Ilkley Lido Wild Swimming

Ilkley Lido is Bradford Council’s unheated outdoor pool on Denton Road, Ilkley LS29 0BZ, over the Wharfe from town, looking at Ilkley Moor. Indoor 25m pool on the same site. The lido opened for summer 2026 on Saturday 9 May. You go because Yorkshire has a ticketed unheated outdoor pool with grass, a picnic lawn and a lifeguard, and because the Wharfe next door is not a managed swim. You also go knowing it is a lido, chlorinated enough to have a swimwear policy, busy enough on a hot weekend that the council tell you to book. It is not wild water. It is the honest outdoor hour in Wharfedale.

Getting in

Book on Bradford’s Leisure Hub from the council lido page. Peak adult £12.30; Bradford Leisure Card £6.20. Senior 60+ £6.35. Junior 3–15 £6.35, Leisure Card £3.25. Under-3s free. Peak: weekdays 09:30–18:00, weekends 10:00–16:00. Off-peak adult £7.25 (Leisure Card £3.60), seniors and juniors £3.75: weekdays 07:00–09:00 and 18:00–19:30; weekends 08:30–10:00 and 16:00–17:30. ClubActive members swim on the membership. Outdoor yoga in lido season includes a swim after if the timetable allows, weather dependent.

Under-8s: one adult 16+ in the water, two children maximum. Over-8s use gendered changing. Shower and toilet before you swim. Forty-eight hours clear of a stomach bug; 14 days if it was crypto. Pay-and-display car park, barrier max 2m. ClubActive and lesson customers can collect parking permits at reception.

The swim

Unheated outdoor water. Temperature follows the summer. Lifeguards. Follow them. Weak swimmers, armbands and non-swimmers stay the shallow side of the red posts — the council page is a safety document, not a vibe. Appropriate swimwear list is long and specific; cotton and slogans fail it. Indoor pool is a different timetable. Do not treat the lido as the indoor.

Café on site. As of the 25 August 2026 customer notice the power supply was down: ice cream, soft drinks, snacks, limited hot food. Bring your own if you need a meal. No glass, alcohol, BBQs or sharp objects. Picnic area exists. Tennis is Clubspark, not reception.

Worth knowing

Seasonal. 9 May start; typical lido close is September — check the timetable widget on the council page before you assume a late-September Sunday. Sessions cancel for weather and for the lido not hitting a minimum temperature. Instagram @ilkleylido is where they shout closures.

It is a 1935 outdoor pool with a fountain, a shallow stretch for children, and a moor view. If you wanted Pool Bridge Farm’s lakes, stay on the A64. If you wanted a river dip under the bridge, that is a different, unmanaged problem. This pin is the council lido. Book it. Pay the peak rate without complaining when the sun is out; that is when everyone else had the same idea.