Poolside Percy

Shouldn't have bothered. How so few people can get in each others way is beyond me. The Three Stooges go swimming with Laurel and Hardy as lifeguards. Bailed out after 50 something frustrating lengths.

Picking up my boy from St Pancras International Station. Highbury pool is about 30 minutes march away. Arrived about 9pm. Pretty empty as you might expect. Lane to myself With one eye on the clock I managed a mile. Couple of huge ones towards the end. Tres bien.

Score: ۞۞ ۞ ۞۞ Very early Thursday morning swim (6.50am) with DD. Wow. This is the elegant lady of swimming pools. Loved it, loved it, loved it. Big swim in lovely warm, clean water. Three big fat quiet lanes. Wished I hadn't eaten that hot cross bun with Marmite for breakfast tho'. Lots of original, untouched detail. You can forgive the tattiness, it's all part of the charm. Had a bit of a nose round. Will come back and use the spa next month on my birthday. Dined on churros and coffee afterwards at the local Spanish cafe. Cycled back down the canal to King's Cross. Fantastic way to start the day.

Sunday morning found me cycling from Clapham Common to the north. Thought I'd dip in to the Oasis on the way home. Pool was pretty empty. After a very brisk start a Mr. Tarzan decided he needed more space in the pool than I was giving him. Managed to break my own World record for 40 lengths of the outdoor pool. Actually, I lost count about halfway through but the Poolside Percy swimming committee reckoned the record still stood - somewher between 20 and 22 minutes if you're interested. Still a lot faster than three years ago. Yawn. Outdoor pool got mobbed with outdoor swimmers on a Sunday in central London types so I headed of to the indoor pool for the last 10 lengths. Very warm but chilled. Cycled the last few miles home and watched Harry Potter 6 on DVD before heading out to watch Deathly Hallows part 1 with Wendybird. Photo is of Oasis 14 July 1969

Score: ۞۞ ۞۞۞ Seeing a very old friend in Clapham. Cycled all the way to Tooting to swim in cold and dirty leisure centre. Had a springboard which was cool. Potentially pointless visit turned out OK in the end. Photo from rachandtom

Quick Friday lunchtime dip. This place is wrong on so many levels which I won't bore you with. Crap local pool. Swam 58 lengths before returning home. Photo by pixelpercy

Another very efficient Sunday night mile swim. Donated a brand new bottle of shampoo to the swimmer's benevolent fund. Dinner with Angela and Tricky. Highbury Swimming Pool - possibly UK’s largest solar heating installation 85.0

The Great Swim: The Epic Tale of the Race to Conquer the Channel by Gavin Mortimer My rating: 5 of 5 stars The book tells the story of the four American women who trained for and attempted to swim the English Channel in 1926. Wicked. View all my reviews

Score: ۞۞ ۞۞۞ Spent Saturday in Winchester. There's a pool near the station. Lanes were empty when I arrived. Within 20 minutes there must have been 20 people in three lanes. Bailed out and headed back to London via a kebab shop veggie burger. Found another pound in the changing room. Kept singing ' Winchester ' by Robyn Hitchcock. It's still swirling around in my head. Knee still hurts.

Long if not hard workout kind of swim. Had a lane pretty much to myself. Nice and warm.

Score: ۞۞۞۞۞ Proper old school swimming baths. Two pools. Built in 1904. Lots of soul and character. Water was lovely and warm. Had a whole lane to myself for over an hour. Lovely. Ate in Frank's Cafe after.

Freezing cold.

Score: ۞۞ ۞ ۞۞ S pent new year's eve in Lewes. Pretty boring pool. Kids seemed to be enjoying themselves tho'. Swam a mile despite my injured knee (don't ask). Found a pound in the changing rooms but forgot my towel, used the hair dryer. Happy new year.

Best overall pool - Dulwich Swimming Pool Best indoor pool - Marshall Street Baths Best outdoor pool - Chesham Outdoor Heated Pool (although The Lido is better) Most enjoyable swim - Marshall Street Baths Worst pool - Finchley Lido Worst swim - London Fields Biggest disappointment - Prince of Wales Baths Best hangover cure - Parliament Hill Lido

Walked past this place on new year's day. Vowed to return in the summer.