Cirencester Open Air Pool

After nearly making the 200 mark in Malta last week, only to be thwarted by an international water polo competition, I was up at 5am this morning determined to bag a proper memorable pool — not just another dull 25m council affair.

Cirencester Open Air Pool has been on my list for a while. I tried last year, but it had already closed for the season by the time I got around to it. Today felt like the perfect moment: 200th pool, a 30-minute detour off the M5, and a crisp September morning with the sun coming up over misty fields.

Finding the pool, though, wasn’t so straightforward. Apple Maps led me down what looked like a private road, then insisted I scale a 20-foot stone wall! All in smart work shoes! The pool’s website says there’s no parking nearby and that you need to come on foot — so I looped back into town, parked up, then tried again. Eventually I spotted a sign, followed it, and finally arrived… I've definitly not made my booked 7am slot!

The pool is a beauty. Opened in 1870, it’s fed by natural spring water and has been heated since 1931. Set right beneath Cirencester Castle, it’s one of the oldest open-air pools in the country and feels every bit of its history. The water was steaming in the morning sun, around 25°C, with patches of warm and cool where hot water is pumped in at one end.

I took the fast lane, kept things steady with my still-clicking shoulder, and plodded out 100 lengths (3,000 yards). The water was surprisingly choppy — more than some open-water swims I’ve done — and I swallowed more than a bit. But it was a great workout, and never more than two people in my lane.

Post-swim, I discovered that the £1 lockers don’t return your coin (farewell, trusty ‘emergency swim pound’ thats been around the world and back!), and showers require 20p for three minutes. Luckily I still had change left over from pool 195, Longwell Green a couple of months back! Quick rinse, dry off, shoes back on outside as per the rules, and I was off for a coffee in town before continuing down to Somerset.

A fantastic pool, beautifully run by the local community, and a worthy choice for pool number 200.