Where to Swim in Leeds: Pools, Lidos and Wild Swims

Leeds has a decent selection of places to get in the water. The city centre has a movable-floor pool inside a university sports complex. The southern edge has the only fifty-metre pool in West Yorkshire. Bramley still operates its 1904 bath house. Otley has a 25-metre school pool open to the public. Add Ilkley’s outdoor lido, an open-water course in the heart of Leeds Dock, and a clutch of spring-fed lakes within a half-hour drive.

The question stops being “where can you swim in Leeds?” and starts being “what kind of swim do you want?”

This guide covers every pool, lido and sanctioned open-water venue used by Leeds swimmers in 2026. It is grouped by use case (city centre, the council network, community baths, lidos, health clubs and hotels, spa swims, open water, lessons, clubs, accessibility, and annual events) so you can match the swim to the day.

If you would rather a different kind of waterside day, the Discover Leeds reservoir-walks guide and where to fish in and around Leeds cover the bodies of water you cannot swim in.

City-centre pools

Four pools sit within walking distance of Leeds Train Station. If you are based in LS1 or LS2, this is where to start.

The Edge, University of Leeds

Cromer Terrace, LS2 9JT. A 25-metre, eight-lane pool with a movable floor that adjusts to depths up to two metres. The flexibility is why The Edge hosts water polo and canoe polo as well as lane swimming. The health suite next to the pool runs sauna and steam.

You do not need to be a member or a student to swim. Pay-as-you-go swims are sold at the gate, alongside University and joint-membership options.

Forum Leisure Centre

Quarry House, Quarry Hill, LS2 7UA. The closest pool to the eastern side of Leeds city centre. Operated by Parkwood Leisure rather than Active Leeds, the Forum runs a 25-metre main pool and a 10 by 6 metre learner pool, with weekday hours from 06:30 and weekend hours through to 17:00.

Free parking after 15:00 weekdays and across the weekend makes it a practical choice if you are heading in from the south or east.

Nuffield Health at The Light

Unit 21, The Light, The Headrow, LS1 8TL. The only pool in the actual Headrow and Briggate retail core. Nuffield’s club inside The Light combines an indoor pool with sauna, steam and a full gym. Day passes are sold through Hussle, with discounts for students, NHS staff and emergency workers.

Pair a swim with dinner at one of The Light’s restaurants if you want a low-effort weeknight in the centre.

LivingWell at Hilton Leeds City

Neville Street, LS1 4BX. A small heated indoor pool inside the Hilton, attached to the LivingWell health club. More spa-day than serious-laps, with sauna and steam alongside. Day passes via Hussle.

Active Leeds: the council network

Eleven pools in this network, run by the council’s leisure operator. The model is built for accessibility: drop in, no booking, central reservation line 0113 376 0398, and a flat rate that runs across the entire network.

Adult swims cost £6.30, junior swims £3.00, and under-threes are free. Those rates rise to £6.60 and £3.15 respectively from 1 June 2026. Carers swim free with a disabled person, and Leedscard discounts apply.

John Charles Centre for Sport (Aquatics Centre)

Middleton Grove, LS11 5DJ. The only fifty-metre pool in West Yorkshire, with six lanes, movable booms that section the tank into 25 or 33 metres for different sessions, and a separate diving pool with platforms at 3, 5, 7.5 and 10 metres plus 1-metre and 3-metre springboards.

City of Leeds Swimming Club, the source of 24 Olympians across eight Olympiads, trains here. The pool also runs accessible sessions with hoists and a Changing Places facility, and quiet sessions for sensory-sensitive swimmers.

The car park gives three hours free, with 33 disabled bays. Water sits at 28 to 29 degrees Celsius year-round.

Holt Park Active

Holtdale Approach, LS16 7RX. The standout feature is the dedicated hydrotherapy pool, kept warmer than the main pool, which makes Holt Park the right call for gentle exercise, post-injury rehab, antenatal classes and pre-school swimmers. The site sits next to adult social care services, with a Changing Places facility, a height-adjustable changing bed, and full ceiling-hoist coverage.

The 25-metre main pool and the learner pool sit alongside, so families with mixed abilities can split sessions in the same visit.

