Liverpool Aquatics Centre

Early morning swim today to tick another UK 50m pool off the list - I must have done half of them by now! This one is the Liverpool Aquatic Centre, conveniently located just ten minutes from my hotel near the iconic Royal Albert Dock.

The pool is part of the larger Wavertree Sports Park complex, complete with a tennis centre, athletics track, gyms, and more. The Liverpool Aquatic Centre itself is FINA-approved, with eight lanes in a 50m competition format. It's also home to the City of Liverpool swim team. There's a second, smaller 20m training pool too, but I don't think I'll be hitting a double swim today!

I arrived just before 7 am, ready for the early morning lane swim session. After a quick trip back to receiption to get change for the lockers (heads up, lockers here take 20p coins!), I stepped onto the pool deck to find it's very busy! Six lanes were already occupied by the City of Liverpool squad hammering through their 50m sprints, leaving just two public lanes open, which, unfortunately, looked a bit ... chaotic.

Jumped in to at least get my minimum 1km logged, and oh boy, was it a challenge! Zero lane etiquette, swimmers clinging to the walls, constant interruptions, and overtaking 2-3 swimmers every length made for a frustrating start. To add to the drama, the lanes felt noticeably narrow! I'm not entirely convinced they're the full 2 metres required by FINA, despite the official stamp!

Nearly at the 1km mark, my watch decides to miss counting a length (thanks to all the stop-starting, no doubt!). Decided to push on to a solid 1.6km just to make absolutely sure I'd done enough - and then, relief! The club swimmers cleared out, opening up extra lanes and significantly reducing swimmer traffic. Suddenly, my original 3.2km target was back on the table (someone asked recently why I swim 3.2km as my standard session - it's two miles!).

Now in a quieter lane, I realised this pool felt surprisingly 'fast'. It's probably all psychological, maybe something to do with lots of pool floor markings passing by quickly, cooler water temperature, or those proper chunky wave-breaking lane ropes providing a clean surface. Either way, it made for a very fantastic second half of the swim.

Swim completed, I headed back to the Hilton for a hearty buffet breakfast. Plans for this afternoon include a bit of Beatles tourism, first stop, the Beatles Story Museum at Albert Dock, followed by a ping or two and some live music at the legendary Cavern Club.

I've thoroughly enjoyed my couple of days here in Liverpool. Honestly, I hadn't realised what an incredible city it has become. The Albert Dock and city centre redevelopment projects have transformed Liverpool into a spectacular tourist spot, and it's fantastic to see how the Beatles legacy continues to bring people from all over the world.