Had my first swim in the new pool this morning, in the over 60s 10.00-11.00 session. Hardly any queue to get in (although a bit of a one had built up when I came out just before 11.00) and there was plenty of room for everyone actually in the pool. The fact that the pool is, I think, substantially wider than the one at The Bridge, which I have hitherto used, is obviously helpful in terms of capacity, though that may raise issues for people who want to swim widths. Water temperature just right. Overall, I was most impressed.

Be warned - I tried to ignore the prominent notice saying 'shower before swim' (I always get away with it at The Bridge) but was, quite rightly, ordered back by one of the attendants.

There is no rail along the inner edge of the pool. Instead, there is a deep groove running along the top of the pool edge, set back a bit from the water, for you to grab when you want to turn or rest. I found this a bit awkward, though I shall no doubt get used to it.

Slightly more seriously I slipped and slightly twisted my (already fragile) lower back when I dived in at the deep end. The problem is that the water level is deliberately (I was told) set high enough for it to overflow the tiled pool edge, which is thereby made slippery. There is a corrugated strip which I assume is meant for you to stand on when you dive, but it is set back a couple of inches from the edge of the pool and I initially didn't notice it or think to use it. Having discussed with one of the pool attendants, I spoke to the manager and suggested it might be worth thinking about putting up a warning notice of some sort. He promised to consider this. (I made it clear that I didn't want an elfansafety meal made of the issue.)

I should say, in the light of the previous post, that all the staff I spoke to were polite and helpful.

This post was last modified: 24-09-2012 11:53 AM by robin orton.