Armley Leisure Centre

Carr Crofts, LS12 3HB. Three pools under one roof: a 25-metre main, a learner pool, and a 10 by 8 metre hydrotherapy pool. Pool hoists and Changing Places-standard wet- and dry-side rooms make Armley the most fully accessible swim site in the council network. The cafe serves decent food at reasonable prices.

Wetherby Leisure Centre

Lodge Lane, LS22 5FN. A 25-metre main and a learner pool in a riverside building near the Wharfe. Direct poolside accessible changing, a pool hoist and pool wheelchair, and an induction loop. Parent-and-baby sessions start from six weeks. Free parking and a calm setting away from the city.

Aireborough Leisure Centre

The Green, Guiseley, LS20 9BT. Recently refurbished, with a 25-metre main pool, a separate learner pool, gender-neutral changing, and a Changing Places facility. Five accessible parking bays. Aireborough Swimming Club trains here on Monday and Thursday evenings, which gives the centre a serious lane-swimming feel without losing its community character.

Scott Hall Leisure Centre

Scott Hall Road, LS7 3DT. The closest Active Leeds pool to north Leeds and Chapeltown, with a 25-metre main pool, a learner pool, level entrance, automatic doors and a pool hoist.

Kirkstall Leisure Centre

Kirkstall Lane, LS5 3BE. A 25-metre pool plus a learner pool, with a ramped entrance and a lift to the lower floor. A short walk from Kirkstall Abbey if you want to bookend a swim with a wander round the ruin.

Fearnville Leisure Centre

Oakwood Lane, LS8 3LF. A 25-metre pool and a separate learner pool serving east Leeds and the Roundhay end of the city. Free parking, which is uncommon in the council network and the reason regulars travel over from further afield. Induction loop and pool hoist on site.

Morley Leisure Centre

Queensway, LS27 9JP. A 25-metre main pool with a hoist and graded steps, alongside a 10 by 10 metre learner pool, Changing Places-standard facilities and H-frame hoists wet- and dry-side. East Leeds Swimming Club holds masters sessions here on Sunday evenings, so if you fancy a structured lane swim with club regulars, this is the night to come.

Pudsey Leisure Centre

Market Place, LS28 7BE. A 25-metre pool with both a pool hoist and a transfer hoist, plus scheduled low-sensory times for neurodivergent swimmers and their families. The accessible changing is not directly poolside, which is worth knowing in advance if you need a short transit between changing and the water.

Rothwell Leisure Centre

Wakefield Road, LS26 8EL. A 25-metre pool and a learner pool, recently upgraded with refreshed adapted changing including a height-adjustable bed. The most southerly site in the network after Morley, sitting between Rothwell town centre, Oulton and Carlton.

John Smeaton Leisure Centre

Smeaton Approach, LS15 8TA. A 25-metre pool with a chair-and-sling pool hoist, and the strongest disability-swim programme in the council network. Saturday sessions book out fast, so plan ahead if you are coming from Cross Gates or Crossgates Whinmoor.

Kippax Leisure Centre

Station Road, LS25 7LQ. A 25-metre pool with drop-in sessions for the east-Leeds villages out towards Castleford. Phone Active Leeds before travelling: the operator’s directory and the centre’s own page list its facilities slightly differently, so confirm the pool is open the day you are heading down.

Community and independent pools

Bramley Baths

Broad Lane, Bramley, LS13 3DF. The last operating Edwardian bath house in the United Kingdom, run since 2013 as a community benefit society rather than as part of any chain. The building, opened in 1904 and Grade II listed, keeps its original turnstiles and tilework. Swimming under the skylight at sunrise gives Bramley its reputation; the rest of the day, the heritage main pool runs adult lane swims, family sessions, and a monthly Sensory Swim for SEND children with sensory toys provided.

Adult drop-in £6, child £4, under-fives free, family ticket (two adults, two children) £15, all-access monthly membership £29 covering pool, gym and classes. Sessions book up to seven days in advance online.

The Dolphin learn-to-swim programme runs seven days a week from age four upwards, with separate baby-and-parent groups from six months. Adults learn in mixed-age groups with a one-to-one approach inside a class environment.

