○ IMPTReading
← All things to do Springs & Spas · Reading Town Centre

Thames Lido

The 1902 Kennet Mouth ladies' swimming pool reborn in 2017 as a heated outdoor lido, spa and restaurant — the town's most surprising treasure.

Where
Reading Town Centre
Time needed
Half day
Tickets
£40 pool session
Restored Edwardian ladies' pool at Thames Lido Reading Restored Edwardian ladies' pool at Thames Lido Reading

What to expect at Thames Lido

The King's Meadow Baths opened in 1902 as a ladies-only outdoor swimming pool beside the Thames, closed in 1974 and sat derelict for over 40 years. In 2017 they were beautifully restored by the team behind Bristol Lido and reopened as Thames Lido — a 25-metre heated outdoor pool kept at 30°C year-round, poolside changing cabins, a two-tier restaurant, treatment rooms, sauna, steam room and a hot tub. The original Edwardian brick and cast-iron structure is preserved throughout; the whole thing is Grade II listed.

You book a two-hour pool session and get access to the pool, hot tub, sauna and steam. The pool is properly heated so swimming outdoors in December is genuinely delicious. The restaurant is a serious proposition on its own — a wood-fired Mediterranean menu (small plates, whole fish, flatbreads) that you can eat in swimming trunks with wet hair, or dressed up in the evening as a destination restaurant. Spa treatments (massages, facials) book separately from £70.

Fifteen minutes' walk from Reading Station along Napier Road, on the edge of King's Meadow. Pool session £40 weekdays, £50 weekends; food from £8 (small plate) to £30 (main). Book online at least a week ahead — weekends sell out. Weekday mornings before 09:00 are quietest and cheapest. Bring a swimsuit and a towel or hire theirs. This is the single most surprising thing in Reading and one of the reasons to make a proper weekend of the town rather than a day-trip. Ten minutes from town-centre hotels.

Plan your visit Tickets£40 pool session Time neededHalf day WhereReading Town Centre Opening hours Daily 6:30-22:00 (pool) Restaurant 12:00-22:00 Booking required for pool sessions Hotels near Thames Lido

Questions about Thames Lido

Cost?

Pool session £40 weekday, £50 weekend (2 hours, includes hot tub, sauna, steam). Spa treatments from £70. Restaurant £30-50 a head.

Free entry?

No — ticketed booking only.

How long?

Two-hour session; longer if you eat in the restaurant. Half a day easy.

Closed days?

Open every day 6:30-22:00, including Christmas week (short hours).

Booking?

Essential — book online at least a week ahead, longer for weekends and January.

Getting there?

15-min walk from Reading Station via Napier Road, or £6 taxi.

Where to stay

Hotels near Thames Lido

Live prices · free cancellation
Browse

Every hotel we cover in Reading Town Centre

24 with a full page

More things to do

All things to do

From the journal

All posts