Serpentine Lido

Considering how long I’ve lived in the area and how often I’ve walked or cycled past, it is a miracle that I waited until today to have a swim in Serpentine Lido — on the hottest day of the year! We arrived before noon and didn’t have to queue — different story when I left around 2.30pm …
Compared to other lidos, this one’s not spectacular, but I just love the fact that you have the opportunity to dip into the lake in the middle of Hyde Park. And I’ve never swum with geese and swans before. The water was a good temperature and still relatively clean (it can get covered in algae) — but nowhere near clear, but it’s probably a good thing that you can’t see the ground.
I was glad my friend is a regular and expertly walked up the stairs past the changing rooms — best come with your swimsuit under your clothes, they are a bit yuckie and overcrowded (single cabins only, no communal nudity — we are in the Royal Borough after all). You end up on a terrace with a small kiosk and then have the choice to turn right into a lovely area with paddling pool which is inhabited mainly by families with young children.
Or turn left and cross a bridge to the main water. The area closer to the lake is a bit meh and we were already too late to find a flat bit, let alone a sun lounger (mind you, I didn’t hear any German accents, so all fair play). My first experience of sunbathing on a steep slope, even later arrivals had to make do with the tarmaced «beach».
The (cold!) showers spray a gentle trickle of water, but I love the fact that everything here is just a little bit rubbish and hope it will never change. Perfect for a couple of hours, then make room for the next person.

I was planning on spending a day here since July but then the Olympics started and my kid got the chickenpox blah blah blah so basically, yesterday was the first, danger free and sunny day we could all spend outside. Yay!
So! not surprisingly, the place was packed! There was a long queue for the tickets but they moved quite fast (no more than 10 – 15 minutes).
The prices are reasonable: £4 per adult, £1 for kids between 3 – 5 and free for kids under 3.
You have a (fairly safe) fenced children’s playground area + a paddle pool for the kids with water up to their knees (obviously, if we are talking about a 5year old).
There’s a long stretch of grass/​field kinda thing that makes it easy for the parents to keep an eye on their kids and relax at the same time (is that actually possible??!)
There’s an ice cream/​drinks/​sammiches shop (£1.50 bottle of water) but you can bring your own stuff and have a picnic.
If you cross the bridge, you’ll find yourself in the «adult» swimming area.
The water is incredibly cold, fuzzy… duck infested and perfect for beginners or experienced swimmers. ‘HAhahaha.
Or just for those who want to cool down and relax in the water — like myself.
Equipped with 2 great pools, lots of grass, lifeguards, showers, lockers and plenty of room to sunbath, no wonder the Serpentine Lido is one of the longest running lidos in London.

While you can swim in the freezing lido, if you have children (10 and under, maybe 7 and under), you can’t beat the children’s paddling pool and play area overlooking the serpentine. Four pounds for an adult, one pound for 3−5s, and free for under 3s. There are life guards, bathrooms, and a sandwich shop. And most of the mummies there are very nice and friendly.

Swimming in the Serpentine is an experience!
There are changing rooms and lockers and well, a lido.
Good luck if you can face the chilly English waters!
I thought it was fun :-)

There is a small shallow paddle pool and a lido at the lake. The water is … well it’s a lake. The facilities are dirty.
No wonder many people prefer to simply dip their toes into the Diana Memorial fountain.

The Serpentine Swimmers club are famous for braving the cold and duck-​infested waters here in almost any weather or season. I know this mostly because in the changing room of my local outdoor pool in Hackney, braggadocio Serpentine club members (sometimes old enough to be my grandfather) often cajole us weaklings for swimming in a lukewarm bath. Eager to see what the fuss was about, myself and a friend braved the lake in Hyde Park on a windy and overcast day over the summer. Being somewhat accustomed to the shock of suddenly entering near-​freezing water from my time spent on Irish atlantic beaches, the Serpentine turned out to be surprisingly bearable to acclimatise to. Granted, I couldn’t match the stamina displayed by the many tri-​athletes and Channel swimmers who use it to train, but having braved the cold and weedy waves of the Serpentine, I feel I have added a valuable London string to my bow.