The following are some of the ways to get in touch with each other:Tarlair’s vastness is difficult to imagine. The lido is located in Aberdeenshire just a mile from the town of Macduff. Its three seawater pools are divided by a slippery concrete wall. The reflection of the water reveals a stunning mint-and cream art deco building and a cinematic view of the sea. On the roof terrace, with its tables and chairs in dandelion colours, you can easily lose yourself gazing northwards beyond the salty cliffs.
Originally commissioned by Macduff town council in 1929, the pavilion and pools – a paddling pool, boating “lake” and swimming pool – were designed by architect John C Miller and opened two years later as one of only three art deco lidos of their kind in Scotland. The site reopened in late March after 30 years of closure and a decade of work costing approximately £2m. Momentum is growing around the Pavilion’s much-anticipated summer comeback, and it is hoped the pools can welcome swimmers once again.
Reg Connon, a Tarlair trustee, fondly recalls swimming in this area as a young child. “We used come down together as a family at weekends. We’d arrive at 10 in the morning and that was us until five at night … weather permitting,” he laughs.
Tarlair became a top leisure location between the 1950s-70s. It was used by locals as well as visitors from May to late August. Tarlair maintained its reputation into the 1980s. On occasion, the pool was emptied in order to host bands such as Jethro Tull Wet Wet Wet Celtic rockers Runrig.
In the early 90s, a massive transfer of staff from the lido to an indoor facility in Banff led to its gradual closure. It was then abandoned as other attractions took over, and it remained that way until 2012.
Connon claims that “the indoor pool at Banff has changed everything.” “Around that time cheap flights to other countries became available, and things were never the same.” In high season, Moray Firth visitors were instead directed to Speyside Whisky Distilleries, Bottlenose Dolphin Lookout Points and lifeguard-monitored beach.
Tarlair’s revival was a 12-year, arduous, and inspiring effort on the part of the Friends of TarlairThe goal of this group of 34 volunteers is to restore the once thriving marine sanctuary. The pavilion renovation is a finalist for the Scottish Design Awards.
Pat Wain reflected on the process while overseeing a pot cullen skink to be served at the pavilion for lunch. Wain is a former teacher of art and the chair of the trust. “We’ve been playing around here for twelve years, but serious trying to gain funding in the last 10 years. Many attempts were thwarted,” says Wain.
The Scottish government and Aberdeenshire Council have granted a decade’s worth of funding to the property in order to preserve its A-list status. However, the future of the building was constantly threatened by several conflicts.
Wain regrets that at one time, Wain proposed two outcomes: turn it into a hatchery for lobsters or do nothing. “I was incensed at the idea that doing nothing would be an option. Three of us came together and started the committee.”
The Friends of Tarlair received registered charity status in 2013 after being told that the three could not officially speak at district meetings. The pavilion was leased for 99 years and they haven’t looked behind since. After eight years of campaigning by the trustees, a study on feasibility became a top priority for the council. “We carried on doing other things – keeping the rights of way clear, weeding the roads in the bay area, even though the road down here was well broken.”
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Tarlair has caught the eye of London-based swimmer and architect in 2020. author of Sea Pools Chris Romer Lee. He was there on a cold, rainy day in February. Pat called a year later to ask if he, along with a partner, could visit the site. Studio OctopiJames Lowe will be in charge of renovating the pavilion. The mesmerising swimming pools, which have been closed since 1996, are only a spectacle now and will be undergoing extensive renovations. The planning permission for their renovation will be submitted in the summer.
It’s still early in the day, yet streams of visitors circumnavigate the water, their curiosity – like mine – piqued. It’s a sort of crater, nestled under a jagged face made of quartzite or limestone. This natural inlet, once known as Loch Craig, is now framed by this space. It’s haunting, serene, saturated with nostalgia – a panoramic portal to another time and almost enough to make you forget your train of thought. We’re all asking: When can we enter?
Salmon Howie is a sand cove at the edge of the inlet where cold-water swimmers gather.
“The lido – it’s as if it grew from the rock,” says Pat, who volunteers on the site six days a week. “Swimmers have always been here.”
Tarlair lido pavilion is open daily, 9.30am-2.30pm, friendsoftarlair.co.uk
