For all its myriad charms, Brighton lacks a good, old-fashioned, public outdoor pool or Lido. [1]

It had one once – at Black Rock, below Kemptown, before the dirt, dust and noise that came with the construction of Brighton’s crappy Marina put punters right off their morning breast stroke.

It closed in 1978, and the nearest lido to me is now Saltdean Lido down the coast – an impressive art deco pile, but one overlooked by a busy and relentless A-road that separates it from the seafront.

Instead, if I’m craving an outdoor swim, I prefer cycling or taking the train up to Lewes’ Pells Pool.

The oldest outdoor freshwater swimming pool in the UK, Pells has been here since 1860. It’s an unheated pool fed by spring waters from the chalk aquifer below. The purity of the water is well protected by the staff, who spend a lot of their time urging showers before and after each dip – modern sunscreen pollutes these clear waters very easily, it turns out.

It’s a lovely spot. There’s a leafy green to one side of the pool, reminiscent of Hampton Pool, for picnics, sunbathing, or just general lazing about. I lay on my towel and read my book about the nearby river Ouse, because I’m a really cool person with many fashionable habits.

There were once two pools: the subscription bath, and a free bath alongside it, which is now the shaded picnic area.

Pells Pool nearly went the way of Black Rock Lido. The council wanted to sell the land to pay for the construction of the new, indoor leisure centre. Public outcry prevented this, but also at this point we must also, with a heavy heart, thank a lawyer: one John Rowe, who gifted this land to the townspeople of Lewes way back in 1603.

We’re imminently hitting the school holidays, so it was lovely to experience the place on a quiet, sunny, and sleepy afternoon.

[1] there is now one outdoor pool, but Sea Lanes on Madeira Drive is just that – a slightly antiseptic, modern pool for lane swimming only.