Mal's Memories (From Penarth Times)

Mal's Memories

DO YOU remember when you learnt to swim?

My mother taught me to swim at the old open air swimming pool while we were on holiday at Weston-Super-Mare when I was a boy.

Sadly this has gone the way of many other lidos, including the Knap.

But many locals would have learned at Penarth Baths on the Esplanade.

The Baths was famous for its salt water, pumped up from the sea.

It was also popular for the two pools, known as the large pool and the small pool, which were particularly family friendly with the changing cubicles surrounding the water.

I had a season ticket for many years and effectively there was no time limit you could stay in, unless it was exceptionally busy.

There was a huge campaign to keep the Baths open when the Vale Council decided that they were no longer economic and would have to close when the new leisure centre was built at Cogan.

Hundreds of people also used to swim at Cosmeston Lakes every summer before this was banned on safety grounds.

And children also swam regularly in the Mill stream at Dinas Powys in hot weather - a tradition that I note has not totally died out!

Swimming in the sea is not so popular these days, largely because of water quality issues, although there has been a considerable improvement in recent years.

The last time I swam in the Bristol Channel was as a teenager, and it was for a bet. I think it was Boxing Day, but it was certainly in the middle of winter, and it was mighty cold.

I shudder to think about it and these days I confine myself to an occasional dip in a nice, warm hotel pool.

*Malcolm Davies is a former editor of the Penarth Times. Mal"s Memories are on the Penarth Times website www.thisispenarth.co.uk