visitors

If you are visiting London and are a member of an IGLA or EGLSF-affiliated club then your first ten sessions in any twelve month period are free.  After that you have to join the club.

First timers - if you want to try out swimming then your first three sessions are free.  For water polo the first 5 sesions are free.  (See below for more details.) After that you need to join the club (see membership details).

If you have visited Out to Swim please consider taking 5 minutes to complete our survey.  This will help us to improve the Club.  Thank you!

when and where

Out to Swim runs sessions at various pools in central London and also in Brighton. See the "South" section below for details of the Brighton sessions.  In London there are 14 sessions totalling 15 hours to choose from.

LONDON

** Advanced: we would recommend that the top two lanes at ULU move over to the QMSC slot and optionally those who lead the third lane.

Notes:

NEW POOL:  The Wednesday night session at Orchard Lisle will remain there (it was going to move to Marshall Street) but from Friday, 3 September the Friday night Orchard Lisle session will move to Marshall Street.

CAPACITY ISSUE AT OASIS:  The Thursday 7pm session is very popular, with people being turned away at times.  We would recommend that visitors try one of the other sessions, which are less crowded and would be an easy introduction to OTS.  Sunday night at QMSC is a particularly session to try us out.

Please note that we operate on a "first come first serve" basis but you have to sign in, which means making sure that the list taker acknowledges your arrival.  Rushing past and waving wildly in the general direction does not count!  When we hit the pool's capacity we have to turn people away (particularly on the Thursday night 7pm session at Oasis).  If you are not on the list then you may not be able to swim, even if you arrived early.

To help you with your swimming we have prepared two guidelines/documents:

• Lane Etiquette
• Glossary of swimming terms

London boys go to The Box after swimming on Thursdays.

London women swimmers often go to the "Star at Night " on Great Chapel Street or "First Out" on St Giles Street after Thursday's Session.

SOUTH

Southern boys and girls go for drinks on the seafront after the Saturday swim and food on Wednesdays.

first time?

If you want to give Out to Swim a try, then please come along to any of our sessions. Your first 3 swimming, or first 5 water polo, sessions are free and we hope that you decide to come along again. When you arrive (see meeting point notes below) look out for somebody with a list ticking off names and introduce yourself. We usually gather about 15-30 minutes before swim time, and generally go to the changing rooms about 15 minutes before we begin.

On Thursdays we usually go for drinks afterwards so this might be a good night to come along. However, if you are new to club swimming or out of practice, you may want to avoid Thursday night as it can be a bit busy during the 7:00pm session. Sunday is a good alternative first session.

The women-only session at 8:00pm on Thursday evenings at Oasis is not too crowded so we would definitely recommend this session for the women.

swimming pools

London

ULU

• University of London Student Union, Malet Street, WC1
• Nearest tube Goodge Street
• Website & map
• Meeting point: usually outside on the steps in summer and just inside in winter.
• Entrance proceure: sign in at the sports centre reception (straight down the stairs) and collect a card to use in a locker (you need to leave something with reception), the pool is through the changing rooms.

Oasis

• Endell Street, WC2
• Nearest tube Tottenham Court Road or Covent Garden
• Website
• Meeting point: café inside (pass through reception and straight ahead of you).
• Entrance procedure: tell the reception staff that your are with OTS and they will let you through (you will need a 20p coin for the locker). We use the indoor pool.

Orchard Lisle Swimming Pool

• Guy's Hospital, 49 Weston Street, London SE1 3RB
• Nearest tube/train: London Bridge
• Map
• The pool is located in the basement of Wolfson House at the back (it is a large red-brick tower block). There are no signs for the pool until you get to the back of the building.
• Changing rooms are small and the showers are communal. There are separate showers in the women's changing room, which is quite spacious!
• NOTE: You need to sign in on arrival and no diving in the shallow end (request as per the pool management).

Queen Mother Centre

• Victoria, Vauxhall Bridge Road, SW1
• Nearest tube Victoria
• Website
• Meeting point: upstairs next to the reception or on the bleachers.

Marshall Street

• Marshall Street, London, W1F 7EL
• Website

London Fields Lido

• London Fields Park, London Fields Westside, E8 3EU
• Nearest tube/train: London Fields overground station
• Website & Map
• Meeting point: outside or in the reception area.

• Queensway (far end) W2 5HS
• Nearest tubes Bayswater / Queensway

These pools are not currently used by OTS:

• 1-11 Ironmonger Row EC1V 3QF
• Nearest tube Old Street

• Normand Park, Lillie Road, SW6 7ST
• Nearest Tube West Brompton/ West Ken

Brighton

Wadurs Pool

• Impulse Leisure, Holmbush Centre, Shoreham, BN43 6TE...meet inside by the Spectators area from 19h45

• Roedean Way, Brighton, BN2 5RQ
• Bus direction Peacehaven/Eastbourne/Rottingdean...by car: the gates open automatically follow signs to the pool meet outside on the grass from 16h45...get in touch if you need a lift. We collect from AMEX at 16h30

Prince Regent Pool

• Church Street, Brighton,East Sussex, BN1 1YA....meet by the vending machines from 20h15

We typically meet in the foyer or outside the pool, depending on weather, about 15mins before swim time.