Brightlingsea Lido
Local highlightSaved by volunteers in 2018, the last lido in Essex is a 50-metre unheated pool on the Brightlingsea seafront
Open to visitorsopen late May to early September; book a session online — check times before you go
When this pool on Promenade Way at Brightlingsea opened in the early 1930s, it was a tidal saltwater pool filled by the sea. It was later converted into the chlorinated freshwater lido there today, a full 50 metres long and the last lido left in Essex. Tendring Council planned to close the pool by 2017, so volunteers took it over instead, and in 2018 they reopened it to record crowds. A volunteer-run charity still looks after it, with Café Lido on site. The main pool isn’t heated, so the water is bracing on all but the warmest days, though the paddling pool is now heated. The lido opens from late May to early September, with sessions booked online, and the beach is a short walk west along the front.
