Bude Sea Swimming Pool

The lido sits right on Bude's seafront, a proper seaside institution that's been going since 1930. It's an open-air saltwater pool - the real deal, fed by the Atlantic, so you're not swimming in chlorine but actual seawater that gets refreshed with the tides. The setting is unbeatable: cliffs on one side, the beach on the other, and on a clear day you can see right along the Cornish coast.

It's the kind of place that works for families with young kids because there's a shallow end and the whole thing is sheltered from the worst of the Atlantic swell. Serious swimmers will appreciate the proper lap lanes. The seasonal opening means you'll want to check ahead - it's typically summer months - but when it's going, it's genuinely lovely. The water's cold, mind you. Even in July it'll take your breath away.

Stay at Wooda Farm Holiday Park just up the road and you can walk down to the lido in under twenty minutes. It breaks up a beach holiday nicely if the surf's too rough for swimming or you fancy something a bit more structured. Admission's usually a couple of quid for adults, less for kids. Allow an hour or so if you're just having a splash about, longer if you're serious about proper swimming. Worth doing once, especially on a windless day when the water's flat and the sun's actually out - proper British seaside nostalgia.