Get Inside at Hillingdon (#758)

6 October 2025

Well, Boris did one thing great, even if all it probably was, was showing up and cutting a ribbon.

While the 1930s era lido gets all the pool love online (which appears deserved), I swam indoors today and think this is the finest leisure Centre aquatic facility in the London area (note: I still think the London Aquatics Centre is the best pool, but that’s in a different category). The indoor tank appears to be 50M, with at least the far end (in the picture) at a constant 2.0 metre depth. With World Aquatics championship width lanes, elite lane ropes with every single lane rope in, and the scoreboard running as a digital pace clock, this was a delight. The far end was set up for 25M swimming and the near end focused on kids’ lessons.

I had a lunch meeting with a client out at Heathrow Terminal 2, so caught one bus from the Heathrow Central bus depot, had a quick walk from where the bus dropped me and booked a mid-afternoon swim. I had one of the fast lanes to myself for 2,500 meters with a lot of quality speed fly work and one pace 100 free (1:05). Great session in pool #758 on my quixotic #1001Pools journey.

My trip back home included quite the bucolic, ~20 minute walk through the fields and forest abutting the train tracks to catch the Metropolitan line from Hillingdon station.