So this is where it all started...the beginning of a rather bizarre love with swimming pools as a…read moreplace for fun - the memories of youth - I remember the excitement when this leisure pool originally opened in 1976 - it wasn't a rectangle it was round! What was this madness? Half the pool was too shallow to actually swim in and it had waves. This was the very first time I had encountered a "leisure" pool - oh trend setting, thoroughly modern Swindon you have so much to answer for - (along with the famed "magic roundabout"). I still return here with the kids every time we jump on a train to visit my wife's family. It is a great pool but looking distinctly tatty round the edges now. The domed roof desperately needs renewing - it looked spectacular 30 years ago but putting that aside its still super fun. The pool itself is beach style with a separate small kids pool. Good kids pool with 3 slides plus pirate ship.... The main pool has a steep three lane multislide and a new long slide circles inside the building (77m long). But really it is the flumes here that count and these are top. The Domebusters have a had a refurb this year and one of them has been replaced. All are approx 100m in length.So first off The Sidewinder A fairly gentle, spiralling flume aimed at younger children and parents. You can sit or go head first. The Great White My favourite - heads first ONLY never seen that on any other slide! Normally feet first everywhere.... A fast ride with two small vertical drops and several twists and turns. The Storm The new this year straight fast flume - small circumference with a striped lighting effect and sounds.. Didn't get to try this out this time - but will be back to do so....busy with an under 5... The session time was only an hour - which is really not long enough and it is fairly expensive considering the stingy hour. There are not many reasons to visit Swindon but this is definitely one if you are a water slide fan or the kids love to swim. . --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Update So I came back to try out the new flume which I hadn't managed to try out last time. Managed to slip away from a family visit for a couple of hours with my teenagers. Interestingly GLL have taken over the management of the leisure centre since we were here in 2012 (they run most of the pools we visit in London). It had been spruced up a bit with the new corporate livery...but still the stingy session times. We took no notice of the session times and made good use of the domebuster slides. So The Storm was the main attraction - small tube, dark, with striped lightning and fast with the descent as a helix. A big thumbs up from the family - a great slide but not in our top 5 slides. The Great White remains the favourite - head first you can pick up some proper speed and fly over the steepest vertical drops... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oasis is a great place to take the family swimming! They have a huge laguna pool that boasts water…read moreslides, a wave machine, a smaller pool for the children and a big water sprayer. They do a range of different classes such as mother and baby Swimming, OAP Swimming and also offer swimming lessons. They have also just started doing gigs with people such as 'The Sugababes' 'Cascada' and 'Shayne Ward' perfoming there.

Just off Marlborough Road - a country park with lakes. Lots of wildlife and lots of 'Ranger'…read morecourses take place here. Also Swindon Sailing Club meet here. A good place to walk - the walk around the lake is approx. 2 miles. Small cafe serving hot drinks and ice creams. A very small railway operates at weekends - good for the children - about 50p a ride. Swings and slides. Plenty of ducks to feed on the lake. Fishing. Crazy golf and pitch and putt - 18 holes.

Coate water is a great place to go for a family walk with the dog. It has a huge lake in the middle…read morewith a nature walk all the way around, which takes about a hour to get around. They also have a big golf course for the more serious golfer and a crazy golf course for some fun! There is also a paddling pool that is open in the summer months and a hut that sells chips/burgers/sweets and drinks! Every sunday during the summer there is also a little ride on train that goes round a little track for the kids! In August each year they do a night called 'Lanterns on the Lake' where people can come and make a lantern with a tea light and then they are all released onto the lake which is such a pretty view! - A must see!

Nuffield Fitness and Wellbeing Swindon offers a state of the art gym coupled with expert personal…read moretraining programmes, health MOTs and exercise classes ranging from body pump and spinning to yoga and aquaerobics. The swimming pool and sauna are complemented by a relaxation zone where you can enjoy an Elemis facial, body massage or other holistic body treatment. Good club!

Unrivaled service and the quality of the product is unparralled. Very happy.read more

Queens park is a small park between the town centre and old walcot. Its a lovely place to go in the…read moresummer to sit and relax. There is a lake with seating around it and a pond with fountains. They also have a shop where you can buy refreshments in the summer and they have seating outside the shop so you can sit and enjoy the view.

Queens Park is fairly close to the town centre of Swindon. It is a pleasant place to spend a sunny…read moreafternoon. I remember going there years ago and it has not changed that much. There are flower beds, a lake and grass to sit on. It is ideal if you work nearby and want somewhere in the summer to sit and eat your lunch. (and you can feed any left over bread to the ducks)