Oasis Beach Pool

The summer holidays means a break from the kids usual routine of training 4 nights a week with Anaconda swimming club. To fill the gap we spend the summer searching out the best fun pools in reach of London in ever increasing circles. We have tried most of the pools in London in previous years - with some new pools on our list for this year our search for the best slides and flumes took us on a train journey to Bedford and then a bus to Oasis Leisure Centre on the outskirts of the town.

Behind a large Tesco store you see a tall pyramid shaped building surrounded by various water pools and features. Unlike any pool we had visited before...there was al little buzz of anticipation in the air as we approached.



Inside we found a great beach style pool with two large slides towering above - the 55 metre ‘yellow screamer’ and the 45 metre red turbo ‘flume of doom’. The red one is the quicker of the two and a solid slide - the yellow version a bit tame for us now. At the bottom of the slides they have a digital display that flashes up your speed and how long it took you to go down the slide - a nice touch I thought and not a feature I have seen anywhere else. It certainly kept my 9 year old entertained as she tried to beat her times (and mine). The wave machine is pretty good - decent waves and you can get to some good spots where the waves are large. Usual bubble beds, spray mushrooms etc and a separate quiet pool for little ones. Its nicely laid out - water and air temperature were both good - we stayed in the pool for about 2 hours but it was a gloriously sunny day. 

Most of this is standard for a decent leisure pool...but the pluses it has is the number of water jets they have dotted around that push you through the water as you swim around the island style routes. They have a couple of separate jacuzzis and also a mini jet pool which was good fun. A bit like a small scale centerparcs pool.

And then we spied any opening to the outside river pool - so in the summer months the pool connects to an outside river run and we had picked the perfect day to sample. In a circular route water jets help push you around the river whilst the sun blazed down overhead. Brilliantly designed - a real reason to visit again on a sunny day. 



The showers and changing rooms were fine....cafe in the building that looked ok - it was busy - we had a picnic so sat outside beneath some shady trees.

Worth the trek from London on public transport - with a family railcard a definite yes. A really good unusual pool that makes our top ten list. (Swanley Pool is still number one). Off to Bracknell this week for another new pool.

Okay, Good rides but changing rooms can be un hygienic but overall you can get a nice familly day out. 

Oasis users please be considerate of others while using Pool facilities.
On the 6 of September 2011 Air vac Helicopter, Paramedics and Police were in attendance within minutes as i was stretchered from the nursery pool at Oasis following a collision that should not have happened and to anyone frail such as an elderly person or child could have proved Fatal.

I am no party pooper nor wish to spoil anyone’s fun but please,,,,,,, Parents, Guardians, children and infirm please take note !! My 6 year old daughter and i have been attending Oasis since she was 18 months old and mostly always had a great time. However on a busy day the usually adequate supervision appears to be stretched and careless boisterousness of patrons, many old enough to know better, makes things chaotic bordering on dangerous for parents, infants and infirm swimmers. There is a tendency for excitement and playful release on a few occasions to be very intimidating to the more genteel and infirm amongst us to the point of total disregard for other pool users and my daughter and i have had many an experience where some users have little or no respect for their own or others safety. This was such a day. My daughter has learned to look and pick a clear area to toss a sink ball and then swim for it and if it sinks i go under to retrieve it. On the last throw we were facing the Shoot area from the far corner and the area was completely empty. The sink ball went too far for her to reach so i told her to stop and i would go down and get it. I put my feet of the wall and pushed off at some pace under the water. A split second after sweeping my arms back at full pelt i came to a dead stop in a head on collision with the knee of one of a couple of adults who had just simply jumped in at what i must deduce by the force of the impact been at running pace due to the fact the area was completely clear only seconds before. The male of the couple apologized with a “sorry mate” and i was in excruciating pain and couldn’t move my neck. The supervisor was in conversation with a swimmer and facing away from the pool and in the din was unable to hear my calls for assistance and i was forced to make it to his position to get his attention. Awareness of my situation set off the most excellent rescue and care anyone could ask for. My daughter was taken care of and people were called for her. The offer of a family complementary ticket i thought was a little tacky though the follow up call from the manager was appreciated. While my medical situation is serious and ongoing i wish to implore all users of Oasis to please assist the people who provide the services and ensure all our safety by taking your time to note and act accordingly with the LARGE PRINT SIGNAGE, NO RUNNING, JUMPING OR DIVING. TO IGNORE THESE RULES YOU TAKE YOUR LIFE AND OTHERS INTO YOU OWN HANDS. IF MY DAUGHTER HAD MADE IT TO THAT SPACE I FEAR TO THINK WHAT THE OUTCOME COULD HAVE BEEN. WHEN USING OASIS, PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOU,,AND OTHERS.

