As summer heats up, thoughts turn to splashing about in the water. Gurnell Leisure Centre’s excellent pool facilities offer an excellent weekday alternative for swim-starved West Londoners.

Gurnell Leisure Centre in Ruislip, West London, boasts one of the few fifty-metre pools in London, which makes it an excellent venue for lane and fitness swimmers. Although the pool is not strictly classed as ‘Olympic size’ due to its width, those who like to swim uninterrupted lengths for their workout will welcome the chance to stretch themselves in an unusually large pool that is kept at the right temperature for serious exercise.

For learners and families with small children, Gurnell Leisure Centre also has a twenty-five metre leisure and teaching pool. This is kept warmer than the main pool which makes it a comfortable environment for small children who can get chilled quickly.

Towards the other end of the age spectrum, as well as the daily public swim sessions Gurnell Leisure Centre offers tailored over-55s water workouts, designed to provide a good workout with putting pressure on joints that have seen a few years of action. Some of the public sessions are ‘adults only’ (over 16s) so lane swimmers can tick off their lengths in peace with a reduced noise level and no worries about jumping, bombing and all the other excitements that can go with a pool full of children. Family sessions, on the other hand, can only be attended by adult-child teams so the atmosphere will be ideal for those with children who need to burn off excess energy. The pool can be hired for pool parties, with or without inflatables and slides; so families planning a special birthday event can create a day to remember with no risk of jelly and cake being ground into the new carpet at home.

Gurnell Leisure Centre makes the most of their large main pool; for adult swims and swim fit sessions, the whole fifty metres is available, but for workout classes a boom is lowered to divide the pool in two. One class uses the deep end while the class for under 16s often uses the shallow end, allowing two classes to run simultaneously and helping the less confident feel safer. The important thing for pool users is to check the timetable to be sure that the session that you want is running when you plan to visit the pool.

The centre is located just off the A40 and so is easily reached by car, with 142 paid parking spaces on site. The nearest tube stations are Perivale or Ealing Broadway.

Enjoy the pool and other facilities at Gurnell Leisure Centre with great pay-as-you-go rates, along with many other venues throughout London – visit www.payasugym.com