With cold water swimming currently in fashion, we dive into some of our stories on the theme of communal bathing and taking the waters.
The Romans built an extensive bathing complex fed by hot springs in what later became the city of Bath in Somerset. The Roman Baths are open to the public, and there is a lot to see here as this is one of the finest historic sites in Northern Europe.
Plymouth's Tinside Lido in Devon is a stunning semi-circular saltwater bathing pool, built in 1935 in a classic art deco style. It is 50 metres in diameter, has three fountains for bathers to play in, and commands a spectacular vantagepoint, alongside Plymouth Hoe.
The village of Strathpeffer, north of Inverness, became one of Europe’s most popular health resorts between 1870 and 1939. Though the spa fad has passed, Strathpeffer has been left with some charming Victoria holiday architecture
Described by Historic England as one of the seven wonders of the English seaside, Saltdean Lido just along the coast from Brighton is the only Grade II* listed lido in the UK, and is renowned for its fantastic Art Deco architecture. It was threatened with redevelopment in 2010 until a local campaign was set up to save and restore it.
Tooting Bec Lido in South London is the largest open-air fresh water swimming pool in the UK at 100m by 33m, and one of the recently revived lidos in London, now extremely popular as escapes on a hot day, and for dedicated open-air swimmers.
The spa town of Buxton is in Derbyshire, on the edge of thePeak District National Park. It is England's highest market town, sited at some 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level.