Chippindale Pool, Otley

Farnley Lane, Otley, LS21 2BB (car park LS21 2BF). A 25-metre, five-lane pool on the Prince Henry’s Grammar School site, taken over in October 2024 by InGear Swim and Ready Steady Swim after Leeds City Council withdrew. Public swims run Tuesday evenings, Wednesday and Saturday early-bird mornings, and a Saturday lunchtime family session.

Public swim £6 adult, £3 junior (3 to 12), under-threes free, £4 for over-60s. Family Fun is £8 adult, £5 junior, £6 over-60s.

A short walk from Wharfemeadows Park if you want to combine a swim with a riverside lap of Otley.

Indoor and outdoor lidos

Ilkley Pool and Lido

Denton Road, Ilkley, LS29 0BZ. The closest open-air lido to Leeds, on the edge of Ilkley Moor. Operated by Bradford Council, the site combines a heated 25 by 11 metre indoor pool open year-round with an unheated outdoor lido open from May to September. The lido reopens for the 2026 season on Saturday 9 May.

Lido sessions run 07:30 to 08:30 and 14:00 to 18:00 on weekdays, and 10:00 to 14:00 at weekends. Bradford raised prices six percent on 1 April 2026; current peak rates land near £12.50 adult and £7.20 junior, with cheaper off-peak slots in the early morning and late afternoon.

A boating lake sits next to the lido. Pay-and-display parking, ramped access.

David Lloyd Leeds

A 25-metre heated indoor pool and a 20-metre outdoor lap pool with sun terrace at the Moortown club. Members only, no day passes, no Hussle access. The outdoor pool, the only adult outdoor lap pool inside Leeds, reopens each summer with the spa, splash pools and Celsius spa included. Free on-site parking.

Health clubs and hotel day passes

If you want a swim plus sauna without committing to membership, several private clubs sell day passes through Hussle, the venue’s own site, or pre-booked spa packages.

Bannatyne Cookridge Hall

Cookridge Lane, LS16 7NL. A 20-metre pool set inside the original Cookridge Hall, with a glass roof and views across the Yorkshire Dales as you swim. Sauna, steam and jacuzzi alongside. The setting is the reason to come: no other health club in Leeds offers a pool this distinctive. Day pass £13.50 via Hussle.

Bannatyne Cardigan Fields

Kirkstall Road, LS4 2DG. A 25-metre pool with sauna, steam and a spa pool, on the Cardigan Fields entertainment park. Children swim from 09:00 to 19:00 daily; adult-only access runs early and late. Day passes via Hussle.

Village Hotel Leeds North, Headingley

186 Otley Road, LS16 5PR. A 20-metre heated indoor pool with sauna, steam and a cold plunge bath added in the latest refurbishment, plus four hours of free parking. Day passes available online.

Village Hotel Leeds South, Tingley

Capitol Boulevard West, LS27 0TS. The southern Village club, with an indoor heated pool, the Puddle Ducks lessons programme on weekdays, and weekend hours running 07:00 to 20:45. Day passes available.

Leeds Beckett Carnegie Sports Centre

Headingley Campus, Beckett Park, LS6 3QS. A 21-metre, four-lane pool with Water Wellbeing accreditation, the first awarded by Swim England to a UK university pool. Pool hoist, lifeguarded sessions, and £5 pay-on-arrival public swims for non-members. Tag a swim onto a Beckett Park walk if the weather is decent.

Spa days with a swim

Crowne Plaza Spirit Health Club

Wellington Place, LS1 4DL. A 15-metre heated indoor pool with sauna, steam and a small fitness suite, on the Wellington Street side of the city centre. Hotel guests swim free; non-residents pre-book through spirit@cpleeds.com or via DayUse-style hotel-day-room packages.

Thorpe Park Hotel and Spa

Century Way, LS15 8ZB. A 13-metre heated indoor pool with sauna and steam, attached to the four-star hotel at the Thorpe Park business and retail park. Non-residents £15 a day for pool, sauna and steam. Hussle day passes also available.

Oulton Hall Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort

Rothwell Lane, Oulton, LS26 8HN. A 13-metre indoor pool inside the Marriott-run country house on the Oulton estate. Walk-up day passes are not the norm: Oulton Hall sells five-pass bundles, and spa days through aggregator sites carry the pool access. A more relaxing option than a sharp morning lane swim, with the spa, treatments and hotel restaurant alongside.

