Introducing The British Summer Time Lido Challenge 2023

After more than five years of clocking up lido swims around the country, we’re delighted to be launching our very own summer swimming challenge — The British Summer Time Lido Challenge 2023. Join us to see how many you can swim this summer, as well as some bonus extra challenges. All come with unique sew-on cloth badges for your swim towel!

The challenge lasts from the start of British Summer Time (March 26, 2023) until the day the clocks go back (October 30, 2023). Entry to the challenge costs just £19.99, which includes:

• Up to five cloth sew-on badges, sent directly to UK addresses,
• Two bonus challenges — details will be revealed along the way,
• A monthly inspiration newsletter, packed with tips, interviews, and more.

Entries To The 2023 Challenge Are Now Closed

Here’s Everything You Need To Know…

How Many Badges Will I Recieve?

It depends on how much you swim! Badges are awarded for the total number of unique outdoor swimming locations you visit. To start off with, they are awarded once you visit five, ten and twenty-five locations. The challenge lasts for seven months, so even if you only visit one new spot a month, you’ll still get a badge!

There will also be two ‘surprise’ bonus challenges announced along the way, so you can grab up to five in total.

How Will You Know What Badges To Send Me?

After you sign up, you’ll be sent a challenge confirmation email within a few days. This will include details of how to submit the swims you’ve completed. It’s a simple Google Form, where you just tell us where and when you swam there — and share a picture if you have one!

It’s an honesty challenge, so we won’t be checking up on your or ringing the lidos, don’t worry!

Who Made These Beautiful Badges?

They’re so great aren’t they?! They were designed by the lovely Josie Grant, a North Devon illustrator and printmaker. You can see and buy more of her work here.

How Often Are Badges Sent Out?

We’ll package up and send off badges on the last day of every month, so you’ll never have to wait too long to get your hands on your badge!

We’ll make sure to send our monthly email just beforehand, so you remember to submit your swims.

Where Can I Swim? What Counts?

You can swim anywhere you like, as long as it’s manmade, publically accessible, and outdoors. This means there’s a huge range of places you could swim — you could count your local tidal pool, a traditional lido, or even an open water venue in a dock or reservoir.

The aim of the challenge is to see as many new and interesting swim spots as possible, so we’d actively encourage you to seek out diversity. If you’d like some inspiration, you can see our big list of UK swim spots here.

Why Should I Sign Up?

There are more than 130 incredible outdoor swimming spots across the UK and each one is a unique and incredible experience. We’ve had the best time over the past few years getting in the water wherever we can, and we hope this challenge can inspire you to take on some of your own adventures.

It’s also a tough time for many outdoor pools and we hope that this challenge can help in some small way, by getting more people in the water, talking about it, and telling their friends!

What’s In The Monthly Email?

Our monthly email is your chance to connect with other likeminded swimmers and get inspiration for your next adventure. Expect swim guides, interviews with experts, top tips, and, of course, beatiful pictures of lidos.

My Questions Isn’t Answere Here — How Can I Get In Touch?

You can get in touch by emailing jem@allthelidos.co.uk or dropping us a message on Instagram.