Brightlingsea Lido — Local services in Tendring

What an absolute stunner of a lido! We booked online for an 'adult quiet swim' on a Thursday evening. It was exactly that - there were about 6 people in the 50m pool, which was very chilled and relaxing. Very competitively priced at only £5, which makes it much cheaper than other outdoor pools. And what you get is glorious - the pool and surrounds are immaculately clean, the staff/life guards are friendly and welcoming, and all this in a beautiful location right on the seafront. Parking is free on the road outside. The main pool is an unusual shape, with the longest point (helpfully marked by a black line with lengths on the pool bottom) at 50m. Unheated, it was around 20° when we were there - perfect after a hot day if you plan to swim lengths. Changing facilities were basic with a few cubicles, hot showers, and toilets. There was a huge selection of wet suits in the changing rooms, which I assume anyone can borrow if needed. Snack shop and cafe on site, which were both closed when we were there, and plenty of space for picnics and pool loungers. No lockers on site, but we were able to leave our stuff by the pool. I'll be making a detour to Brightlingsea in the future to visit this pool again....

First time here and we loved it! We travelled from chelsmford and wish there was something similar here. We went on Saturday when it was 33 degrees. There were limited lifeguards, so it was 30 mins in the water 15 mins out so they could have a break, which was absolutely fine. The smaller baby pool was still open which was nice. We hired loungers at £3 each then you can get 50p back when you leave. You can take your own umbrellas for shade as there is absolutely no shade there. The cafe on site was nice, burgers, breakfast baps or chips and cold drinks and ice creams. The only thing which did annoy us was when they asked us all to move after a few hours as they had a children's entertainer coming as they didn't rope an area off for her. Being 33 degrees the poor last nearly passed out so this wasn't ideal. If they continue with the children's entertainer they need a shady area as all of the kids were sat out in the sun. Lovely day out and would book a morning and afternoon session if...

It's a nice pool. It's quiet and not too expensive. There's huge potential to make it even better and more popular.

On a sunny summer's day, my 2-year-old daughter got cold after ten minutes, even though she was in a wetsuit. Solar heating or a heat pump in the sea and an overnight cover to make it a little warmer would be a huge benefit.

Slides (like there used to be), a splash park area (like Maldon) or a floor-fountain thing (like in Sheffield city centre), would draw more kids in and keep them entertained. With these facilities I would certainly get a season ticket for the family and I know at least a few other families who would too. I know these suggestions have been made time and again.

I do not understand the reluctance of those in charge to make the necessary improvements to make the pool not just sustainable but profitable and popular. Let's turn it into...