Travel: The Best Swimming Pools in Sussex

Swimming is probably one of the best forms of exercise we can do. It’s not restricted to age or fitness level, and is even suitable for the physically and mentally impaired in appropriate set ups with qualified support. If you don’t feel up to braving a sea swim, Sussex has some great swimming pools, inside and out, so there’s no excuse not to take a dip all year round whether you are visiting or live locally. Here’s a line-up of some of the best pools Sussex has to offer.

The best Leisure Centre pools

The Sovereign Centre, Eastbourne

The Sovereign Centre features a fun pool with waves and a flume, a 25m gala pool, a diving pool, and a training pool. There’s also a gym, as well as a workout studio, a sports hall with badminton courts, a sauna and steam room, and a café.

Littlehampton Wave

Newly opened in 2020 and located right on the seafront  this complex has been designed to provide the best possible swimming experience for serious fitness swimmers, for families to enjoy swimming together and also to provide the perfect pool for children and adults to learn to swim. One large 25m pool plus a smaller training pool. The trainer pool features a moveable floor so it provides flexibility, and there are lots of adaptations to enable less abled swimmers to enjoy the water.

Hailsham Leisure Centre

As well as a 25 m indoor swimming pool, Hailsham Leisure Centre has a toddler pool, a flume and an inflatable. There’s a splash dance pool party here every Friday evening in school term time for under 16s. The Centre also offers tenpin bowling and a soft play area.

Uckfield Leisure Centre

Uckfield Leisure Centre offers an indoor tropical leisure pool with flume water slide, family bubble pool and beach themed entry point, where there’s also a teeny elephant water slide. There’s plenty of room to swim and extra fun can be had with giant floats.

 King Alfred Leisure Centre, Hove

Brighton’s largest wet and dry recreation centre, the King Alfred Leisure Centre features a splash lagoon and a main pool, as well as a 20m flume. There’s also a sports hall offering everything from badminton to table tennis, a gym and a wide range of fitness classes.

Bexhill Leisure Centre

Bexhill Leisure Pool on Ravenside Retail Park features a 25m swimming pool with zero depth beach entry point, a flume and wave machine. There’s a soft play area and lots of kids activities, including a Friday night splash dance pool disco.

The best water parks/ fun pools

The Triangle, Burgess Hill

As well as a fantastic indoor complex with flumes, rapids and various pools, there’s a large outdoor pool at the popular Triangle leisure centre. You can also ride a rapids channel inside and out again. For serious swimmers, there’s a 25m pool for lane swimming. The centre also has a gym and fitness classes, as well as a full range of sports facilities, including squash, tennis and badminton courts.

 Splashpoint, Worthing

Splashpoint includes a 25m 6 lane pool, diving pool with depth adjustable floor, plenty of spectator seating in the viewing balcony and a smaller pool with pirate themed play area for small children and a larger flume slide too. Outside the pool there is a splashpad for small children that operates in the summer, both being located on the beach.

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The best outdoor pools

 Pells Pool, Lewes

Pells Pool is the oldest freshwater pool in the country. A whopping 45m long it is fed by the waters of the River Ouse. It’s unheated, but warms up during spells of sunny weather. Seasonal opening.

Arundel Lido

The much-loved heated pools at Arundel Lido are near the river have wonderful views of the castle. There’s a 25m main pool or a large heated paddling area. Seasonal opening.

Hove Lagoon

A magnet for toddlers, Hove Lagoon offers a huge paddling pool, and is the perfect place for a summer’s day picnic. There’s a play park, a decent café, and a water sports lagoon with waist-high water, making a great learning facility for beginners.

Pavilions in the Park, Horsham

This large Leisure Centre has a heated outdoor pool, which is open during the summer months. Indoor swimming facilities at Pavilions in the Park are open all year round. The centre also offers a range of sports facilities and a gym.

 The best private member pools

 Ockenden Manor Spa

Ockenden Spa is set in the West Sussex countryside away from the hustle and bustle of busy modern life. This is a high-end establishment, with top notch facilities. The in-and-out swimming pool has a heated outdoor section pool users can swim to from the inside. Non-members can access the pool on pre-booked spa days and retreats.

Wickwoods Country Club

Set in 22 acres of landscaped gardens in the South Downs National Park, Wickwoods Country Club and Spa offers members a veritable treat for fitness and relaxation. The club features an indoor heated swimming pool, sauna, steam room and hydro pool, all overlooking a woodland setting. There is a fully equipped gym, and several covered and flood-lit tennis courts, as well as fitness classes and a restaurant.

Virgin Active, Falmer

With a 25 m indoor pool, a 10 m kids pool and a 20 m heated outdoor pool, the Virgin Active health club has all of the swimming facilities covered. The club also boasts indoor and outdoor tennis courts, squash courts, badminton courts, fitness classes, a large gym and a café.

If you are feeling super dedicated, and want to upgrade your home, why not have a pool installed in your back garden? Sussex based Compass Pools are one of the most experienced pool builders in Sussex and have been installing pools in Sussex homes for over 30 years. Did you know a gentle swim can burn 200 Kcal in half an hour. If installing a pool isn’t an option, Sussex has some great communal pools. Here are some of the best.

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