Cornwall House Outdoor Pool

After last night's swim at the University of Exeter's St Luke's campus indoor 25-yard pool, I am completing the set this morning at the nearby Streatham campus outdoor pool.

The pool sits right among the student blocks in the gardens of the Streatham campus. I believe it first opened around 1970 and has been a popular fixture of the surrounding campus ever since.

I manage to park at the nearby squash club and walk two minutes into campus. I can hear the pool before I see it, the splashing suggests the 6:30am lane swim session on a sunny Wednesday morning is surprisingly popular with students!

I head through to the pool deck and pay the absolute bargain £2.00 ($2.70) entry fee. This may be the cheapest paid swim to date!

The pool is set up with four lanes and it is busy. I head to the changing cubicle at the end of the pool. The changing rooms and showers here are brilliant, new, fresh and modern.

It is a spectacular sunny morning, but clear skies mean cold nights at this time of year. The walk from the poolside changing cubicle 25 metres up to the far end certainly preps me for whatever the water temp might be. Judging by the mist pouring off the surface, it is going to be just about perfect.

The pool is packed. Great to see two of the four lanes are designated 'fast' lanes. Both fast lanes have groups of swimmers running sets, and both seem to be doing 50s, so I jump in the quieter of the two and chase down 50m sprint swimmers throughout the opening 1km.

The water is slightly cloudy, but there is hardly any chemical taste. Maybe students don't pee in pools! The water is a perfect temperature, contrasting against the cold early morning air.

I add a 400m, then a few 200s, before bringing the swim to a 3.2km total with a few warm-down 100s.

Swim done, it is an hour back up the M5 to work. I think I have earnt a McDonald's sausage and egg McMuffin!