Report by Emily Niemc.
On the evening of the hottest day of the year so far where else would you want to be but in the refreshing water of the Lido? Thanks to the Summer Solstice celebrations this was exactly where I could be, along with hundreds of fellow bathers.
I arrived shortly before 8.30pm to find a small queue and friendly staff promptly checking people in before walking into the pool area where lifeguards were preparing the pool and cafe preparation was also underway.
I then retreated to the balcony to escape some of the crowds, take photos of the stunning views and soak in the atmosphere of the occasion – watching the pool open and excited bathers enter the water and enjoy it – before taking to the water myself which felt pleasantly cool against my skin compared to the outside temperature which was still in the mid-twenties at 9pm!
The atmosphere in the water was lovely, the pool was busy but did not feel crowded, adults and children alike were playing whilst others simply enjoyed a bit of floating and conversation, myself included in the latter group as I saw some of the regular morning swimmers in the water.
I decided to return to the balcony for sunset itself and enjoyed watching the pool and the sky as they went from daylight to darkness before returning to the pool for a few lengths when it got a bit quieter before leaving a still buzzing pool for my bed.
Thanks to all the staff and volunteers who made the Summer Solstice swims possible.
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So many people booked for the Solstice swims this year, approx. 400 for the sunrise swim, and later around 400 for the sunset swim.
It’s the end of the longest day of the year and time to leave this happy place What a fantastic turn out there has been today ! A big Thank you to Vivacity Peterborough Lido staff and volunteers and everyone that came along and shared in the fun and made it one to remember.
CM Chair FoPL☀️🌅🏊♀️
