Helmsley open air pool to open in November for the first time in its history

Despite the coldest start to a June since 1991, the pool enjoyed a very successful heated season.

Since September 9, the boiler and the air source heat pump have been switched off and the pool temperature has gradually dropped from 28C to 13C.

As recently as 2016, the pool used to close at the end of the Summer Holidays – but in recent years it has opened on weekends, on an unheated basis in the autumn.

The popularity of ‘cool pool’ has grown and grown – in 2022, it ran for six weeks and the plan for this year is to do eight weeks, which means there will be swim sessions in November for the first time in the pool’s history.

For each of the three weekend sessions held in September, more than 100 swimmers ‘enjoyed’ pool temperatures in the high teens and early twenties – plus there was an additional Harvest Full Moon swim.

Six weeks in and the pool temperature is now around 12C with a charity breathwork and dip planned for Saturday October 19, with all proceeds going to help survivors of cancer with the Dip4Nip charity.

A small group of volunteers gets the pool ready each Friday afternoon for the weekend’s swimming.

They say the recent investment in a single automated pool cover has helped retain the pool’s heat with the water temperature dropping around two degrees a week.

Paul Goodwin, a volunteer and trustee at the lido, said: “More and more people are seeing benefits of cold water swimming and the gradual weekly temperature drop, along with investments in hot poolside showers this year, mean the pool is a great place to ‘dip your toe’ into cold water swimming.”

Visit www.helmsleyopenairpool.org for tickets for the historic November 2 swim.

You can also click on dip4nip.nipcharity.org for further information.