So this is another of our summer holidays leisure pool options. Train to Guildford then bus to the Spectrum which is outside of town. Fairly easy trek and you pass a lido close by which I keep meaning to visit when the suns out. So Spectrum is an ice skating, multi leisure pool and ten pin bowling experience - we normally get a combi ticket for ten pin bowling and swimming.
Pools first - in fact 4 pools to cater for everyone's needs. The main pool is strictly leisure plus a diving pool with springboard, 3m, 5m and 10m boards, a 25m lane pool, and a kids shallow pool. Good selection of slides for all ages but none of them contenders, The kids enjoy the three lane race slide best. This is geared for family fun - the slides are all pretty slow and short - they snake around the pool within the building which means they are never going to be long enough for any speed. Shower jets, wave machine, bubble jets,inflatable ring slide. various little kids slides. Main pool is simply too small and is always uncomfortably busy - pretty poor wave machine. Sessions are 90mins (we always mange to overstay) - not really long enough but good value at £15 for an adult and two under 10's.
Unless your kids are in swimming clubs its pretty hard to find a pool where they can dive in London any more. Over the last 10 years practically all of them have brought in diving bans for health an safety reasons. Pools we used to dive at wont let us now. But Spectrum is like no other for diving. So kids can dive in the 25m lane pool - a great start - perfect for my 9 year old to practice her racing dives. But the diving pool is the wildest of all - 3 boards in action at the same time - you can somersault, run, jump, dive, spin - yes actually have some fun - all the other diving pools we know are really strict about one at a time and what you can do. Awesome - worth the four stars alone. You get lots of people just watching and the queue that snakes around the pool show how much the kids love it..
Grim Wimpy burger bar (yes they still exist) - this is really, really awful - and a Costa upstairs - they do pizzas in the basement bowling area. Loads of green space outside for picnics - which is what we normally do.
We probably visit a couple of times a year - the main pool looks good but kind of flatters to deceive - but the diving is just the best. Skating rink ls large and we will use one time we visit . Its great having the bowling as it makes for a proper day out. Recommended - despite the main leisure pool probably being best suited for under 10s with not much thrill factor. read more