With the winter months approaching and the Christmas chill starting to hang in the air, many of us will be longing for a way to warm up!
If you love being outside, but can’t face the thought of a dip in the bitter winter sea, then you might be more interested in submerging your stress in Cornwall’s new and organically-heated saltwater lido, the first in the UK of its kind.
In the future, when lockdown restrictions have eased, our hot tub cottages in Cornwall could be the perfect base for your trip to the Jubilee Pool. Enjoy a swim in the geothermal pool, and then relax your muscles when you get home with a soak in your hot tub!
Recently opened in August, the lido harnesses renewable energy using an underground geothermic well that is astonishingly 410m deep. The idea was first brewed over a pint in a pub back in 2010 by Charlie Nixon.
The simple but sustainable idea was to create a heated pool with a low carbon footprint, inspired by a geothermal pool in New Zealand. From this thought, The Jubilee Pool was revitalized.
Being the first of its kind in the UK, the technology works by extracting the heat from a local geothermal well using heat pumps. The hot water from the well is collected, then the heat from this water is extracted and distributed to the pool using a heat exchanger. The water from the well, now cold, is pumped back into the earth.
This process forms a sustainable cycle, generating a consistent temperature of 35°C to keep you toasty and make your winter swim beautifully bearable.
This exciting project has not just implemented this new environmentally-friendly technology, but has also upgraded the facilities that were already in place. These include new changing rooms, doubled seating capacity, a new café and a multipurpose communal area.
This project has been funded by a mixture of shareholders, loans, and grants from various sources such as Power to Change, The Cooperative Community Investment Fund and Architectural Heritage Fund. This also includes the collective funding from 1,400 shareholders, with 970 of these being locals. The shareholders have managed to raise a staggering £540,000 for the £1.8m project.
Based in Penzance, The Jubilee Pool is open all year-round and accessible by bus and train, with a capacity of 50 people.
Due to the current conditions in place as a result of COVID-19, it might be worth noting that this capacity has been reduced to 15. But for those planning their upcoming excursions, this will be one to keep in mind.
**The lido will have to close again during the November 2020 lockdown**
The Lido is a true glimpse into the heart of the community of Cornwall, being made tangible by the efforts of the locals and lovers of the area thanks to funding. It is undeniable that The Jubilee Pool is a must-see.
What are your thoughts on The Jubilee Pool? Do you know of any other sustainable sights to see in the area? Or locally funded projects? Feel free to share with us on our social media channels; we would love to hear from you!
THE VALLEY is proud to be the only 5 Star Gold Self Catering holiday village of its size in the whole of Cornwall
