido © Flavio Centofanti

TOOTING BEC LIDO
51.4316, -0.1390 / Tooting Bec Road, London, SW16 1RU / 02088 717198 / Swimming and paddling / www.placesleisure.org/centres/tooting-bec-lido

Ninety-one metres long and thirty metres wide, the gigantic Tooting Bec Lido, resplendent with a tiered, art deco fountain, is one of London’s finest surviving Edwardian lidos. The unheated pool is open to the public during the summer months and proves very popular, although members of the South London Swimming Club swim there year-round. When built, a condition of construction was that it be concealed from the common by an earthwork bank, and this now hosts a green wall of trees around the pool. This large pool is spacious enough to accommodate lane swimmers and family fun simultaneously, and there’s plenty of poolside space for a post-swim lounge. There’s a children’s paddling pool and a lido cafe, as well as the nearby Tooting Bec Common Cafe.

Access
Access via ladders. Level access to poolside; accessible changing rooms and facilities; hoist available. Streatham railway station a kilometre away; frequent buses to Clapham Common, Streat ham and Sloane Square outside lido. Limited on-site parking; pay-and-display car park at Dr Johnson Avenue, less than a kilometre away.

Brockwell Lido © Fusion Lifestyle

BROCKWELL LIDO
51.4532, -0.1062 / Brockwell Park, Dulwich Road, London, SE24 0PA /
02072 743088 / Swimming and paddling / www.fusion lifestyle.com/centres/brockwell-lido

Affectionately nicknamed Brixton Beach, the large, art deco Brockwell Lido has had a precarious past, closing between 1990 and 1994 and 2001 and 2007, but the council-owned, Fusion-managed pool enjoys fierce local support, and now you can enjoy a cold-water swim at any time of year. In busy summer months, you may struggle to find a spot to lounge among London’s most glamorous swimmers – police were called to control the queues on one particularly hot day in 2019. But, on cooler winter days, you can warm yourself up in the cedar wood sauna. The Lido Cafe is a popular brunch spot, so be prepared to wait for food.

Access
Entry to waters via shallow, handrailed steps and ladders. Level access to poolside; accessible changing rooms and toilets; hoist available. Herne Hill railway station 300 metres away; high-frequency buses to Westminster, Elephant and Castle and Peckham stop outside lido. Paid parking adjacent to lido.

CHARLTON LIDO AND LIFESTYLE CLUB
51.4752, 0.0391 / Hornfair Park, Shooters Hill Road, Greenwich, London, SE18 4LX / 02088 567389 / Swimming and paddling /
www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/london/greenwich/charlton-lido

On south London’s suburban streets, in the shadow of high-rises, you’ll discover one of the last of the capital’s large, 1930s lidos, behind unassuming red-brick walls. Open all year round, it’s the perfect spot for a winter swim, as steam wreathes the heated waters. The pool is subdivided to provide space for lane swimmers and those who want a more relaxed dip. The lido offers Swim Doctor sessions, for adults looking to improve on their swimming style. There is a shallow children’s pool, although this is not always uncovered. After your swim, you can relax with a toastie at the roof terrace’s cafe or stroll around the neighbouring Hornfair Park, named for the riotous three-day festival that used to be held in Charlton.

Access
Access via ladders and steps, with handrail. Level access to poolside, lift to roof terrace, accessible changing rooms and toilets; hoist available. High-frequency bus services to Lewisham and Woolwich stop outside lido. On-site parking and on-street parking.

BECKENHAM PLACE PARK LAKE
51.4204, -0.0143 / Beckenham, London / 07736 930823 / beckenhamplacepark.co.uk

The 285-metre-long, aquifer-fed Beckenham Place Park Lake was London’s first purpose-built swimming lake, opening in 2019, on the site of a former golf course. An incredibly popular spot, Beckenham Place Park Lake is ideal for families with older children (children under eight are not allowed to swim), and lifeguards patrol the water on canoes. The lake’s water is consistently cool, and the shallows at the edge of the lake are perfect for paddling. The grounds of the 230-acre Beckenham Place Park are the greatest draw for swimmers: with sports facilities, ancient woodland, a sensory garden and an on-site cafe (which has public toilets nearby), this is an ideal place for a full day out.

Access
Access from sandy beach. Frequent bus to Elmers End and Woolwich stops by park gates; Beckenham Hill railway station, less than a kilometre away. Limited paid parking in park – park visitors are encouraged to arrive on foot, bike or by public transport.