Abbey suffers serious competition with Parskide so close, and is a very good example of public…read moreswimming pools at their most depressing. It may be fine if you want to swim about and refresh on a hot day, but I wouldn't recommend it for lane swimming - provided you manage to be there when there actually are lanes, otherwise it feels like a video game, trying to avoid the bathers coming at you. It's also one of the most slippery pools I've ever seen, both on the floor and in the water: trying to kick back against the wall becomes an exercise in not twisting your ankle. The absence of a handle or something along the wall also makes cold-starts much less pleasant. Ear plugs are vital, if only to block off the noise echoing from all over the place and, while the changing rooms are relatively clean and functional, do NOT, under any circumstances, forget your oxygen if you intend to use the gents' toilets. The one redeeming feature is that there is a lot of free parking available - whether this is important in a city where everybody cycles or walks is irrelevant. In short, this is a valid place for casual swimming, but if you're after something more regular (and much nicer), spend the same amount and go to Parkside instead.

I went swimming today and the sides of the pool were clean!!…read moreDid someone read the review? It was so much nicer.

great place to swim and has plenty to do get fit also have…read moreMassage has been in northampton for at least 30 years great place to go enjoy

What's the obsession with lane swimming? Parkside swimming pool used to be a great pool back in the…read more70s-90s, we'd go anytime during the day and be able to swim ANYWHERE in the pool. Back then lane swimming used to between 6am-9am, then at 9 the pool would open up for a general swim, you could swim anywhere in the pool for the whole day. Then at 6pm - 9pm they would go back to lane swimming. Now it seems that there is lane swimming ALL day long, sometimes there will be a quarter of the pool open for a general swim and the other 3 quarters is lane swimming or the whole pool is lane swimming but there is NEVER a time when the WHOLE pool is non lane swimming and open for a general swim. The whole point of swimming is to enjoy yourself and you can't do that when you've only got a quarter of the pool to do it in. No one's saying there shouldn't be lane swimming but it's wrong that it dominates the timetable of the main pool. It's not right that a general swim for the WHOLE pool is never on the timetable.

It's such a shame about this pool, I learned to swim here as a child and it's just not as good as…read morethe old pools. Firstly, the air temperature is too cold for small children, in the winter it's terrible, especially in the changing rooms. The flumes have been out of order on the last two occasions we've been. The changing rooms are shambolic and often dirty, and there's not enough provision for families. On the upside, there's an active and fun diving club for kids and the cafe is ok. We often drive the 27 miles to the Waterworld pool in Thetford which is way nicer.

After a recent refurbishment my daughter and I have been coming to bottisham pool once a week for…read morelessons. We have found the pool to be lovely - it is warmer than most pools it is quite shallow, but long enough to swim a good length. The changing rooms are nice with a big open area, and also several cubicles if you would rather change in private - the same set up with the showers, - some cubicles, and then an open area with several showers in it. The only drawback here is when the sports centre is busy the car park seems to be slightly too small, - you then have to drive onto the playing field and park in the mud - which wouldnt be a problem in the summer, but at this time if year can get quite messy. Overall a great place to go for a swim!

Absolutely horrible staff took away my sons beach ball cause they thought it was there never coming…read morehere again. The staff is so rude

Alright, lemme give you the low down. This pool is pretty good. They've got a few lanes where…read morepeople can do laps. PROBLEMS: The fast lane is VERY fast and the slow lane is VERY SLOW. No real inbetween. Its also pretty expensive to swim here. SOLUTIONS: Come at lunchtime. Very few people in the lanes. In terms of £, get your fitness card and enter through the small turnstile right behind someone. Beep your card as you go through and even if you have no money on it you can pass through as the guy before you already opened up the turnstile. DO IT!

