Abbey suffers serious competition with Parskide so close, and is a very good example of public…read moreswimming pools at their most depressing. It may be fine if you want to swim about and refresh on a hot day, but I wouldn't recommend it for lane swimming - provided you manage to be there when there actually are lanes, otherwise it feels like a video game, trying to avoid the bathers coming at you. It's also one of the most slippery pools I've ever seen, both on the floor and in the water: trying to kick back against the wall becomes an exercise in not twisting your ankle. The absence of a handle or something along the wall also makes cold-starts much less pleasant. Ear plugs are vital, if only to block off the noise echoing from all over the place and, while the changing rooms are relatively clean and functional, do NOT, under any circumstances, forget your oxygen if you intend to use the gents' toilets. The one redeeming feature is that there is a lot of free parking available - whether this is important in a city where everybody cycles or walks is irrelevant. In short, this is a valid place for casual swimming, but if you're after something more regular (and much nicer), spend the same amount and go to Parkside instead.

I went swimming today and the sides of the pool were clean!!…read moreDid someone read the review? It was so much nicer.

We've brought our daughter here for three years. She is advancing well through the British…read moreGymnastics Association stages. I give GCA less than perfect score due to ramshackle gym, but that will improve later in 2016 when their new gym opens. They have a waiting list and at ~£70 per term they are a great value.

A truely enjoyable way to spend one of the (sadly rare) hot summer days when not at work. Bring…read moresandwiches, cold drinks, plenty to read and something to sprawl on, and prepare to be transported back to the 1920s in this perfect example of an old fashioned Lido. The site is low tech, with baskets instead of lockers, creasoted wooden cubicles and benches (gorgeously warm in the sun), and is without the slides and playthings seen in many places. It is a long pool at 100 yards, and the deep end is actually in the middle. Half is usually roped off for lane swimming, while small children and families cluster at the two shallow ends. The water isn't the warmest you'll find (although it is heated), but once you start swimming, it is refreshing. The long benches soak up the sun and are usually full of people sunbathing, talking and generally enjoying themselves. Word of warning, it does get crowded so on particularly hot days arrive early.

On of the largest open air pools in the uk (possibly the largest), it is unheated and as such only…read moreopen in the summer. Their defination of summer is very generous though... I have been swimming there at the end of september!! It is very popular on a warm summers day, on other days it is used by the strange type who train for triathlons. Generally a good day out where others swimmers are friendly and very cheap too.