A charity-run heated pool on the edge of Petersfield Heath, open all year with a wood-fired sauna and a cold plunge
Open to visitorsopen all year (adults only October to March); book swims online up to a week ahead
More than 60 years ago Petersfield built this pool on Petersfield Heath as a safer place to swim than Heath Pond, the heath’s big lake. It is a 25-metre outdoor pool, 1 to 3 metres deep, run by a charity with trustees and paid staff, and in 2026 it changed its name from Petersfield Open Air Pool to Petersfield Lido as it moved to opening all year. The water is heated to about 26°C from April to September and about 18°C for the rest of the year, when only over-16s can swim. There’s a wood-fired sauna with a cold plunge, and a café. Non-members can book a swim up to a week ahead. The heath is inside the South Downs National Park, and Petersfield station is under a kilometre north-west, so the lido is easy to reach by train.
