Greenbank Pool

I'm heading 40 minutes south east from the office this evening, across the Somerset Levels, for a swim at Greenbank outdoor heated pool in Street, Somerset. The original plan was a swim here tomorrow morning, but the swim session doesn't start until midday, so the 6pm session this evening it is.

Greenbank Pool, located right in the heart of Street, Somerset, opened in April 1937 and is today run as a charity. It continues to be a very popular swim spot, especially on hot days. They have some great old photos on the website.

I first became aware of the outdoor pool in Street a couple of years ago and have been planning a swim here ever since. I really wish I could get a swim at the nearby 50m pool at Millfield School, but public sessions seem to be a thing of the past post-Covid. One of my Instagram followers actually works at the Millfield pool, and I've even messaged them to see if there is any chance of a swim to tick it off the list, but no reply. It might soon be the only UK 50m pool not on the list!

If I was awarding points for pool websites, Greenbank would be sitting right at the top. I love the fullscreen drone fly-through video.

After ten days of a May heatwave in the UK, I've picked the first wet day, with temperatures back down towards a more usual May average, for an outdoor swim. Hoping the wet weather doesn't hang around for long as the last few days in the UK have been absolutely glorious.

Arrive at the pool right on 6pm. It's grey and raining, but I'm still slightly concerned that the pool is right in the centre of town and very popular. However, the car park right in front of the building is mostly empty, so I'm hoping the pool is quiet.

Head through the entrance way that perfectly frames the pool and gardens, stop at the ticket turnstile to pay the £9 entry fee, and through to get my first full view of the pool. It's not busy, but there are still a decent number of swimmers enjoying the rain.

Left turn to the changing rooms, which are well appointed but open air, with some cover around the walls above the benches. A shy type might have a thought about the view from the house next door as they're stood ball arse naked. Note there are no lockers either in the changing rooms or poolside, so stuff my clothes into the swim bag, valuables in my Yeti poolside dry bag, and opt to leave my things under cover in the changing rooms.

Head down to the pool. The air temperature is definitely cooler than the advertised pool temperature and it has that great hot spring mist look rising off the water. It's a 100 ft, 30m, six lane pool with a 2.4m, or 8ft, deep end where, looking at old photos, there used to be a set of diving boards - probably long gone as a result of health and safety!

The pool is set behind the curved main building, with the entrance and changing rooms on one side and well kept gardens around the pool deck. There's a shallow half-moon kids' pool on the near side of the main pool. I bet this place is packed on a hot day.

There aren't any lane ropes in the pool, but there are six lanes marked out on the pool floor. There are 8 or 10 other swimmers in the main pool, so manage to find a slot and squeeze in. The vibe is definitely not bash out pace-y laps. It's bad enough I'm wearing my jammers!

Decide this is going to be a casual, graceful swim. Work on lengthening that stroke.

Jump in the deep end and yes, it's definitely around the advertised 30 degree mark. Push off and make a start, aiming for just over 2km at a nice gentle pace, and no flip turns. The water is pretty clean and clear considering the pool is surrounded by trees and wildlife. The water temperature increases as you reach the shallow end.

It's not long before the rain kicks up a gear. Cold rain on your back in a warm pool does feel good mid-swim.

Continue on to the end of the session, finish up with 72 lengths, 2,160 metres, before the tannoy ding dong announces the session has finished. If this was a swim training session, I definitely would have been shouted at for 'dossing about'. This certainly isn't a workout session, but it's another pool on the list and a great one at that.

A note on the £9 entrance fee. Whilst it's certainly quite a bit more than the recent $3 Nevada pool swims, this is a charity and, most importantly, it's a heated outdoor pool. Keeping this thing heated to around 30° Celsius, or 86° Fahrenheit, for six months of the year will not come cheap.