Can you keep a secret guys?? Not many people seem to have noticed it yet, but a year and a half…read moreafter the Olympics there's some exciting stuff going on in Stratford again... Yep living near the Park is paying off nicely at the moment - my new local council swimming pool is none other than the Aquatics Centre! It's been open to the public for the last few weeks and I have to say it's a pretty special venue - I still get tingles every time I walk in. It's £4.50 per swim session for an adult and there's an easy peasy online system to book in advance. There are 2 full size pools inside - the Competition Pool for the hardcore swimmers and the Training Pool where they separate the lengths into two 25m sections. Personally I found a 50m pool to be ridiculously long in real life (my superwoman stamina is a err work in progress) so I tend to do laps in the 25m lanes. You choose a pool and a start time online but it's pretty lax once you're in, and you can stay as long as you like. The water is a nice slightly warm temperature and it's usually a uniform 1.2m depth all the way along (though somehow they can change the depth of different sections - the mind boggles!). It's not all lanes - there are also sections of the pool roped off for 'fun' as well as swimming lessons. Also saw signs for a total wipeout stylee 'Splash Time' for kiddies at weekends that sounded like great fun if anyone wants to lend me a child?! The reason it misses a 5th star is that the changing rooms and shower facilities are just not that great. It's spacious yes and there are plenty of cubicles, hairdryers and lockers, but the layout is a little confusing (quite a wander from the lockers to the female showers), they seem to have too many staff/cleaners milling around not doing much, and the showers themselves seem temperamental and need you to wave a hand past every 3 seconds. Is this how Michael Phelps showered?! (*pauses to enjoy the mental picture*) Ahem. Yeah I expected better. So remember to bring your own towel+toiletries, a plastic bag for your wet cozzie (I haven't spotted a drying machine yet) and a £1 coin for the lockers. And please only tell your special friends - the nicest thing at the moment is that it isn't too busy on weeknights! See you there :)

The swimming pool itself is great, most of the time quiet, you can choose your line depending on…read morehow fast you want to swim so that you don't get disturb by other people while swimming. The changing space however is really poor for this kind of aquatics centre - you can really tell you're just meant to come, quickly change, swim and leave. There are few showers and they are quite temperamental. The lockers and cubicles are just not that comfortable to use. So it's a very good pool, but come there for exercise only and not hoping for a full spa experience!

The Oasis swimming pool is on the sea front in Sunny Hunny. Very popular with holiday makers in the…read moresummer. It has a main pool and a smaller pool with slides - great fun for the kids. The whole pool is a bit aged now and the outside pool is to be closed. During the winter they often have an ice-rink at the Oasis (outside) as well.

Great place for a swim. The only downside is the lack of parking and it gets busy by 10 AM…read moreespecially during Summer.

I am only reviewing the INDOORS section of the Hitchin pool. There is a large outdoor pool, which…read moremy cousins, who are resident Hitchin-ians, assure me is fabulous in sunny weather. Sadly, the outdoor pool is open only for limited months. I had watched the Olympics, and was freshly inspired by Michael Phelps and Co. to get in the pool and swim some laps. The Hitchin Swimming Centre is only a 10 minute walk from where I was living in Hitchin, so I was excited to check out the facility. I had e-mailed a gent that worked there about the different swimming activities, and was thrilled to learn that they had masters swimming AND water polo! YES! Upon arrival at the pool, I was totally ignored by the staff. Maybe it was the sweep of the gold medals by the Phelps and friends, maybe it was my CLEARLY gorgeous American beauty that through them off- I stood there like a bump on a log while the front desk lady talked on the phone. When I finally was granted permission to see the pool, I was horrified. I could feel the heat coming from the in-door lap lanes upon entering the locker room. I seriously do not know how anyone could do a workout in that water. When I burst out onto the pool deck, I realized I had also burst into a sweat. It must have been over 90 degrees- it was like an Arizona summer! I was immediately told I could not wear my flip flops on the pool deck- awesome, I would have a take home prize of foot fungus! I then called the master's coach several times, trying to coordinate a time to come and swim with the program. He called me back once, then silence. It was so "He's just not that into you." I will have to return in the summer, in disguise, and check out the outdoor pool- maybe I can wear socks on the deck....