Worth the drive: Rudding Park, Harrogate

Around forty minutes north of Leeds, Rudding Park’s spa runs a 17-metre indoor pool fed by natural Harrogate spring water filtered by ultraviolet rather than chlorine, alongside an 11-metre indoor-outdoor infinity hydrotherapy pool with submerged loungers, foot-volcano jets and swan-neck massage features. Spa-day only, no walk-in swimming. The most distinctive spa pool inside an hour of Leeds.

Open water and wild swimming

Leeds has more sanctioned open-water swimming than most cities its size, plus a serious wild-swim community working the rivers and former mining lakes around the local-authority edge. Cold-water risk is real; the venues below either run inductions and have safety paddlers, or carry well-known caveats you should read before entering.

Leeds Dock

The Boulevard, LS10 1PZ. The only city-centre open-water venue in Leeds, on a 200-metre rectangular course around the dock edge. Operated by Love Open Water under the NOWCA umbrella, the venue uses the wristband-scan entry-and-exit system, with safety paddlers in the water during sessions.

NOWCA membership runs £20 a year, sessions are £7.50 each, and a Cold Water Induction (around £20) is required for new winter swimmers when water temperature drops below 15 degrees Celsius. The venue runs all year. A ten-minute walk from Leeds Train Station, with the Royal Armouries on the opposite bank.

Otley Sailing Club, with Leeds and Bradford Triathlon Club

Bridge End Quarry, Otley, LS21 2SU. A three-buoy triangle around 450 metres per circuit, run by Leeds and Bradford Triathlon Club from mid-May to mid-September on Tuesday evenings (19:00) and Saturday mornings (08:00). Members only with a current LBT card; wetsuits mandatory below 16 degrees Celsius, numbered swim hat required. The only sanctioned lake open-water session inside the Leeds local-authority area.

Blue Lagooners, Womersley

Northfield Lane, Womersley, DN6 9BB. The closest dedicated open-water swim lake to Leeds, around half an hour’s drive south. Spring-fed, limestone-filtered, with clear water and a seasonal April-to-October programme. Drop-in £10, member rates from £4.25 a session, free parking, expert coaches and safety paddlers in the water. Junior swimmers (12 to 17) need a swim assessment before joining.

River Wharfe at Otley

Three commonly used access points on the Wharfe: behind Wharfebank Mills (LS21 3JP), Manor Garth Park near the police station (LS21 3AZ), and the beer garden of The Fleece on Westgate (LS21 3DT). All unsanctioned; depth, current and water quality change with the weather, and the river is not safe to swim above 12 cubic metres a second on the Tadcaster gauge. The Open Water Leeds community on Facebook is the place to read up before going.

Otley Chevin Forest Park sits up the hill from the river if you want to bookend a swim with a walk.

St Aidan’s RSPB (“Caroline’s”)

Lake (formerly an opencast mine, flooded 1988), LS26 8AL. The most popular Leeds wild-swim lake. The RSPB banned swimming in 2021 and partly reopened access in October 2022, on tight terms: a single designated entry point, no inflatables or paddleboards, and no swimming near the sand-martin nesting wall. Periodic blue-green algae warnings apply. Parking £4.50 (free for RSPB members). Tolerated rather than endorsed; check the RSPB site before travelling.

What is not a Leeds swim spot, despite occasional listings

Three local lakes appear in older roundups but are closed to swimmers:

• Yeadon Tarn is for sailing, kayaking and powered-boat use only. The tarn is run by the Active Leeds sailing centre. Walking the perimeter is fine; entering the water is not. See Yeadon Tarn for what the site is actually used for.
• Eccup Reservoir falls under Yorkshire Water byelaws which forbid swimming. The reservoir is for walking, birdwatching and the reservoir-walks circuit.
• Roundhay Park, Waterloo Lake is officially banned to individual swimmers. Recent algae warnings have closed the lake to all water entry several times. The one exception is the IRONMAN Leeds course (see Annual events). Roundhay Park is for runs, picnics and the boating lake.

