Fools Pool at Only Fools & Horses

I've seen this pool several times on my Worldwide Pool Directory – how could you forget Only Fools and Horses swimming pool! (For anyone not familiar with the legendary comedy: here’s the chandelier clip. Everyone usually defaults to Del falling through the bar – that clip’s here too.)

Anyway, it’s about a 40-minute drive from Silverdale, so it was definitely going on the list!

It was still quite cold today (highs of around 14°C) but thankfully the sun was out. Quick stop for a Sausage and Egg McMuffin and cappuccino, then a detour to buy a jumper/fleece/hoodie from where else in New Zealand but Kathmandu! (Yes, it’s Kiwi – no matter what the Aussies will tell you.)

The drive across the North Island from east to west takes you through some spectacular countryside valleys. If it were raining, I’d have thought I was in North Wales!

Apparently, I’d arrived. Siri pointed me down a driveway from the main road – if I hadn’t seen the sign, I’d have thought it was the wrong turn. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I believe it’s a backpackers hostel, horse riding facility and swimming pool – an interesting combination. I parked right in front of the pool entrance. The empty entrance hut and closed metal gates made me think it was shut! The website (and sign on the door) said it was open until 3pm. Thankfully I then spotted a guy swimming laps in the middle lane – and realised the gates had a pull latch to open.

Had a quick look around but couldn’t find anyone. Headed through the gate and slid open the pool door – hoping either the guy in the pool knew how I could pay, or someone would see me on the cameras and turn up. Tried to chat to the swimmer but he was wearing earplugs and couldn’t hear me – and I didn’t want to interrupt his session. So I ducked into the toilet/shower area, got my jammers on and made a start.

I’ve listed the pool as outdoor – it’s a 25m, three-lane pool with proper wave-breaker lane ropes. The pool sits under a sort of retractable poly-tunnel, a great idea to keep an outdoor pool running through winter and reduce heating costs. The tunnel was closed today but we’re pretty much at that point in the NZ spring where they could open it up. The blast of hot, humid air as you enter is quite something. The setup reminded me of the pool in Boulder City, Nevada, with its pressurised tent bubble!

Jumped in the left lane and got going. The pool’s about 1.5m deep and the water temperature was perfectly cold.

The pool uses an Enviroswim system in the main pool. I hadn’t heard of it before but the website says it’s like swimming in pure tap water – I didn’t drink any (well, not much) but I can confirm it was certainly chemical-free. It reminded me of the pool at Matlock Bath Spa last month which was spring-fed.

I’ve been swimming almost every day lately, so taking things easy. Knocked out a 2km plod – nice to let your mind wander without worrying about pace, technique, or whether someone’s about to nick your bag.

Finished the 80 laps and swam halfway back for a bit of pool meditation. It was so quiet and peaceful I genuinely felt like I might fall asleep!

Swim done, I planned to grab a beer at the historic Riverhead Tavern (they’ve been pulling pints for over 160 years!) but first, a walk on the spectacular black sand Muriwai Beach – and tried not to get shat on by a gannet. Oh, and for future me: this was the remote beach where, bizarrely, some guy carried his electric piano down the cliff to play to the waves. Reminded me of the day years ago when I first went to Dubai and there was a guy playing the bagpipes at Al Mamzar Beach Park.

And yes, I’ll be emailing them to see if there’s a way to send the NZ$10 payment for the swim. I never mind a free swim from a big company, but it’s important to support fantastic community facilities like this – it costs a lot to keep these things going. Oh, and the pool has nothing to do with Del, Rodney or Grandad! The sign on the door shows a jester 'fool' and there is a horse training padock adjacent to the pool! OK, may be some small influence, who knows!

I’m scoring this one high for the experience. Someone recently asked about my rambling swim posts – and as I’ve said before, it’s not really about the swimming!