Perdiswell Leisure Centre

My New Years resolution is to put things straight into the dishwasher. And also to stop buying a bag of Jelly Spogs (the hundreds-and-thousands sweet you find in liquorice allsorts) from Gloucester Services northbound every time I drive past.

Well, I am driving up the M5. It is dark, wet and foggy, and the UKs best motorway services are just 15 minutes away. I do myself a deal. I can stop, buy a bag, and demolish them, if I go for a swim before I get home.

Deal done. Sweets acquired, and eaten. I am now on the 10 minute loop off the M5 just north of Worcester, heading to the pool at Perdiswell Leisure Centre.

I had completely forgotten that I have tried to swim here before. Either them or me (probably me) had a timetable issue, and when I turned up last time it was kids lessons mania. But as I pass Sixways Stadium just off the M5, and make that pitch black sharp turn off the dual carriageway, I get serious deja vu. It all comes back to me.

I have checked the timetable. The evening session is 7:30pm to 9pm. It is just gone 8pm when I arrive, so this is going to be a short swim.

The car park is packed. I have to park a fair way from the door, and it is raining. Head to reception and I can see the pool through the glass. Fully laned up, and busy. Quick change, loads of nice clean padlock lockers, just what I like. Parade past the ladies waiting on the poolside benches for their aqua jog class, then out onto a very impressive pool deck.

There are two pool tanks. A smaller pool with a full movable floor, lowered for aqua jog, and the main pool with eight lanes. All proper wave breakers, and every lane has swimmers in it. The far three lanes are some sort of organised performance session. There is not a fast lane as such, but the two medium lanes each have four swimmers, all holding a decent pace.

I am about to hop in when I realise I have left my watch in the locker. No Garmin, no swim. Watch on wrist, back out to the pool, into the more consistent of the two medium lanes, and off I go.

The pool deck is clean, bright and brilliant. Loads of space, with spectator seating along the side. It really does feel like a proper short-course competition venue. Only two things stop it being top tier.

First, the lanes are quite narrow. They have squeezed in eight lanes, which is great, but there is a constant concern about hand clashes with swimmers coming the other way. It does not help that the lane rotation directions are wrong, so the lane next to you is swimming close by in the opposite direction.

Second, the shallow end is shallow. I did not clock the exact depth, but it felt under a metre. I scraped the floor with my hand a couple of times.

I have about 45 minutes for this session, so it is a quick one. I decide on my 800s set (800m, 2x400m, 4x200m) and see how many of the 8x100s I can squeeze in before they blow the whistle.

Lane traffic is a bit of a problem at the start, but it soon eases up. Before long I have the lane to myself.

I have done a few swims lately where I have almost had the entire pool to myself. I much prefer swimming with others. There are two guys in the other medium lane tonight bashing out solid 100s, and their pacing is very welcome.

Swim done. Back out into the pouring rain, trek back across the car park, and head home.