Inspired by the publication of The Outdoor Swimming Guide (reviewed in research and literature), I searched on a misty, end-of-summer morning for the Highley Outdoor Swimming Pool in the West Midlands. Like so many UK swimming pools, budget constraints were immediately apparent when I experienced difficulties booking online via the Halo Leisure website. Not to worry as an incredibly helpful staff member booked me into the ‘fitness’ session over the phone with little fuss. It should be said that Halo Leisure is an award winning social enterprise group and not an industrial scale leisure corporation so glitches in the website are understandable and their efforts are to be commended.

When I finally arrived the pool was in back of the Severn Centre which is really too big to miss. I was surprised to learn that Highley was a former mining town and that it was the Miner Welfare Fund that was a catalyst for the construction of the building from 1920 – 1931.

The pool itself was a modest 25m setup with two very wide lanes. The staff member kindly explained the system and the changing rooms had a very secondary school vibe to them, but with lots of room and all that you really needed was there in working order. It was the penultimate day that the pool was open for the summer season and lots of goodbyes were already being said. It was apparent how much the pool meant to the swimmers there, all who were friendly and enjoying a swim at different paces. It was a bit of a shock jumping in. After getting used to the unheated Ilkley Lido in Yorkshire, this felt tropical at somewhere around 24º. Perhaps some budget could be saved by dipping the temperature a couple of degrees, but of course the pool caters for lots of different sessions and uses and so the temperature has to be a compromise for all. The lifeguard said this year the season had been shortened due to budget constraints.

The pool is a little oasis and there probably aren’t too many other swimming possibilities in the immediate area. It is such a valuable resource that is hugely appreciated by its users. At the end of my swim after changing and packing my bags, I realised that I had left all my swim paraphernalia by the pool. Again, no panic, it had all been kindly placed on the desk by the door by one of the staff. Thank you! A sweet little pool with fantastic people keeping it alive. Long may it last.