Went here yesterday, what a brilliant few hours we had. Took our two boys aged 5 and 7 and they loved it. We drove one and half hours from King's Lynn as the pools around our area are not very good and I had heard good reviews about the Bedford one.

We stayed in the pool for 3 hours but im sure the kids would have stayed longer. £18.50 for a family ticket which is not bad for a day out. Lazy River and Rapid outside, very strong current though!

Will definetly be returning soon!

The facilities at Oasis are fantastic! I have been using the Images gym for about 8 months and i also bring my kids swimming and they love it, especially the waves machine!!!

I disagree with all the aboce reviews. I think Oasis is over priced and i would much rather save my money and go to a different pool and create my own fun there. Other pool's, such as Kemptson, as it is very well priced, clean and with good sized chainging rooms and lockers.

However the Oasis may be for you if you are not strapped for cash and are more worried about having fun, such as the waves, provided for you.

Whenever the sun pops out it’s always worth popping along to Oasis for a good old swim swim. With waves every half hour and 2 slides it’s all the fun you could want from a pool.

hi i have been going to oasis since i was 12 and i would say that it is okay. the changing rooms are a little small especially if you cannot get into a family room- i think there are only 4- and you have to change a few small children but the area is generally clean and pleasant enough. the temperature of the water is a bit on the cold side and the whole place is a little on the cold side but that’s okay i suppose, it wont kill you!

they have somewhere to eat and the food is expensive for what it is and barely edible but kids don’t really seem to notice.

they have two slides- a slow one and a fast one very popular with kids and teenagers and they have a 30 minute wave session which is quite fun.

the lifeguards are all young and seem quite friendly.

a family of 4 costs about £20 which is a little expensive for me and my bf to take my two younger siblings especially as the food is quite dear so if it was a little cheaper- maybe under £10, then we would go more often.

Oasis Beach Pool is great for a family day out. You may be tempted to go to a pool that is cheaper such as Kempston, however, first consider that Oasis has a wave machine and water chutes of varying speeds! There is a small outdoor circuit for those who want a bit of fresh air and there is also a small gym in place!

Great fun for all the family and reasonably priced too. They have water slides of different speeds and a wave machine. You don’t need to be an experienced swimmer to go here.

A good day out with the kids and changing facilities are ok. The cafe isn’t too bad for what it is. Overall a good family fun day can be had.

My kids love this place. Its not the ideal place if you like to swim, but for the kids its great.
They have a wave machine, big slides, jacuzzi and a lazy river that goes outside.
It has a communal changing room that caters for larger families with large changing areas as well as small cubicles.
The cafe is reasonably priced and sells a reasonable variety of items.
It also has a gym for the more active.

My husband and daugter love to come swimming here, my daughter really likes the wave machine and the bubbles and the fountain which sprays you if you are not careful. It is very busy at the weekend and quite hard to get a family changing room. There is also a gym there but we have never used it. The cafe upstairs sells incredibly unhealthy food which doesn’t seem appropriate for a place which promotes wellness.

I have been here several times (and even had a birthday party here when I was 12!!). I have visited on many occasions with very different people so can speak from all experiences.
This isn’t your usual swimming pool, it is a beach pool, so it slopes along like a beach would. As well as this factor, they have an outside fast moving water rapids part along with 2 jacuzzis, 2 flumes, a mushroom fountain, a bubble area and a special small hexagonal pool for little children. Every half an hour they have a wave machine come on which does produce some good waves! They always have floats in the pool for kids to play with.
Prices are average but they always have special offers in the local paper. As you’ve probably guessed it’s always full of school aged children so don’t go expecting a quiet swim - although I am aware they do have sessions for water aerobics as well.

I take my kids here and they love it. It is around fifiteen pounds for a family ticket, which is good value, as you can stay in as long as you like. it has two slides, a wave machine and a number of Lazy River type attractions, where you get pulled around by a current. My kids love the one which takes you outside in a loop, but be warned the current is quite strong, it can be hard to get out of the loop!!
There is a large communal changing room which was clean. On the last occasion we went, I took them to the cafe afterwards. it served the usual kid stuff, chips and nuggets. it wasn’t too expensive, I would say it was on a par with McDonalds.
Good for a rainy day.