Learn-to-swim providers

Active Leeds Learn to Swim

The largest Leeds programme by a wide margin: more than 10,000 children swim a lesson each week across the council network, plus adult learners and a Stage 8 Competitive pathway at ten of the eleven sites. Lessons follow the Swim England Learn to Swim pathway. £31.50 a month junior, £35 adult, with a £15 joining fee. Stage 8 swimmers pay £48.50.

Disability Hub provision runs across all sites with mainstream-adapted lessons and smaller-group additional-needs lessons. Carers swim free.

Bramley Baths Swim School

The Dolphin programme runs seven days a week from age four, with separate baby-and-parent groups from six months. Adults learn in mixed-age groups with one-to-one attention from instructors who are STA and ASA trained. £32 a month for a single weekly class, no joining fee, first month free on a twelve-month commitment.

Water Babies (Yorkshire Central and West)

Three Leeds venues: Hilton Leeds City (LS1 4BX), Penny Field School in Meanwood (LS6 4QD), and Moorlands School off Weetwood Lane (LS16 5PF). Baby swimming from birth, with a structured progression up through pre-school.

Puddle Ducks (West Yorkshire)

Lessons at Bramhope Private Pool (23 Kings Road, LS16 9JN) and Village Hotel Leeds South (LS27 0TS), plus school pools further south. Maximum ten children per class, with one-to-one parent involvement at the youngest ages.

Aquababies Yorkshire

Lessons from age 3.5 at Woodhouse Grove School in Apperley Bridge, on a 25-metre, six-lane pool. Useful for parents in north-west Leeds for whom Apperley Bridge is closer than Bramley.

InGear Swim and Ready Steady Swim, Otley

Lessons, holiday clubs and family swim at Chippindale Pool (see Community and independent pools).

Swimming clubs and squads

City of Leeds Swimming Club

The premier swim club in Yorkshire, training out of the John Charles 50-metre pool. Twenty-four Olympians produced over eight Olympiads. The senior squad represents at Aquatics GB Championships. A joint-membership programme with the University of Leeds gives elite squad members ten swim sessions and six strength-and-conditioning sessions a week.

East Leeds Swimming Club

A masters and age-group club, with a Thursday club session 20:10 to 21:10 at JCCS and masters sessions across JCCS and Morley.

Aireborough Swimming Club

Aireborough Leisure Centre, Monday and Thursday evenings. A community-focused club with a junior pathway and a tighter geographical pull than the bigger Leeds clubs.

Leeds and Bradford Triathlon Club

The largest triathlon club in Leeds, running pool lane sessions through the year and the Otley Sailing Club open-water programme from May to September.

Wetherby Runners and Triathletes

The local tri club for the north-east of the local-authority area, with a River Wharfe race-swim leg in the annual Wetherby Triathlon.

Accessibility and sensory swims

Leeds has more accessibility provision than most cities its size, in part because Active Leeds runs it as a network programme rather than a per-site option.

• Active Leeds Disability Hub. Mainstream-adapted lessons, smaller-group additional-needs lessons and Disability Hub sessions across all council sites. Contact DisabilityHubs@leeds.gov.uk.
• Carers swim free with a disabled person at any Active Leeds pool.
• Hydrotherapy pools at Holt Park Active and Armley Leisure Centre, kept warmer than the main pool for gentle exercise and rehabilitation.
• Changing Places facilities at Holt Park Active, Armley Leisure Centre, Morley Leisure Centre and Aireborough Leisure Centre.
• Sensory-friendly sessions at John Charles Centre, Pudsey Leisure Centre, and a monthly Sensory Swim for SEND families at Bramley Baths.
• Pool hoists fitted at every Active Leeds site.

A few practical notes

• Active Leeds prices change again from 1 June 2026: Adult £6.60, Junior £3.15.
• Most council pools run drop-in sessions; private clubs and lessons need pre-booking.
• Wetsuit hire is available through Tri Wetsuit Hire, which partners with Leeds Dock for open-water sessions.
• Leeds and Bradford Triathlon Club is the easiest route into structured open-water swimming if Leeds Dock feels like a big first step.

Looking for a different kind of day on the water? Where to fish in and around Leeds covers the same lakes and rivers from the bank, and things to do on a rainy day in Leeds covers the indoor alternatives.

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