Sports Training Village - University of Bath

I went to the pool early afternoon weekday in February. There were two of eight or 10 lanes available for drop-in lane swimming, fast and slow. I was told I would have to wait for about 15 minutes and told to stand “over there”, which was a corner with no seats or anything. After about five minutes I went to a viewing area to watch the pool. There were about 27 or 28 people in the pool. 19 of them were in the two drop-in lanes, there was an empty lane and some serious training swimmers in the other lanes, one or two per lane. And some fast ones! But in the designated open swimming lanes there were 11 in the fast lane slowed by two who really didn’t belong there. But the pool supervisors didn’t care. I went back to reception after about ten minutes and was told I had lost my place and was now third instead of first in line. So I took the long walk to town and swam in a friendlier pool.

The facilities look fabulous with gyms, dance and gymnastics studios ... but obviously the drop-in swimmer is not high on the priority list. I would recommend Bath Sport and Leisure Center, where staff are friendly and you're a quick walk from the pool from anywhere downtown Bath. If you want to try Sports Training Village, any of the University busses (U1, U2, U3) terminates right beside the facilities. £2:50 cash bus fare, a little cheaper if you get bus card.

I swam here on a Saturday afternoon in July and had lane to myself. It's a great facility with a great competition pool at a good temperature. The locker room is small but clean with free lockers.

The Bath facility has been designated a Centre of Sporting Excellence. The 50m pool is fantastic. All the country's top triathletes train here, as well as many Olympic swimmers, e.g. Mark Foster.