[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":97},["ShallowReactive",2],{"latest-published-pool-number":3,"page-\u002Fpool\u002Fwaterworld-leisure-centre-wrexham":4,"surround-\u002Fpool\u002Fwaterworld-leisure-centre-wrexham":88},303,{"id":5,"title":6,"address":7,"body":8,"city":53,"country":54,"date":55,"description":56,"device":57,"distance":58,"extension":59,"featured_image":60,"gallery":61,"googlemap":67,"lanes":68,"latitude":69,"length":70,"longitude":71,"meta":72,"metaDescription":73,"metaTitle":73,"navigation":74,"ogImage":73,"pace":75,"path":76,"pool":77,"published":74,"rating":78,"review":79,"robots":73,"schemaOrg":73,"seo":80,"setupLanes":73,"setupLength":73,"setupUnits":73,"sitemap":81,"state":73,"stem":83,"tags":84,"type":85,"units":86,"url":73,"__hash__":87},"pools\u002Fpool\u002F161.waterworld-leisure-centre-wrexham.md","Waterworld Wrexham","Bodhyfryd, Wrexham LL13 8DH, United Kingdom",{"type":9,"value":10,"toc":49},"minimark",[11,15,23,26,29,32,39,46],[12,13,14],"p",{},"Early morning start with an action-packed day ahead! Left the house at 5am for a 90-minute drive to Wrexham, the town (now city) where I was born, for a swim. This visit has been high on my list—it's been 35 years since I last swam here! Thanks to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's incredible story of buying Wrexham A.F.C., Wrexham's been making headlines recently.",[12,16,17,18,22],{},"The ",[19,20,21],"strong",{},"Waterworld pool"," first opened in 1967, was super-modern for its time and still holds up today. Its hyperbolic paraboloid roof (cheers, Wikipedia!) is an architectural standout that lifts the building from the ground.",[12,24,25],{},"Parked, paid, and headed onto the pool deck.",[12,27,28],{},"My memory of the pool painted it as a massive, bright space with high ceilings. Either my perception has shifted, or the pool has undergone significant changes! The 25-metre, six-lane lap pool is now joined to a play pool with water slides, bathed in light from floor-to-ceiling windows that feel almost cathedral-like. A boom splits the main pool to create a shallow learner pool - I think the original tank was 33.3m, and this change partly contributes to my memory of a much larger space.",[12,30,31],{},"It's early, but the pool is already busy, and I'm sharing a lane with several others. This isn't going to be a fast-paced session. Instead, I passed the time trying to work out what's changed. Were the slides and play pool there before? I remember diving boards and a deep diving pit—but they're gone. Did they turn the pool 90 degrees? I seem to recall swimming under those large peaked windows.",[12,33,34,35,38],{},"Surprisingly, I wrapped up a 4km swim at a 1:31 pace—not bad, given the traffic. Showered, changed, and grabbed a McDonald's breakfast before heading a few miles South of Wrexham for a nostalgic day fly fishing on the Welsh Dee at Bangor-on-Dee - complete with an equine audience of horses silently judging every cast! The river was high, and the fish were in short supply. Finished up a perfect day with a pint of Wrexham Lager at the ",[19,36,37],{},"Royal Oak"," next to the river and the medieval late 15th century Bangor Bridge.",[12,40,41,42,45],{},"Still curious about what's changed at the pool, a quick Google—and the ",[19,43,44],{},"Wrexham Leader"," had the answers. A major refurbishment in 1998 and reopened by the Queen transformed the iconic Wrexham landmark. I've included a 1970 photo of the pool that shows it as I remember it from the 1980s, a rare exception to my no-photo rule for pictures I didn't take. I sourced the photo from the Wrexham leader article, I'm happy to remove the image if the copyright owner wishes.",[12,47,48],{},"If you're ever in Wrexham, Waterworld is worth a visit—swimming in a piece of local history always adds a special touch! If you are an American tourist on the trail of the Wrexham story, head to my favourite restaurant, The Boat at Erbistock - I'll gladly meet you there for a larger Wrexham!",{"title":50,"searchDepth":51,"depth":51,"links":52},"",2,[],"Wrexham","UK","2024-04-19","Early morning swim under the hyperbolic paraboloid roof in the place where I was born!","Garmin Swim 2",4000,"md","waterworld-leisure-centre-wrexham-square.jpg",[60,62,63,64,65,66],"waterworld-leisure-centre-wrexham-building.jpg","waterworld-leisure-centre-wrexham-horses.jpg","waterworld-leisure-centre-wrexham-fishing.jpg","waterworld-leisure-centre-wrexham-larger-royal-oak-bangor-on-dee.jpg","waterworld-leisure-centre-wrexham-january-1970.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fmaps.app.goo.gl\u002FsoDLWsUpNBYe8h1GA","6",53.0487364,25,-2.9910575,{},null,true,"1:31","\u002Fpool\u002Fwaterworld-leisure-centre-wrexham",161,50,"Despite looking a bit tired in places, the leisure centre remains a bustling community hub. While iconic, I understand the futuristic roof has proven expensive to maintain. In recent years, there have been threats of closure. The community rallied to save the pool, and though a bid for listed status failed (due to the 1998 refurbishment), there's a commitment to keep it going until at least 2035.",{"title":6,"description":56},{"loc":76,"lastmod":82},"2025-05-29","pool\u002F161.waterworld-leisure-centre-wrexham",[],"Indoor","m","zTyWKFx2TIEO2ghkSkxRAWrMjA5LUo48JLD_359WEyU",[89,93],{"title":90,"path":91,"stem":92,"children":-1},"Las Vegas Municipal Pool","\u002Fpool\u002Flas-vegas-municipal-pool","pool\u002F162.las-vegas-municipal-pool",{"title":94,"path":95,"stem":96,"children":-1},"Middleton Pool Newport Pagnell","\u002Fpool\u002Fmiddleton-pool-newport-pagnell","pool\u002F160.middleton-pool-newport-pagnell",1789678155008]