Enjoy some swimming with the family at Beccles Lido in Suffolk

Enjoy a swim at Beccles Lido - an outdoor pool near the River Waveney

What better way to keep the children entertained during the school holidays than by going for a swim. So that's exactly what we did when the kids broke up from school.

Fortunately the weather is still good, which is handy, because we were off to Beccles Lido. The outdoor swimming pool, or lido, has been around for years. To be exact, the start of outdoor swimming here goes back to 1873, when a dressing room was erected for people to swim in the river; with the current pool being built in 1959. In 2006 the lido was transferred from council ownership into a charity specifically set-up to run the pool. We've been going to the Beccles Lido since both children were young - and the pool was beginning to show signs of not having enough money spent on it to keep it up to scratch. Fortunately since the charity has taken over the swimming pool and surrounding grounds have been greatly improved. We went for an early morning swim, so got "off-peak" tickets - available to anyone entering the lido before 10am. With a family ticket (2 adults and 3 children) costing us £12. There are three pools to use at the lido: a small paddling pool; a pool for youngsters; and the main attraction - a 30 metre x 15 metre swimming pool. A couple of lanes were roped off for the serious swimmers, with the rest of the pool open to us just wanting to muck about.

The pool has a small diving board; not the sort you'll see Tom Daley diving from - but a smaller affair, about a metre from the water. You don't even need to dive to use this board. The youngsters were doing star jumps, back flips and the occasional dive - whatever takes your fancy.

There's a lawned area around the edge of the lido, with chairs, tables and sun loungers. So There's no need to go for a quick swim and scoot off; stay and get a tea or coffee in the snack shop - then, maybe, go for another swim.


Beccles Lido can be found next to the River Waveney - which itself is a nice place to visit. The video above shows the stretch of water outside Beccles Lido. The town centre is close by too - being only a 2 minute walk.

Parking at the lido is a bit of a nightmare though; however, we parked at Tesco, and walked to the pool in 7 minutes (yes, I timed it...)

Whether you're a local, or in the east Suffolk/Norfolk area on holiday, Beccles Lido is a good place to while away a couple of hours.

Finally, should you fancy taking a holiday in this area, you can find holiday cottages and parks near Beccles Lido below.

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tags: beccles | lido | swimming | suffolk

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