Cambridge's long, narrow 1923 lido on Jesus Green by the Cam, unheated and open right through the winter
Open to visitorsopen all year with shorter winter hours; card payment only — check times before you go
On Jesus Green, a stretch of open grass beside the River Cam, the city’s lido opened in 1923. The pool is long and thin, about 91 metres from end to end, which puts it joint longest among the UK’s lidos, so a single length takes a while. The water is unheated, so the temperature follows the seasons: pleasant in a warm August, very cold in January. Better runs the lido for Cambridge City Council and opens it all year, with long days from May to September and a reduced timetable from October to April. A sauna and a café help swimmers warm up afterwards, and payment is by card only. There is no parking, but there are racks for 200 bikes, and Cambridge station is about 2km south-east. For a swim in the river itself, Sheep’s Green is about 2km south.
