Swimming at Hathersage

Today was a wonderful hot and sunny day and so I went out for a swim in the outdoor pool in the village of Hathersage. It takes about 45 minutes to get there (via Sheffield) but the pool itself is only a couple of minutes walk from the station.

I didn't take any pictures inside the pool (I wish I had asked now) but you can see what it looks like from the Hathersage swimming pool website. There's a set of changing cubicles next to a lawn and a bandstand on one side of the pool and a small covered grandstand on the other. The water itself is nicely heated and there are views of the surrounding hills (Stanage Edge is nearby and clearly visible) as you swim. The great thing about swimming in an outdoor pool on a day like today is being able to see blue blue sky above and the sunlight dappled on the tiles below. (The thing that I always forget about swimming in an outdoor pool is that you're also liable to get slightly sunburned.)

After an hour's swim I went to the pool cafe and sat outside under a parasol eating a toasted cheese and onion sandwich, extremely tasty and served with a little salad that included apple and kiwi fruit and very nice colesaw. While I sat there a cat wandered between the different customers looking for some love and attention. It was a nice way to spend lunchtime.

With around an hour left before my train back to Sheffield I asked the waitress at the cafe if there was anywhere nearby that I could walk to. She recommended going to see Little John's grave at St Michaels church, which turned out to be a great tip - it was only a short walk to the churchyard, with great views over the hills (and also some cows, which I think Kyle would have enjoyed), and the grave was quite easy to find (it appears to have a parking meter next to it, but on closer inspection this turned out to be for donations to maintain the church and grounds).

The journey back was quite uneventful (really, the best kind of train journey to have). The Hathersage pool is really nice and I really hopefully there will be an another opportunity to swim there again later in the summer.