Outdoor Swimming

Charlton Lido reopens to swimmers after lockdown: What’s it like?

Neil Clasper
Charlton Lido July 2020
Charlton Lido at opening time on Sunday morning

Charlton Lido became one of the first outdoor pools in the country to reopen this weekend, after the government lifted some restrictions on exercise and recreational activities on Thursday. The centre’s operator, Better, have made some changes to accommodate new guidance on safe operation in the new, Covid-aware world – we went along for a dip to find out more.

 

The first important change is that you need to book online or via the Better app – no walk-ins at the moment. I made a booking very easily via the app using my membership but know that some others have had issues; anecdotally, the centre are resolving these quite quickly. Swim sessions are 50 minutes, with 10 minutes presumably for cleaning.

Swimmers enter through the reception in the usual way and exit post-swim from one of the poolside fire exits. The indoor changing rooms are out of action, but the toilets are available, along with the poolside cubicles, showers and lockers.

Swimming is adults-only at the moment, and the pool has been divided into five lanes, each going in an anti-clockwise direction. Under government guidance butterfly and backstroke aren’t allowed (presumably these are either too splashy or they bring increased risk of contact with other swimmers). The car park is now pay-by-mobile.

From my experience the new system was working well, and I was impressed by the staffs’ efforts in explaining the new processes to swimmers as they came into the centre and again poolside. It was emphasised that the centre is going through a learning process, and the above may change over time – as may government guidance. We’re told that ‘full service’ resumes on July 25 but they are hopeful of running some outdoor fitness activities including spin classes before then. In the meantime, we advise keeping an eye on the website for the latest opening hours.

Charlton Lido

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The times they are a-changin’: Charlton Lido’s winter timetable announced

Neil Clasper

Charlton lido outdoor pool
Charlton Lido in the late September sunshine
It’s officially autumn, despite the late burst of September sunshine, and autumn means three things for Charlton Lido swimmers: swimming in the dark on weeknight evenings (try it – I promise you it’s one of the very best things you can do in Charlton on a Monday night); the water temperature being noticeably higher than the air temperature making it easier to get in the pool and harder to get out; and – less positively – a reduction in pool opening hours.

Here’s how it’s looking for Autumn/Winter ’18:Charlton Lido timetable winter 2018

Charlton Lido Winter Pool Timetable October 2018 to March 2019:

Monday: 6.30am-2pm & 4pm-8pm
Tuesday: 6.30am-2pm & 4pm-8pm
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday: Closed
Friday: 6.30am-2pm
Saturday: 9am-5pm
Sunday: 9am-5pm

The popular Swim Doctor drop-in sessions will continue on Monday evenings and Friday mornings, with the current Wednesday morning session moving to Tuesday mornings.

We’re grateful to Friends of Charlton Lido for passing this information on.

The full Charlton Lido & Lifestyle Club timetable can be found here.

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Charlton Lido: Winter swimming timetable announced

Neil Clasper

Charlton lido

Thanks to the Friends of Charlton Lido for sending us this update:

Following the recent Customer Forum meeting, and feedback from members over the summer, the Lido has now published the winter pool programme which will commence on Monday 9 October.  The good news is that it follows the broadly the same pattern as last year but with the addition of three lunchtime sessions per week, two of which replace the 2-4pm slots on Monday and Tuesday which were the quietest times of the week.  It’s hoped the new pattern will enable more people to swim regularly throughout the winter season.  The early morning opening on Monday will also continue through the winter, in response to popular demand.

Winter Timetable

Monday           6.30am-2pm & 4pm-8pm

Tuesday           7am-2pm & 4pm-8pm

Wednesday & Thursday closed

Friday              7am-2pm

Weekends       9am-5pm

Swim Doctor Programme

The Swim Doctor programme will continue with three sessions per week through the winter, with the present Wednesday and Thursday morning sessions moving to Fridays from the week of October 9th.  Sessions are free for members and £3 for non-members.  Booking is advised.

Monday 7-8pm              Swim Doctor Technique

Friday 7-8.30am            Swim Doctor Fitness (30 minutes land-based + 1 hour in the pool)

Friday 9.30-10.30am    Swim Doctor Technique

Open weekend at ‘refreshed’ Charlton Lido

Neil Clasper


Charlton Lido are holding an open weekend on Saturday 23rd  and Sunday 24th of July, with special offers on membership, and a chance for non-members to try out the facilities – including the recently ‘relaunched’ cafe. They’re also looking for local businesses who may wish to take a stall over the weekend.

As an aside, we’d suggest that if Better are now describing the lido as ‘Charlton’s best kept secret’ it might be time for them to do a bit of proper advertising and promotion…

lido

PS. Tried the cafe since it reopened? Tell us what you thought of it in the comments below.

Charlton Lido: Good news for winter swimmers

Neil Clasper3 Comments

Moonlit swim at Charlton Lido

Charlton Lido & Lifestyle Club has announced pool opening hours for November through to February, and it’s good news for swimmers as the heated outdoor pool will remain open five days a week through the winter months. This will be the first winter’s swimming since the refurbished pool opened in 2012.

The pool opening hours from 1st November are as follows:

Monday – 7.00am – 2.00pm
Tuesday – Closed
Wednesday – 2.00pm – 8.00pm
Thursday – Closed
Friday – 7.00am – 2.00pm
Saturday – 9.00am – 2.00pm
Sunday – 9.00am – 2.00pm

As ever, we advise checking the official website for opening hours if you’re planning a swim.

Charlton Lido – reduced opening hours from October

Neil Clasper17 Comments

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UPDATE OCTOBER 2nd The times below have since been further amended, with the pool remaining open on Fridays, and closing on Thursdays; the cafe will also close on Tuesdays and Thursdays. See the lido website for details.

An update on the Lido website brings news of reduced opening hours for the pool through October:

The October Pool Opening hours will be as follows :

Monday 7.00am-2.00pm

Tuesday Closed

Wednesday 12.00-7.00pm

Thursday 7.00am-2.00pm

Friday Closed

Saturday 9.00am-5.00pm

Sunday 9.00am-2.00pm

 

Additionally, from this week the pool will close at 8.30pm, rather than 9.30pm, on Wednesdays.

Lido sign, photo by Steve Toole

Meanwhile, London Fields Lido (also operated by GLL) looks to be maintaining its standard opening hours year-round, while also benefiting from investment in floodlights and underwater lighting to improve evening swimming.

Customer Forum?
There’s a Customer Forum taking place at Charlton Lido on 16th September to discuss the opening hours and other issues, with the centre’s management. We’re told invites have gone out to Lido members by email, and that the event has been advertised in the reception area. This particular member didn’t receive the email, and a number of readers have reported the same, so – if you are a member – it may be worth checking that you haven’t opted out (or been opted out of) email communications from GLL.

If you can’t make the meeting, and would like to have a say, we suggest emailing charltonlido@gll.org with your feedback in advance (and let us know what you think in the comments box below!).

 

Charlton Lido: weekday opening resumes

Neil Clasper11 Comments

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Charlton Lido – South East London’s only heated, outdoor 50m pool – resumes weekday opening  from today. The pool (and ‘sun terrace’ – from which the photo above was taken) has been open on weekends through March, while the new gym facilities opened in early February. The cafe is expected to open around Easter.

Current pool opening hours are:
Monday – Friday: 7am to 6pm
Weekends: 9am to 5pm.

Check GLL’s website for the latest opening hours.