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Brockwell Lido Breakfast Club 2010

Yep, noticed the same thing this morning. You can barely see more than a metre ahead. On the plus side, at least the chlorine has cleared the base of the pool, which was quite frankly in a right old mess.

Delicate balancing act...
 
On a positive note, the Lido Cafe has got a new staff member - one with experience of customer service and more bar / restaurant background.

I've already badgered him about the morning food thing!
 
Glad I didn't go this morning then!

I was just about to post saying it was a lot clearer yesterday morning.
 
Oh FFS!!!!!!! Went yesterday and the water was cleaner - but the bottom did look scuzzy - lots of debris in there.

Was gonna look around for a partner in crime to come swimming with me and the little'un this afternoon..... :(
 
I saw all the poor swimmer lining up outside this morning.

What a fucking let down to get out of bed that early and not be able to swim.

Fusion are wasting people's time and ruining their reputation.

I'm assuming they do look after other pools? How hard can it be?
 
I went to Tooting yesterday evening to escape the hordes and it was lovely. Sparklingly clean, peaceful, spacious, not packed at all. The cafe was open and no-one threatened to throw me out into the street without my clothes for using it. I had a nice long swim and a lounge, and all was right with the world.
 
The Lido opened at about 9.45.

Because of the delay it's the first time I have co-incided with school parties. where do school parties usually change? I saw them all going onto the pool changing room, so went across the the gym changing rooms for more space, peace and privacy, and damn me the whole party was bumped out of the pool changing room into the gym members room.

In fact loads of casual pool users were using the gym changing room.
 
OpalFruit said:
In fact loads of casual pool users were using the gym changing room.
Click to expand...

really? when it first opened, they went to great lengths to make sure that didn't happen. There was lots of moans from early morning swimmers who were also gym members (myself included) as we were told we wouldn't be allowed directly from the pool to the gym changing rooms in order to use the sauna - it would have been great to go from an early swim, early in the season into the sauna (via the the shower of course).
 
gaijingirl said:
really? when it first opened, they went to great lengths to make sure that didn't happen. There was lots of moans from early morning swimmers who were also gym members (myself included) as we were told we wouldn't be allowed directly from the pool to the gym changing rooms in order to use the sauna - it would have been great to go from an early swim, early in the season into the sauna (via the the shower of course).
Click to expand...

How do they stop you getting into the gym changing rooms, can't you just go through the turnstiles using your gym card? I know there isn't a direct door from the pool into the gym but you'd just have to go back through reception
 
shakespearegirl said:
How do they stop you getting into the gym changing rooms, can't you just go through the turnstiles using your gym card? I know there isn't a direct door from the pool into the gym but you'd just have to go back through reception
Click to expand...

Yes - but they'd demand that you got dressed first - so basically you'd have a swim, then you'd have to get dressed, go out the turnstile, back in through reception and then get undressed again to have a sauna - by which point it's hardly worthwhile (especially if swimming before work - I know some of the HH ladies would do this). This is why I was wondering how people are using it to get changed for the pool - because they were disallowing people to walk back and forth in towels/costumes - only fully dressed.
 
gaijingirl said:
Yes - but they'd demand that you got dressed first - so basically you'd have a swim, then you'd have to get dressed, go out the turnstile, back in through reception and then get undressed again to have a sauna - by which point it's hardly worthwhile (especially if swimming before work - I know some of the HH ladies would do this). This is why I was wondering how people are using it to get changed for the pool - because they were disallowing people to walk back and forth in towels/costumes - only fully dressed.
Click to expand...

What a totally ridiculous policy. We've paid for access to all areas, why should we need to get dressed to move between them?

What will they do if someone tries to leave the lido dresser in swimmers and a towel? Restrain them until they put their clothes on?
 
Just attempted a swim at 6pm. Big queue with one stressed receptionist on duty who hadn't had a break. After half an hour I just gave up and went home....it goes from bad to worse. :mad: You would've thought the income they're losing would make them jump to it?
 
shakespearegirl said:
What a totally ridiculous policy. We've paid for access to all areas, why should we need to get dressed to move between them?

What will they do if someone tries to leave the lido dresser in swimmers and a towel? Restrain them until they put their clothes on?
Click to expand...

Well I don't know - that's how it was when it opened, it wasn't so much stopping swimmers leaving the pool in a towel, but stopping them from entering through the turnstiles to the gym if they weren't wearing clothes - but Opal Fruit's post suggests that things have changed... :confused:
 
Just queued foe half an hour this evening to get in the pool, only to find out when we got to the front of the queue that they only had the shallow end open due to 'visibility issues'. :mad: as I wanted a swim, not a paddle, I gave up.

