Hathersage Swimming Pool
Rory Calland
Cold water swimming has many purported health benefits and it’s just as well because you’re not likely to find any outdoor water in the north of England that’s warm. Hathersage swimming pool in the Peak District has been a staple of the community for more than 80 years and is one of the few places out in the open air where you can experience both chilled and heated waters. So popular is this lido that it broke with convention in recent years and started staying open all year round. If you pop down in the summer you’ll find very agreeable 28°C H2O in which to practise your strokes. And if you are one of a growing number of Brits who have taken to freezing yourself to the bone on New Year’s Day this is perhaps one of the best places to do so as the pool is totally unheated throughout winter.
Always somewhere looking to evolve with the times, Hathersage swimming pool is known to organise monthly music swims. These have proven very popular with members and non-members alike. If you live locally and aren’t a signed up member it’s probably an idea to get on that because there always seems to be wonderful events on here – for example a 24 hour opening on the summer solstice. What better way to spend the longest night of the year than cradled in the wooded hillsides and gritstone rock of the Dark Peak bobbing about in the toasty water. Not one to miss a trend, keep an eye out for the pool’s scheduled night swims. Maybe it’s not wild, but this is a fantastic way to dive into the world of cold-water swimming or moonlit dips with the whole family under the watchful eyes of a lifeguard.
