NF01 November/December 2023

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52 Cleveland Pools ids skiving off school in the summer. Jehovah’s Witnesses baptising one another with a dunking. A baboonkeeping Victorian-era superintendent called ‘Captain’ William Evans performing daredevil diving stunts. Women and men segregated. Trout doing, err, trouty things. If the walls of Cleveland Pools’ crescented caretaker’s cottage could talk, they’d probably never stop yammering away, not with a history that goes all the way back to 1817. Yet, left abandoned after its brief stint as a fish farm in the 1980s, this Bath lido became a thing of myth, its memory vanishing almost entirely. But thanks to the determination of the Cleveland Pools Trust, a cast of volunteers numbering hundreds, and a restoration project 20 years in the making, the UK’s oldest lido is back. And in a nod to its past when it was river-fed and chilly, the pools will remain unheated right through winter for anyone seeking a frosty endorphin rush. We decided to meet a few of those who are. “When the cold-water workshops came up at the pools, me and a friend decided to give one a go. It was interesting to hear about the kit you should have, and none of it costs a huge amount of money – like a hot water bottle. It was all about being sensible, and making sure your hat and socks are next to your hot water bottle. There’s nothing better than hot socks. There’s a lot of chocolate cake, too; what’s the point in doing this otherwise?” “I don’t like leisure centres. I don’t like the noise, the heat, the smell. You don’t get any of that here. You get in, you swim. It’s a lovely atmosphere, and even better if it’s raining. The air around you is so much nicer. I’m planning to swim all the way through winter.” Growing up, Megan Jones would spend countless hours every summer at Cleveland Pools – not that her parents or teachers always knew this. Now, like many others who remember the pools before its long period of disrepair, she’s back in its waters and has added it to the list of cold-water swimming spots she dips in with a friend every week. “I used to swim here as a child, so I was really pleased to see it open again. It was river-fed back then and the water was green! But it was a good place to skive-off school – and then it closed and they turned it into a trout farm.” <strong>NF01</strong>
Cleveland Pools 53 Peter Brown and his daughter Ellie, both from Bath, are at very different stages of their cold-water swimming journeys. Peter has been shivering in rivers and seas all his life, while Ellie is a complete newbie. Now they’re steeling themselves for a winter of icy dipping. Peter: “Whenever I get a chance, I go in. Rivers, seas, wherever. But this is just amazing. The stuff going into rivers isn’t nice, so this is transformational. There’s sunshine, trees, nature, all of that compared to being in an indoor pool. It is exercise, but for me it’s all about awakening your senses. I’ve got a hat and boots, I’ve got gloves, I’ve got a wetsuit, and as the winter comes along I’ll wear more of that.” “You can swim next to a complete stranger – like last week, when it was blowing a hoolie and pouring with rain – and you’re both grinning away because it’s so exhilarating. Other people are like, ‘What, they’re heating it in summer and not winter?’ You can see them thinking that makes no sense. My wife says to tell her when it’s switched on and she’ll join us; she’s not bothered by us saying how great it is.” Ellie: “This is only my second time here. Dad has been trying to get me to go cold-water swimming for years and now this is open I don’t have any excuse. When I put my head under for the first time I felt my body go into a kind of shock, but you get used to it and find a sense of calm. It’s about those happy hormones.” “It is exercise, but for me it’s all about awakening your senses” GET IN! A few other amazing places to dive in Portishead Open Air Pool Portishead, BS20 7HD With its striking mix of blue, white and orange, this iconic lido is open for cold-water swims all winter. portisheadopenairpool.org.uk Cromhall Quarry Cromhall, GL12 8AA A filled-in quarry just north of Bristol specialising in open-water swimming. You’ll need a wetsuit. cromhallquarry.com Weston Marine Lake Weston-Super-Mare, BS23 2BE A 200-metre-long infinity lake at the north end of town full of welcoming cold-water bobbers. westonmarinelake.co.uk Westbury Swimming Pool Westbury, BA13 3BY Prefer something warmer? Switch icy immersion for visual bedazzlement at Westbury’s incredible Victorian pool. wiltshire.gov.uk thenearfield.com <strong>NF01</strong>
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Page 4 and 5: ░░░░░░░░░░░
Page 6 and 7: FIVE SPEED OFF TO THEIR NEXT ADVENT
Page 8 and 9: 8 Field Notes RADIO ACTION We showc
Page 11 and 12: Field Notes 11 MEET THE MAKERS MAKE
Page 13 and 14: Field Notes 13 STAYING IN BOOK SMAR
Page 15 and 16: Food and Drink 15 FOOD AND DRINK No
Page 17 and 18: Food and Drink 17 TOP-LEVEL DINING
Page 19 and 20: Food and Drink 19 Left Sereh brings
Page 21 and 22: The List 21 THE LIST For loads more
Page 23 and 24: The List 23 GET A WRIGGLE ON Worm D
Page 25 and 26: For all your festive Wines and Spir
Page 27 and 28: The List 27 thenearfield.com NF01
Page 29 and 30: The List 29 ART Elias Sime: Eregata
Page 31 and 32: BRISTOL BRISTOL BATH CREATIVE PLACE
Page 33: The List 33 THE REST Beaver Moon Gl
Page 36 and 37: NEW BEGINNINGS • NEW BEGINNINGS
Page 38 and 39: 38 Bristol Beacon Left Num venda ve
Page 40 and 41: 40 Bristol Beacon ACCESS ALL AREAS
Page 42 and 43: INTERVIEW • INTERVIEW • INTERVI
Page 44 and 45: Designs for the Natural Home New sh
Page 46 and 47: 46 Vintage Clothing NEW BEGINNINGS
Page 48 and 49: 48 Vintage Clothing FIX UP, LOOK SH
Page 50 and 51: 50 Cleveland Pools COLD • NEW BEG
Page 54 and 55: 54 Cleveland Pools A COOL HEAD Hele
Page 57 and 58: NEW BEGINNINGS • NEW BEGINNINGS
Page 59 and 60: Reclamation Yards 59 “Anything to
Page 61 and 62: Outside Influence 61 OUTSIDE INFLUE
Page 63 and 64: Outside Influence 63 “The stories
Page 65 and 66: Outside Influence 65 THE ICEBREAKER
Page 67 and 68: A PLACE TO CALL WORK. BRISTOLOFFICE
Page 69 and 70: Your Field 69 YOUR FIELD Klang Tone
Page 71 and 72: Your Field 71 Freshford Station Fre
Page 73 and 74: It Happened Here 73 thenearfield.co
Page 75 and 76: MUSIC liGHT DAY NIGHT All together

NF01 November/December 2023

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