There is nothing better than immersing yourself in water on a hot summer’s day. Luckily, we are spoilt for options with three heated outdoor pools within striking distance – in Stroud, Cirencester and Cheltenham. The latter is our favourite place to while away a summer’s day.

Sandford Parks Lido boasts a huge 50-metre pool, complete with slides and lanes for those who take their swimming a little more seriously. There is also a shallow children’s pool and a paddling pool too. The rather magnificent white art deco buildings surround the pool, housing changing rooms and a cafe; reminders of a decadent past.

Around the pool are large terraces, furnished with flower beds, and lawns with plenty of space to lay out your towel for a spot of sun-worshipping and people-watching. Groups of teenagers gather in school holidays on the lawns, mothers with small children meet around the children’s pool and the serious swimmers pace up and down like clockwork bath toys!

We meet friends and splash in the warm turquoise water before emerging into the colder air to quickly change, shivering and pulling clothes awkwardly on damp bodies. We reward ourselves with an ice cream or hot chocolate before it’s time to go home.

Images by Emma Bradshaw