Another swimming blog

Detail from the gates into the Gourock outdoor pool

If you aren't interested in swimming give this blog a miss. If you are then you are in for a treat. I will make you jealous by saying I have had three swimming experiences in the last week.

The first and most luxurious was at Portavadie, in the indoor and outdoor heated pools. The outdoor pool was an infinity pool which means when you are swimming you can't see where the pool ends because the water flows over the edge. The view was spectacular over the Highlands. It was the most expensive swim at £12.00, but I was treated, so thank you Frank. The changing rooms were the height of luxury with large fluffy towels, hair dryers and hair straighteners and most important and rarely found in swim changing rooms, a spin dryer just for your cossie. I think all pools should have one of these as your cossie comes out almost dry and it saves lugging around a heavy wet costume which you then need to dry somehow at home (or worse still try and dry on the boat.)

Greenock pool

The next swim was in Greenock, a twenty minute bike ride from where we are at the James Watt Marina. It is right on the banks of the Clyde with lovely views and a very modern pool. There is a fun pool with flumes and then a training pool with lanes. They are both in separate parts of the building, which is unusual, so it was lovely to swim out of the way of noisy children! This was around £4 for a swim. It was pleasant enough but a bit too warm. The good thing was that it also had separate changing rooms. There were family unisex changing rooms and then adult only ones separated into male and female. These were lovely, all low lighting and full length mirrors, lots of space, plenty of hooks and large lockers..and no children.


The Terrace at Gourock today

The third swim was today and it was the most unusual, as it was an outdoor heated sea water pool! It is in Gourock, a 20 minute bus ride from where we are and the other side of Greenock. Only £2.60 for a senior swim. The water was lovely and warm but it was an overcast day with a chilly breeze so the adults in the pool were shivering a bit. The trick was to do a stroke that kept as much of your body under the water as possible. The lane swimmers were all people my age and one man did comment that it was a bit of a cold breeze, that's hardy Scots for you! It certainly was cold when you got out of the pool. It was strange to be swimming in warmed sea water but lovely to have no chlorine. The lady I spoke to who was sharing my lane said it comes in straight from the Clyde and is then filtered and heated. She did say that it is usually warmer than it was today, so it may be they had just refilled it.  It is set right on the waterfront on the banks of the Clyde so again lovely views of the Highlands and Dunoon just across the river. They have midnight swim sessions occasionally on a Wednesday evening which sound lovely, the pool is all lit up with lights so I was sorry I missed that experience.

Gourock Pool today

Here is an extract from their brochure;

"Enjoy open air swimming in our salt water pool, heated to 29 ºC and then get a feel for the summer on our terraced area or the traditional patio all with spectacular views of the Clyde Estuary.
Recently refurbished as part of a £1.8m renovation project consisting of modern and contemporary changing facilities, a new gym with truly stunning vistas and improved disabled access with street level parking, it offers customers a truly unique and first class leisure experience.

Midnight Swims
A fresh crisp summer evening, clear sky and glistening stars set the scene. The warmth of the pool creates the perfect atmosphere to marvel at the delights of this unique swimming experience."


 

Scotland has been by far the best area so far for pools, I think more or less everywhere we have been in Scotland has had a leisure facility with a pool and they are all modern. Well done Scotland for investing in these facilities.