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4. Food: everything Paris has to offer at your fingertips 5/5 5. Cleanliness: toilets a bit whiffy, showers ok 3/5 Total score 17.5/25 but would like to give a bonus because making swimming possible right in the centre of a massive city is totally impressive. #SwimmableCities #paris #swimreviews

Clare Qualmann @cqualmann.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

4. Food: one bar, captive audience... The paella looked homemade but the pizza was frozen. Still, not too bad at 12eur. 3.5/5 5. Cleanliness: love love the Donostia toilets, showers, foot wash points everywhere 5/5 Total score 22.5 Kids say this is their favourite swim of the holiday (so far)

Two kids standing on the edge of a harbour wall about to jump into the water. One is wearing a blue rubber ring. A person is swimming in the water behind them, and another harbour wall with people standing on it is in the distance

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Clare Qualmann @cqualmann.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Today's swim Donostia/San Sebastian, from the Isla Santa Clara. 1. Setting: in the bay of la concha beautiful 5/5 2. Value for money: 5 eur ferry to get there, saw loads of people swim or sup across 4/5 3. Fun factor: jumping off the harbour wall isn't banned, but supported with life guards! 5/5..

The harbour wall at Isla Santa Clara in San Sebastian

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Clare Qualmann @cqualmann.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Curveball in the swim Europe extravaganza: all the pools in Tours, France, required swim hats 🧐😱🤬. Sadly that's a hard no from our highly sensory-sensitive crew, so we sadly passed on the pretty fun looking piscine du lac + others

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Will Jennings @willjennings.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

The answer, it turns out, is not just "motivation". It's also having parents that sold a company for $800m and being in a relationship with the curator of the biennial he got his artists into...

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Clare Qualmann @cqualmann.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

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4. Food - basic menu, chips currywurst, ice creams, slushies, cold drinks. Low prices but mediocre. 2.5/5 5. Cleanliness. Nice toilets, very clean. Foot baths between the grass and pools keeps bits out of the water. 5/5 Total score 21.5/25 for the Hilden Waldbad, great holiday start 🌿🏊

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Here are our scores: 1. Setting - totally beautiful 5/5 2. Value for money - under EUR 25 for a family of 5: 5/5 3. Fun factor - 2 slides, wizzy enough for big kids & adults. Diving boards + playground. kids thought there could have been inflatables or waves 4/5....

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there are extensive grassy areas shaded by tall oak and pine trees, a playground, table tennis, table football, picnic benches and a cafe. It's EUR 6.70 for adults 3.50 for kids (under 4 free) and you can stay all day for that, 11am -6pm (!)

A satellite view of the Waldbad showing the forest and the four pools

Reposted by Clare Qualmann

Today's swim was at the Waldbad, near Hilden, Germany. It's a municipal pool, open in the summer season, in a totally gorgeous setting of mature forest, it's easily reached by bus from Hilden or Haan (or by bike or car). Alongside the 4 pools (diving, swimming lengths, slide/fun, baby splash)...

The wald bad near Hilden with large trees all around, grassy area and umbrellas around the baby splash pool.

Reposted by Clare Qualmann

Our 'home' pool is London Fields lido, which we love dearly & hard recommend.... But when we see the municipal pools of Europe there are pretty impressive features; low prices, beautiful settings, great snacks. We're scoring as we go, so might not be 100% consistent & new categories might sneak in.

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Clare Qualmann @cqualmann.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Ready for our swim Europe thread? Starting today and for the next few weeks we are going to review our family swims 🚶‍♀️🏙️🏊 across pools/lakes/swim spots in Germany, France and Spain..... 1/

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No swim spot, but a foot-cooling dip in the river Itter today. Setting: 5/5 Value for money: free 5/5 Fun factor: climbing trees, stepping stones, but kids say only 2.5/5 Food: blackberries galore 4.5/5 (on the small side) Cleanliness: looks idyllic, but some rubbish lurking in the water 3/5 20/25

A shallow stream with stepping stones across it, a field on the other side half in sunlight with large trees in the background. A muddy river bank in the foreground

Clare Qualmann @cqualmann.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Reposted by Clare Qualmann

Today's swim plan was the Naturfreibad in Mettmann. Lovely looking natural water pools, slide, dive platform, beach& loads of space. Bargain 5 eur/3.50. BUT although it's only 7km away, there's only 1 bus p/h & takes an hour to get there? No way in this heat! Repeat trip to the Waldbad instead.

Screenshot of the Naturfreibad Mettmann website with an image of the natural water pools with a long blue water slide and grass in the foreground

Reposted by Clare Qualmann

Moving on to Paris, today's swim was at the Bassin de la Villette, a free summer city swim venue. 🚶‍♀️🏙️🏊

Three swimming pools on the edge of a canal with trees alongside and boats in the distance

1. Setting: nice surrounds with tree shaded areas to sit (loads of sun loungers) but odd building site type barricades around the pools are less lovely 3.5/5 2. Value for money: free 5/5 3. Fun factor: basic swimming. The little paddling pools were closed. 1/5

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Moving on to Paris, today's swim was at the Bassin de la Villette, a free summer city swim venue. 🚶‍♀️🏙️🏊

Dr Florence H R Scott @florencehrscott.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Reposted by Clare Qualmann

Where are your posts about these guys, or did you not hear about them because its only white men who can commit serial misconduct with impunity? www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10...

aljazeera.com

Oxford professors abused position with sexist and drunken conduct

Al Jazeera investigation reveals how some of Britain’s top universities fail to protect students from sexual misconduct.

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Clare Qualmann @cqualmann.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Clare Qualmann @cqualmann.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

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Although this is our main holiday activity, and reviewing is for fun, access to water is a pretty serious thing with rising temperatures, rising inequalities and especially unequal access to leisure activities, and keeping cool. Would love to see more facilities like these across the UK....

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