The Strand Lido

The Strand Lido sits right on the water in Maidstone, a proper slice of 1930s seaside nostalgia that somehow landed in the heart of Kent. It's an open-air swimming pool complex with that distinctive art deco feel - the kind of place that makes you want to slick your hair back and pretend you're in a different era entirely.

What you get is the main outdoor pool, changing facilities, and that specific smell of chlorine mixed with sun cream that takes you straight back to childhood. On a decent summer's day it's genuinely lovely - there's something about swimming outdoors under the Medway sky that beats an indoor leisure centre every time. The pool draws families mostly, and rightly so. Kids love the openness of it, and you're not queuing behind school groups like you would at an indoor facility.

The lido closes over winter, so timing matters. Summer weekends get busy, particularly school holidays - go on a weekday morning if you want elbow room. Admission isn't free but it's reasonable for what you're getting. Allow a full afternoon if you're making a day of it, though determined swimmers can be in and out in ninety minutes.

If you're staying at Kits Coty Glamping nearby, this makes an easy half-day trip. Maidstone itself has enough for wandering around afterwards - river walks, the town centre - so you're not stuck with just the pool. It's unpretentious and honest. Not a theme park, not trying to be anything other than what it is: a traditional outdoor pool that works.