La Vallette Bathing Pools

Below the cliff south of St Peter Port a set of pools was cut into the rock in the nineteenth century for sea bathing, filled and flushed by the tide, and they are still used: the Ladies' Pool, the Horseshoe and the Gentlemen's Pool, each with steps and a changing area. Swimmers use them year round including a new year's day plunge. The water is cold and clear.

What you actually see

• The cut pools - Victorian bathing basins carved into the rock.
• The tidal flushing - pools filled and emptied by the sea.
• The separate pools - Ladies', Horseshoe and Gentlemen's, each with its own steps.
• The year-round swimmers - the island's cold water bathing tradition.

When to go

May to September is when the water is least cold and the pools busiest. Swimmers use them year round. High tide covers the pools entirely.

Honest expectations

The water is cold in every month and there is no heating of any kind. The pools are covered at high tide, so timing matters. Facilities are basic changing shelters.

Nearby

St Peter Port is north, and Fermain Bay is south.