Abbey Fields Swimming Pool

An early morning 'dad taxi' drop-off at Birmingham International train station puts me just fifteen minutes from Kenilworth and the brand new Abbey Fields Swimming Pool, which opened just two weeks ago.

The old pool has been on my must-swim list for a few years, but I leave it too long and they decide to close it and rebuild. Definitely not leaving it too long this time!

I've pre-booked the session on the app. It's a new pool with a single fast lane and it looks like they sell eight slots, so it might be busy.

Arrive at the Abbey Fields park car park. There's no sign of the pool from here, but Apple Maps shows the still-under-construction building a few hundred metres into the park.

Punch my registration plate into the parking meter for a free two-hour ticket and set off. The new building soon comes into view, sitting right in the middle of the park. They're still doing some landscaping work, but there are no signs of a closer car park. There's a path and bike lane, but no vehicle access within about 500 metres of the building. I like it.

It's a lovely walk on a warm midsummer morning. It might be slightly less enjoyable at 6:45am in December!

Arrive, manage to negotiate the contactless entry barrier and head through to the changing village. A quick stretch, then it's out onto the pool deck.

There are two pools. The main pool is a five-lane, 25m lap pool, with a smaller learner pool set beneath a greenhouse-style glass roof. Everything is white and bright, and the place feels positive.

The learner pool has a movable floor which is currently raised fully to the surface. I'm guessing the new system works as both a safety feature and a pool cover for heat retention.

The pool is well spec'd. Speedo pace and time clocks are in clear view, there's the latest disabled access system, and I do like the giant screen and speaker system on the wall. There are lots of things they could use that for.

The main pool is set up with a single fast lane in the middle and double-width slow and medium lanes on either side. I'm glad to see proper wave-breaking lane ropes.

However, the pool is busy. I'm about twenty minutes late arriving for the 7am session and it's packed.

Jump in the fast lane and make a start. The plan is a regular 3.2km session this morning, beginning with a steady 1.6km.

The water is clean and clear. There's slightly more of a chlorine taste than I like, but it's not too bad. After a few lengths spent swimming around people, the fast lane drops to four swimmers. Before long, it's just me and one other guy. He's donned paddles, so the pace is fine.

Keep going past the mile mark and pause at 2km, then settle into a couple of 400s. During these, I'm aware that the pool, which had nearly emptied, is suddenly packed again.

I've crossed into the 8am session and the lanes fill quickly. This time, the new lane partners seem unfamiliar with lane-swimming etiquette, and it becomes slightly frustrating throughout the remainder of the swim.

Finish up with 3.4km.

I never mind a busy pool. I don't own it, and it's a community facility, so I always do my best not to disrupt anyone else's swim. My frustration is usually with pool management for not providing better solutions.

I'm also aware that I visit most pools just once. For the other 364 days of the year, the setup probably works perfectly well without me turning up and causing chaos.

They've only got five lanes to play with here, so they are slightly limited. Credit where it's due for the proper lane ropes and the single-width fast lane. However, when there are more swimmers in the fast lane than in the double-width medium lane, as happens at one point, perhaps three single lanes for fast and medium swimmers, followed by a double-width slow lane, might work better.

Swim done, it's time for a quick breakfast in Kenilworth over some emails, then back to sit at a desk for the day.