Only positive I suppose is that I planned to go this morning but was shattered and opted for the extra hour in bed, I'd have been most peeved if i'd sacrificed my sleep.

Tooting tomorrow.
 
This all makes for the most depressing reading. How is it that such a well loved community facility has been allowed to go from an activity that represents such pleasure, to becoming a real pain? :(

I shall try at 10am tomorrow (still can't see why the lido isn't open earlier at the weekends) and persist...
 
Tricky Skills said:
I shall try at 10am tomorrow (still can't see why the lido isn't open earlier at the weekends) and persist...
Click to expand...

Yes - this too is annoying. Wasn't so bad when it was the only thing to be annoyed about.. but now it seems like yet one more thing.. :(

It is depressing really....
 
Yes... my swims this year have mostly been spoiled by some annoyance or other - the disgustingness of the changing rooms, kids hogging the showers, the cafe situation, bone-headed security guards, not actually getting much of a swim... To be fair, I think a lot of this is down to the fact that the weather has been so good. Those of us who go regardless of the weather did quite well in the past few years when the weather's mostly been quite crap and thus the pool's not been very busy.

I'm slightly regretting buying a season ticket now.
 
gaijingirl said:
This is why I was wondering how people are using it to get changed for the pool - because they were disallowing people to walk back and forth in towels/costumes - only fully dressed.
Click to expand...

This doesn't seem to happen now - plenty of people seem to get changed in the gym changing rooms before & after swimming & they seem quite happy to let towel-clad swimmers through the reception.
 
Ms Ordinary said:
This doesn't seem to happen now - plenty of people seem to get changed in the gym changing rooms before & after swimming & they seem quite happy to let towel-clad swimmers through the reception.
Click to expand...

Yes - Opal Fruit was saying... :D I was just expressing surprise as they were so adamant on this point when they first opened.
 
RubyToogood said:
To be fair, I think a lot of this is down to the fact that the weather has been so good. Those of us who go regardless of the weather did quite well in the past few years when the weather's mostly been quite crap and thus the pool's not been very busy.

I'm slightly regretting buying a season ticket now.
Click to expand...

this is a good point. I really want to go this morning but I'm not going to - it'll be rammed and I won't get a swim in.... (although if they did open at 6 on weekends I'd still get my swim). I have to admit to being very tempted to stop my membership - I can't quite bring myself to - I've always been a member, but I'm definitely not getting my money's worth these days... :(
 
I gave up on the lido this morning. I really couldn't be arsed waiting around until 10am and wasting half my weekend morning away. I tried Tooting instead, and was in the water by 8:30. It was glorious :D

Opening at 6 seems to stagger the swimming. Even my midday, there wasn't an over-crowding in the water, even though poolside was busy. Likewise for the queue - that bloody Brockwell waiting experience is only there because they have a backlog right from the 10am start of the lido day.

The water was delightful at Tooting. Pure, clear, and visible halfway down the pool. The surface was spotless as well. I had a lovely drink in the cafe and left the lido smiling. It reminded me how I use to feel at Brockwell.

I don't think it is too late for Fusion to bring back the old community feel at Brockwell. But this summer has so far been my most miserable in fifteen years of outdoor swimming. I can't sustain the £5 everyday at Tooting, what with being tied in with my Brockwell membership.

I'll probably be back at Brockwell tomorrow morning, but I doubt if I will stay long beyond my swim. That love just isn't there anymore.
 
Exactly - not only do Tooting open at 6, they go on till 7.30pm as well every day inc weekends, so they don't get everyone coming at once. I too was there this morning and really enjoyed it. I must have left shortly after you. They were operating a one in, one out policy and there was a queue, so it must have been at full capacity, but I'd still been able to swim up and down without crashing into anyone. That I think is really just down to greater capacity though. Not only is the pool longer, it's also wider, and there's more lounging space. Also the outdoor cubicles really take the strain off the changing rooms.

Brockwell's current problems I think are a combination of high demand, low capacity and bad management and design. Better management and building design could solve some of the capacity problem but not all of it.

The other point about Tooting is that it's ONLY a lido. They don't attempt to make money all year round. No gym, no year-long cafe. So they only have one thing to concentrate on and there are no conflicts of interest.
 
RubyToogood said:
The other point about Tooting is that it's ONLY a lido. They don't attempt to make money all year round. No gym, no year-long cafe. So they only have one thing to concentrate on and there are no conflicts of interest.
Click to expand...

and it is actually possible to swim there year round...
 
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