[Rockworld]

Swimming ponds have become popular in parts of Europe but I haven't heard of anyone who uses them in Ireland yet.
Has anyone got one here?
I can probably guess the answer but you never know. Maybe those people who jump into the sea on New Years day practice in them

[Sive]

I was fascinated by an article I read about swimming ponds a couple of years ago and so I sent an email to the person mentioned in the article....a landscape architect in Dublin.
I wrote to her asking for some very basic information eg cost and never got a reply...something I find extremely irritating, as I don't understand why a business advertises its email address if it has no intention of responding to queries.

Of course I suspect I would get a speedy reply now, in leaner times, but on principle I would not do business with such a company.
Anyway, the whole concept of swimming ponds is really fascinating....I hope you find someone who actually has one.

[vulkan]

I must admit I have yet to see why any one would want a swimming pond.
For starters it has to be big, (or else you cant swim in it) so who has a garden big enough? Then you have to consider that a swimming pond can not be heated, I for one do not swim in unheated pools even in the summer. I personally think they are a fad, a "green thing" to do. But here is something I will never understand, if you have an outdoor pool (or swim pond) why do you never go in it when its raining?. Its not as if you are going to get any wetter.

[Sunny]

If you stop thinking of it as a natural swimming pool and think of it more as a large water feature in which you can swim, it doesnt seem as crazy. That way for the 362 days of the year that it is to cold or wet to swim, you have a beautiful water feature creating interest in your garden, then when we get one of those rare sunny day where everyone sits in there cars queuing up to get on a strip of sand by the sea, you can jump into your water feature and sit on your adjoining deck sipping a nice cold beer, all in your own back garden. Doesn't seem that crazy to me.

[Rockworld]

Hi Sive, cant answer why the person never got back to you, it could have been an email problem on either end. From how you describe the Landscape Architect, I have a fair idea who it is so and would presume it was a email error rather than lack of interest.
Personnaly I like the idea of a swimming pond but would like to here from anybody who actually has one. I suppose the fact that here in Ireland we have has three bad summers in a row means very few people swam outdoors compared to normal so the idea of a swimming pond never hit the radar.

[Rockworld]

Hi Vulkan
I don't believe a swimming pond has to be very big, say 6 to 10 meters long would be plenty to swim in. I too like warm water, I believe the concept of a swimming pond is that they shallow sections at sides which heat up quickly in warm weather and this water then spreads to deeper swimming area.

[medieval knievel]

well worth a read - roger deakin swims his way across britain.

http://www.amazon.com/Waterlog/dp/185686524X/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_2

usually found in the travel section in bookshops, which is why it took me so long to find. his stuff is usually in the nature section.