Parliament Hill Lido
London, England, UNITED KINGDOM
Adult Admission Price & Policy
Early morning, evening, and winter swimming: £4.00; concessions £2.50.
Summer day ticket: £7.00, concessions £4.50.
[January, 2020]
Note: Admission policies and prices shown in Swimmers Guide listings are believed to be correct as of the date(s) shown in brackets. If not correct now, please click on the "Edit" button and tell us so this listing can be fixed and the information brought current. This site works best when its users take an active role in the maintenance of the data.
Summer day ticket: £7.00, concessions £4.50.
[January, 2020]
Note: Admission policies and prices shown in Swimmers Guide listings are believed to be correct as of the date(s) shown in brackets. If not correct now, please click on the "Edit" button and tell us so this listing can be fixed and the information brought current. This site works best when its users take an active role in the maintenance of the data.
Full-Size, Year-Round Pools & Boards
200f (60.93m) x 90f (27.42m), unstriped, outdoors,
unheated,
5º - 22ºC (41º - 72ºF).
Location
Nearest train station: Gospel Oak (Overground).
London Metropolitan Area
51.556323, -0.151076
Teams That Use This Facility
Click on the Team Name to view its website.
Facility Notes
We've seen the pool referred to as 60m long and 70m long, so we took our Google Maps distance measurement tool to the aerial photograph and found it to be about 60.5m. Then, realizing that the pool was built a good 30 years before the UK went metric, we realized that it must have been designed as a 200-foot-long pool.
Here's some history, photos, and commentary by the Outdoor Swimming Society.
Facility Reviews
This pool is a good reason to live in North London. It's a great place to train for triathlon or open water swimming, or just for an early morning refresher. It's a huge pool, so it never feels too busy, no matter how crowded it gets. There is only one lane rope but, unless it's heaving, it's not an issue. The water temperature in high summer is about 18º to 22ºC - OK with or without a wetsuit. The best time to go is between 7:30 and 9 AM (they throw you out at 9:30 AM) - it costs only £2.00 and most people are swimming laps. If you go between 7 and 7:30 AM, you have to swim widths (27m). There are no lockers for your stuff in the morning session, so leave valuables at home. The day session is much more expensive (about £5.00) and can get very crowded on hot, sunny day. There are also evening sessions for adults only, mostly lap swimmers, on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 6:30 to 8 PM.
[June, 2014]
[June, 2014]
To update the previous reviewer comments:
There are now lockers for early morning and evening swimmers which either take a lock (your own) or a £1 coin. Unlike many UK pools, which prohibit the use of fins, PH Lido welcomes them. This pool is open year-round and is unheated. The non-summer swim session is limited to the morning. Taking the C11 bus or the Overground, getting off in Gospel Oaks, is the best way to get there. Parking will cost more than your swim. There's a nice cafe for breakfast.
[June, 2018]
There are now lockers for early morning and evening swimmers which either take a lock (your own) or a £1 coin. Unlike many UK pools, which prohibit the use of fins, PH Lido welcomes them. This pool is open year-round and is unheated. The non-summer swim session is limited to the morning. Taking the C11 bus or the Overground, getting off in Gospel Oaks, is the best way to get there. Parking will cost more than your swim. There's a nice cafe for breakfast.
[June, 2018]
This is a wonderful, bracingly no-frills pool with tremendous atmosphere - the daytime entry charge is worth every penny. Because it's unheated it's blissfully underpopulated most of the time; but beware coming on evenings and weekends when it's really hot -- the queue for entry will stretch round the block. The showers are piping hot. The rough-and-ready changing facilities have attracted some sneers on TripAdvisor, but for the dedicated swimmer they are part of the charm. The cafe is excellent, friendly and not too dear, e.g., a delicious falafel wrap costs £4.50. One drawback, I suppose, is the very shallow, shallow end; a tall lap swimmer will need to watch his or her knuckles!
[August, 2018]
[August, 2018]