Tooting Bec Lido is 91.4 metres long, which makes it the largest freshwater swimming pool in the United Kingdom. It is also shut for seven months of the year, and one of those months is this one.
It opens every day from 1 May to 30 September. From 1 October to 30 April it is closed to the public.
Checked on 5 October 2026: the centre page lists its opening times as Closed and marks the outdoor pools as not currently open. So if you are reading this between autumn and spring, the answer is that you cannot swim here.
One honest note on their own page
Worth flagging because it will mislead people. While the opening times say Closed, the timetable grid on the same page still displays three sessions a day, Morning 6am to midday, Afternoon midday to 6pm and Evening 6pm to 10pm, for every date through mid-October.
Those are the summer session shapes left showing in the widget. Trust the Closed notice and the 1 May to 30 September dates, not the grid.
The South London Swimming Club is linked from the lido’s own quick links, and the club is the route people use for swimming here outside the public season.
It is nearly twice the length of any other London lido
Put the four side by side and the scale is obvious.
Tooting Bec: 91.4 metres.
Parliament Hill: 60 metres.
London Fields: 50 metres.
Charlton: 50 metres.
So eleven lengths here is almost exactly a kilometre, against twenty at London Fields. If you count in lengths rather than metres, your numbers will look very different depending which pool you are standing in.
In the summer season it runs two sessions a day plus lane swim times.
Unheated, with the temperature published live
The pools are unheated and there is a live pool temperature page, which is the right thing to check before you leave the house in May or late September.
That puts it with the Hampstead pools rather than with London Fields and Charlton, both of which are heated year-round. For reference, the unheated Hampstead water sat at 16 to 17°C in early October and 7°C in late February.
Bring your own padlock
A small thing that will cost you the use of a locker if you get it wrong, and all three of London’s major lidos handle it differently.
Tooting Bec: small lockers for keys, phone and wallet. You must bring your own padlock.
London Fields: a £1 refundable coin, or a £1.50 reusable token.
Charlton: a 30p token bought contactless, or your own padlock.
Changing rooms, toilets and showers are all on site.
Parking is free, and not theirs
There is free but limited car parking serving both the lido and Tooting Bec Common, and it is not operated by Places Leisure.
Free parking is unusual: Charlton charges £1.50 an hour and London Fields has no car park at all. The catch is in the word limited, and in the fact that nobody at the lido controls it.
Buses 319, 249 and G1 stop a short walk away. The address is Tooting Bec Road, Tooting, London SW16 1RU, and they publish a What3Words reference of ///toys.slime.agents, which is more useful than it sounds for a gate in a common.
Booking is non-refundable
Book ahead to guarantee a space, and bookings are non-refundable.
Read that against the fact that the pool is unheated and outdoors. If the weather turns between booking and swimming, the money is gone. Check the live temperature page before you book rather than after.
Check in at reception for every activity, and they ask you to arrive in good time at peak periods.
You can bring a picnic
Your own food is welcome, and there is a café on site. There is a picnic area and a sunbathing area.
No alcohol, no breakables and no sharp objects. Which in practice rules out the bottle of wine and the real glasses, so plan the picnic accordingly.
There is also a children’s paddling pool, and an on-site shop carrying Zoggs swimwear for adults and children plus toys and training aids, with staff able to order items in.
The Pavilion runs all year even when the pool does not
This is the part that makes the site useful in the closed months, and it is buried at the bottom of their information page.
Independent classes in the Pavilion include Pilates on Monday and Friday mornings and Wednesday evenings, yoga on Monday and Thursday evenings plus Saturday morning and Sunday late morning, Tai Chi on Wednesday mornings, and a yoga session on Tuesday evenings and Thursday mornings.
There is also a Surrey Federation WI meeting on the second Tuesday of each month, and a cacao ceremony on the first Thursday.
The Pavilion can be hired for classes, meetings and events, and the whole site is available for filming, both through the lido’s enquiries address.
Accessibility is the fullest of the London lidos
A PoolPod has been installed, and the published list covers accessible parking, ramps for wheelchairs, accessible turnstiles, accessible lockers, accessible showers, accessible changing, a pool hoist, accessible pool steps and Changing Places facilities. Assistance dogs are welcome.
Run by Places Leisure as agent for Wandsworth Council.
How to plan it
Right now, in October: you cannot. It reopens 1 May.
In season: any day between 1 May and 30 September.
Before booking: read the live temperature page, because the pool is unheated and bookings are non-refundable.
Bring a padlock, or you have no locker.
Driving: parking is free but limited, and shared with the common.
Picnic: yes, but nothing alcoholic and nothing breakable.
Swimming outdoors in winter: go to London Fields or the Hampstead ponds instead, both of which are open every month.
Tooting Bec Lido
- Address
- Tooting Bec Road, Tooting, London SW16 1RU. What3Words ///toys.slime.agents
- Nearest
- Buses 319, 249 and G1 stop a short walk away
- Hours
- Open every day from 1 May to 30 September, with two sessions a day plus lane swim times. Closed to the public from 1 October to 30 April
- Booking
- Book ahead to guarantee a space. Bookings are non-refundable. Check in at reception
- Price
- Varies by session. Free but limited car parking shared with Tooting Bec Common, not operated by the lido
- Standing
- The largest freshwater swimming pool in the United Kingdom at 91.4 metres, nearly twice the length of any other London lido
How to get in
Closed for seven months of the year, from 1 October to 30 April, although the timetable grid on their own page still shows summer sessions. The pool is unheated with a live temperature page, and bookings are non-refundable, so check the temperature before paying. Lockers need your own padlock. Picnics are welcome but no alcohol, breakables or sharp objects.
Where to go next
London Fields Lido and Charlton Lido are both heated and open all year, which is what you want between October and April.
Parliament Hill Lido is the 60-metre year-round option, and the lidos page compares the rest.
Questions we get asked
Is Tooting Bec Lido open in winter?
No. It opens every day from 1 May to 30 September and is closed to the public from 1 October to 30 April. Checked on 5 October 2026, the centre lists its opening times as Closed and the pools as not currently open.
How long is Tooting Bec Lido?
91.4 metres, which makes it the largest freshwater swimming pool in the UK. For comparison, Parliament Hill Lido is 60 metres and both London Fields and Charlton are 50, so eleven lengths here is roughly a kilometre.
Is Tooting Bec Lido heated?
No, the pools are unheated. There is a live pool temperature page, which is worth checking before booking because bookings are non-refundable.
Do you need to book Tooting Bec Lido?
Booking ahead is recommended to guarantee a space, and bookings are non-refundable. Check in at reception for all activities, and arrive in good time at peak periods.
Are there lockers at Tooting Bec Lido?
Yes, small lockers for keys, phones and wallets, but you must bring your own padlock. London Fields uses a £1 coin or £1.50 token and Charlton a 30p contactless token, so all three differ.
Is there parking at Tooting Bec Lido?
Yes, free but limited, shared with visitors to Tooting Bec Common. It is not operated by Places Leisure. Buses 319, 249 and G1 stop a short walk away.
Can you take a picnic to Tooting Bec Lido?
Yes, your own food is welcome and there is a picnic area and an on-site café. Alcohol, breakables and sharp objects are not allowed, so no wine and no glassware.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 269 in the guide.
Last checked 5 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
