Love it or loath it, London’s 10-storey-high ‘sky’ pool, suspended 114m above the Nine Elms made a splash this month. Images of swimmers dipping their toes in the 25m water-filled bridge between two blocks of luxury flats ignited a social media furore; would-be swimmers were disappointed to discover the residents-only rule, and equally furious that developers had slammed a ban on just who in the building could accessing the slice of sky-high aquamarine heaven.
But there’s no need to get your speedos in a twist over the Nine Elms pool: Britain is brimming with unusual swimming spots that don’t require the keys to a multi-million-pound pad.
Scarlet Hotel, Cornwall
Cornwall’s eco hotel du jour is just five minutes from Newquay Airport, but once you’ve dived into the outdoor pool, you’re immersed in a remote oasis. Perched above Mawgan Porth’s secluded beach, the cool, rainwater-filled pool is naturally filtered by living reeds. An evening dip, soundtracked by crashing waves, guarantees a spectacular sunset show. Warm up after in the half-barrel hot tub, before heading inside to smartly furnished rooms, a seasonally-inspired restaurant, and an Ayurvedic, lantern-lit spa. If you’re not inclined to cold-water swimming, head for the indoor pool which is no less awe-inspiring; practise your crawl beneath wall-to-ceiling windows which frame dramatic coastal views.
Day spa packages from £170pp. Rooms from £245 per night scarlethotel.co.uk
Shangri-La Hotel, The Shard, London
While London went woo-woo for the Nine Elms watering hole, those in the know about the Shangri-La London’s 52-floor pool felt bemused by the madness. Why splash about above Vauxhall’s building sites when you can complete 10 lengths in the highest hotel pool in Europe, enjoying views across London’s historic heart and beyond? Granted, the Shard’s 11-metre heated pool doesn’t lurch between two buildings, but it offers a wall-to-wall window view of the capital, a similarly luxurious sauna and the chance to enjoy a sky-high lunch of British-Asian small plates at Ting Restaurant.
A £125 Sky Pass provides access to the gym, pool, and sauna and £50 credit for Ting Restaurant, plus use of a towel and locker. Shangri-la.com
Watergate Bay Hotel Pool, Newquay
Stacked like the horizontal stripes of an ice lolly, the boundaries between sea, sky, beach and chlorinated waters become blurred when you’re taking a dip in the Watergate Bay Hotel’s pool. The 25-metre space takes all the benefits of being inside (warm, clean water and a sauna nearby) but adds sweeping Atlantic views from two floor-to-ceiling glass walls. The best bit? Beyond the windows lies Watergate Bay’s two-mile stretch of sandy beach and some of the county’s best surfing waves. Despite the low-key, beach club atmosphere, this Newquay hotel offers all the bells and whistles of a luxurious stay, too – five restaurants cater to just 71 rooms, guest fitness sessions run daily on the beach, and there’s as much time for enjoying the timber-clad sauna as there is getting out on the waves for to try out surfing or paddleboarding.
Rooms, in low season, from £210 per night. The pool is currently open to hotel guests only and sessions must be booked. watergatebay.co.uk
Walpole Bay Tidal Pool, Margate
Sitting east of Margate proper, the superior of Margate’s two tidal pools quietly slips away under coastal waters twice a day, only to reappear a few hours later. It’s a rustic swim – three walls and the beach frame four acres of captured waves, hitting a depth of seven feet at the furthest sea end. Walpole is over 80 years old, one of just 13 tidal pools in the country, and it hasn’t quite kept up with the Kentish coast’s recent revival – nearby neighbours include the Thanet bowls club and a duo of retirement homes. But the liberating joy of a morning splash in icy waters to greet the dawning day is worth the 20-minute walk from your town centre accommodation (try the Reading Rooms for an elegant b&b stay). Warm up with a coffee from Curve roasters on your walk back to town.
Thermae Bath Spa, Bath
A city built over the only natural hot springs in the UK should have form when it comes to swimming pools. Bath doesn’t disappoint, although the original Roman swim spots have now been eclipsed by the rooftop oasis at Thermae Bath Spa. Sat above six floors dedicated to wellness (steam rooms, treatments and the indoor Minerva Bath), the mineral-rich rooftop pool provides a bird’s eye view of the city rooftops as you float in 34-degree thermal waters, a swirling haze of evaporation spilling into the sky. With restricted visitor numbers still in action, this year is likely one of the only times you can enjoy a crowd-free trip. Book an evening slot and dive into the waters for a healing soak as the sun sinks below the town’s honeyed Georgian architecture.
Spa packages from £35pp. thermaebathspa.com
Tylney Hall, Hook
If the crystalline angles of modern swimming pools don’t entice, try a potter down to the home counties. Gloriously best of British landscapes encircle Tylney Hall’s turquoise lido – it sits in 66 acres of sweeping lawn accompanied by Gertrude Jekyll-designed gardens where not an azalea strays out of line. Deckchairs stand to attention along the pool’s grassy edges, with jugs of Pimms on standby. The hotel itself a patchwork of English stately design; built in 1898, it borrows architecture from earlier centuries, sewing 16th-century Florentine ceilings, Wedgewood-style décor and walnut panelling together behind a trim and tidy red-brick exterior. Once you’ve racked up the laps, take a light sandwich lunch on the breezy terrace.
B&B room from £200 per night. tylneyhall.co.uk
King Street Townhouse, Manchester
Seven floors up and tucked atop a Grade-II listed building, the infinity pool at King Street Townhouse looks over the gothic gables and clock tower of Manchester town hall. This sleek swimming spot takes the crown for the best pool in the north-west. With only 40 guest rooms, there’s no fear of splashing crowds, while downstairs, the cool-toned bedrooms offer chic interiors which pick out the old bank’s period features. All rooms come with picture windows offering further cityscape views, too. With Piccadilly train station just 10 minutes away, plus most of the city’s galleries, museums and restaurants a stone’s throw from the front door, it’s the perfect base for a summer city break that doesn’t gamble with the traffic-light system.
Rooms from £165 per night. Eclectichotels.co.uk
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