Swimming Pools: Hot & Cold in Bristol and Portishead Lidos
Our coldest and warmest swims of the year (so far?) took place on the same memorable day at the start of February 2020 in two nearby pools in the West Country. Portishead Open Air Pool The cold one was at Portishead Open Air Pool , 7°C with a few hardy swimmers and very welcoming staff followed by lunch in the volunteer-run cafe. The story of the Pool is told in a book by John Birkinshaw, 'Celebrating Portishead Open Air Pool' ( Clevedon Community Press , 2018). Its a tale familiar from many other pools - a municipal heyday (the pool opened in 1962), decades of under-investment and funding cuts threatening closure, and a community campaign to save the pool. In this case leading to the establishment of the Portishead Pool Community Trust, who took over running the pool from 2009. Mural by Emma Hill, 2018: The pool is next to Portishead beach, overlooking the Severn Estuary. Bristol Lido The warmer swim was just a few miles away at Bristol Lido in the evening. Of course the a...