LONDON is home to a lesser-known lido that many don’t know exists – and I’ve even managed to find free kids tickets.
My boys all love a lido – there’s nowhere better than an outdoor pool to while away a warm summer day lazing on a lounger or splashing in the water to cool down.
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One of our family favourites is something of a well-kept secret, given that it’s just half an hour north of London but rarely seems to get a mention on lists of lidos.
If you’re staycaying this summer, you can still get that holiday vibe by heading to Hitchin Lido in Hertfordshire.
A beautiful art deco pavilion dating from 1938 and a hexagonal fountain surrounded by railings with the distinctive sunburst design of the era set the scene, overlooking the 50m heated pool.
There’s baskets bursting with flowers, a couple of sunbathing terraces and a lawned area for picnicking.
Young visitors can make the most of the baby pool and a sandpit fun zone.
The original outdoor changing cabins are still in use or you can use the indoor cubicles if you find the outside ones a bit too alfresco.
In the past, you’ve been able to hop between the indoor and outdoor pools once you’d paid for a £7.20 adult swim or £3.60 junior swim.
But the leisure centre has just come under new management so it remains to be seen whether that will be the case this year when the lido opens for May half-term.
Thankfully I’ve found a way to save the pennies – this year, there’s an offer that lets a child swim free with a paying adult, if you have a Kids Pass to show at reception.
Its really handy to be able to move indoors when during one of our visits, a thunderstorm turned up just as we got into the outdoor pool on the first day of the season.
The lido was shut down while the storm raged, but we were happy splashing about indoors as an alternative.
Another change this year is that you now need to book loungers at £5 each, which will quickly add up if you need a few for your family.
We normally bring snacks and a picnic rug to make a day of it, but where once you could stay as long as you liked, public swimming sessions are now limited to four hours.
However, I think it’s a good thing – it will help keep the queues down as I have known people wait hours to get in during hot days and some were even caught by security trying to get over the fence.
And WiFi for public use is being installed across the site, which will come in handy for the groups of teens who like to hang out by the pool once they’ve finished their exams for the summer.
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When we lived nearby, we would visit most weeks and the lido was our happy place as it was great for getting in the summer spirit, even if we weren’t heading somewhere exotic.
Even now, it’s top of our list of places to visit when we’re in the area.
Just up the road is Hitchin Lavender, which is the perfect place for a wander through the fields, enjoying the scents and colours synonymous with the summer.
With a lovely lido and lots of lavender, Hitchin is a blooming good call if you want to escape the city for a day.
Hitchin Lido is reopening for the season on May 27 until September 10, opening as early as 6:30am in the week.
The UK is home to a number of amazing lidos which are reopening this year.
Penzance Lido in Cornwall is reopening this month, after being forced to close due to problems with it’s heating during the winter.
Tooting Bec Lido in London reopened last month following a £3.8m renovation
Read more on the Scottish Sun
And Cleveland Pools in Bath, the oldest lido in the UK, reopened last year following a 20-year campaign by the Cleveland Pools Trust.
Here are some other outdoor pools in the UK to visit.
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