Tooting Bec Lido

A lovely place for an outdoor swim in the summer, the size means that even when its busy, you don’t feel too cramped or crowded and can still enjoy the swimming. Our only issue was that the staff accidentally swapped our locker key with someone else’s, so we had to chase them down to get our valuables back.

If you love outdoor swimming like I love outdoor swimming then this is the place for you! It is a beautiful place with the multicoloured changing doors and the grassy area to relax on post swim. And the pool is massive, meaning that even when busy you can still find an area to call your own. For me the only downside is that there are no lockers for public use, the desk will take your valuables and give you a key if you know to ask, but only for small items. I left my bag on the side and had no problems but it would be nice to be able to lock stuff away.
Otherwise the showers and changing areas are good and the staff were all lovely and helpful.
I will definitely be going again, as long as the sun is still here!

Not sure about price :-(
LONG QUEUE (90 minutes!!!)
Cold Water.
Huge pool.

As a swimming lover, I could say this pool is really great. For people who cannot or do not like swimming, maybe this place is not for them. But you should come and see, and try. For me there is not a better pool in the area than this one!

For me, there’s nothing better than outdoor swimming and Tooting lido delivers well. It can get well busy in school holidays and on really hot days but it’s heated so it’s okay to go other times. Swimming in the rain is my favourite.

I love Tooting Bec Lido. It will be one of the few things I will really miss about living in London. Reasonable price for a huge, outdoor pool. There is nothing quite like swimming in the open air!
Be warned: the pool is not heated, so it’s rather nippy! Just means you’ve got to keep moving ;)

The pool need to be on constant underground heating system to keep it warm and makes the place more lively. Nice and big pool with a lovely bar and changing rooms.
They should keep to strict rules children should not be allow in the big pool, they should always make use of their children‘s pool.
Last time I was there kids were peeing by the side of the big pool, which is a bad habit, and their parents are not helping to keep the place neat and tidy either.

If you do go, don’t go on a weekend or go at 5pm on the weekday.
I have actually seen a line to get in.
Once your in, it is amazing, as long as there aren’t a lot of kids in there.
THey should adopt the American mentality and have an adult 15 minutes every hour. THe kids have to get out and only adults can get in.
imagine that!

SPLASH!!!
This 5 star review only applies during periods of heatwave like the one we had over the WImbledon tennis fortnight this year. During those periods, this unheated pool is the perfect antidote.
At 90m, the main pool at Tooting Bec lido is the largest open air pool in Europe. There’s a separate children’s pool and a café, all wrapped up in grand surroundings.
It can get busy as you can imagine when the sun comes out but it’s well worth for a dip to cool off and to lie in sun and luxuriate.

Not so sure about cheap. It was £4.75 to get in.
I liked it though. It was a scorcher of a day and a swim was the only thing to fix it.
The queue took 25minutes to get through, but once in there was plenty of space for everyone. The pool is mahussive — 90metres.
There were people of all ages and from all walks of life (including some really horrible speedoe wearers!!)
It does have a bit of a feel of faded glory, but probably a lick of paint could sort htat out.
A GREAT thing to do on a hot day. Bring on global warming!

The largest open-​air swimming pool in London, the Lido is on Tooting bec common in South London. It’s only open during the relatively hot summer months, from late May to the end of September every year. Unfortunately the Lido isn’t heated and isn’t so appealing during the early Spring Months, although this means the pool is pretty quiet. And in many ways a much nicer experience than battling with children during the dreaded summer holidays!

It was beginning of May when I decided that it was about time to start the summer and for me that has always meant beginning of the swimming season. I googled all the lidos in London and I was exited to learn that the Tootin Bec Lido is the biggest outdoor pool in Europe. I threw by bikinis to my bag and headed to South.
Honesty it did not even occure to me, that there could NOT be any heating in the pool. Once I got there I discovered that I was the only one NOT wearing a wetsuit. It was early spring and the whater was so freezing cold. The life guard though I was insane when he looked at me with my tiny bikinis. It was insane, I forsed my self to swim ten minutes and rest of the day I spend warming my self up.
It is a nice looking, big pool, but go there when it is really really warm, or take your wetsuit with you.

Tooting bec Lido is a great place to go in the summer, it’s a really good place to meet friends, have a picnic and cool off.
It’s kind of old fashioned but in a nice way. The pool is huge, I think it must be 50 metres and I think there might be a kids pool too.
It opens as soon as the weather starts heating up (the pool is not heated) so some time around easter. I think it shuts each day around dusk.
It’s pretty unusual to find an outdoor pool like this in London and it’s a cheap fun day out.