Vauxhall Leisure Centre

It was crowded on a Sunday morning, with four to six swimmers per lane. The water temperature is reasonable for lap swimming. The lanes are speed-segregated, and etiquette is minimal outside of the fast lane, despite posted instructions about waiting, etc. I couldn't find any training devices.

The staff is friendly; the changing areas are decent and pretty clean; no outdoor shoes are permitted in the changing area; and showers last less than 2½ seconds (I didn't time it).

One thing to note, the centre is completely "cash-free" (including the vending machines), so don't forget your debit/credit card. There is a staffed front desk, but you are encouraged to use the self-service touch screens instead. Ironically, the lockers use (returnable) £1 coins...

They could probably do with more lockers, but there are hooks and benches by the poolside that you can use at your own risk. Agree that changing rooms/pool areas are clean and tidy. The individual cubicles are a little bigger than normal and have a couple of hooks thoughtfully provided. There are open-showers at the poolside for pre/post swim rinsing, and three separate shower cubicles. The latter have those annoying push-button taps that provide a generous 2.5 seconds (yes I timed it!) of hot water per go, which is really no good if you have hair longer than a couple of inches to wash. The pool is 1.05m deep throughout, with 3 full lanes, and one "half" length lane. The pool was lovely to swim in.

It's a great pool: quite new, clean, and well maintained. Check the timetable on its website before going in order to avoid "School Swim Lessons - Private Booking" which will usually mean you can't easily swim laps.

Paid public entry is available, as well as memberships. There's bicycle parking outside and a gym upstairs.