The tiny UK lido that has ‘chilled seaside vibes’ – with cheap child tickets and beach-themed play area

A TINY lido in the UK has been compared to having “chilled beach vibes” – despite being miles from the coast.

The outdoor swimming pool, at Ashby Leisure Centre, first opened in 1929.

Dubbed Ashby-by-the-sea by the banners surrounding it, it’s the only public lido in Leicestershire.

Following a £1.2million renovation in 2021, I decided to take my boys along to see if it lives up to the hype and gives you a holiday vibe without leaving home. 

The sun was shining, the tunes were blasting and everyone was in high spirits as we arrived at the Hood Park venue, currently managed by Everyone Active. 

It’s quite a sun trap in the lido area and there wasn’t a lot of shade available, so make sure you bring hats and sun cream.

The water was probably the warmest I’ve ever encountered in an outdoor pool and it was delightful for a dip.

The lido itself is a bit back-to-basics, with 20 or so changing cubicles lining the walls, a couple of alfresco shower areas to rinse off in and a clutch of lockers which have seen better days.

But it was a wonderful spot to while away a warm day.

There’s a food hut offering burgers and chips, cold drinks and ice creams. Bringing in your own snacks and drinks isn’t allowed.

My smallest boy absolutely loved the play area, with what was once a baby pool filled with sand and transformed into a beach for under-eights, complete with a climbing frame and buckets and spades.

The only issue with the current arrangement is that there’s no separate swimming space for small children.

This means the shallow end of the pool gets very busy, while beyond the barrier stopping non-swimmers getting out of their depth, there’s much more space to splash around.

It’s not too much of a problem though, as the numbers entering the pool are controlled by booking a time slot in advance, although you can turn up on the day if there are still spaces available.

I thought the cost for a two-hour session was great value, with adults at £5.40 and kids for £3.80, while under fives are just £2.15.

You get an hour and three quarters in the water and then the pool is closed for 15 minutes to give bathers time to change and leave before the next session is allowed in.

Parking is free all day on Sundays, but for the rest of the week, you can use the car park for four hours while you’re in the leisure centre by entering your registration number at reception.

The lido is currently open for family swimming after school on weekdays and all day at weekends, with lane swimming for adults in the mornings and a couple of weekday evenings.

From July 8, it will be open to families all day from 10am until the start of September.

If you want to make a day of it, there’s a good playground that’s free to use on the other side of the car park, while Ashby Castle, a ruin maintained by English Heritage with staircases to climb and tunnels to explore, is just a short walk away.

Ashby-de-la-Zouch is a also nice old market town and it’s worth a wander down the High Street in the sunshine.

Other attractions nearby include Conkers, an adventure park showcasing all that the National Forest has to offer, and Moira Furnace, where you can take a boat trip on the canal.

Ashby’s outdoor pool might not be the biggest or the best, but there’s a lot to love at this little lido and it’s no wonder it’s been making a splash with landlocked locals for almost a century.

I previously visited Hitchen Lido, which is another favourite of my family’s.

And here’s another UK lido to add to the list this summer, which has even been compared to Australia.