Puddle Ducks at Nuffield Health Edinburgh Fountain Park
Puddle Ducks runs baby and pre-school swimming at Nuffield Health's Fountain Park pool, with four class stages from birth to four years at £16 a lesson.
Who it suits
Parents in Fountainbridge and Edinburgh's west end who want a warm private pool split into four age-banded stages from birth to four, rather than one mixed-ability group.
Why it stands out
- 1.2 metre deep pool kept at an average of 30°C, run inside a Nuffield Health gym rather than a public leisure centre
- Four separate class stages by age, Floaties, Splashers, Kickers and Little Dippers, covering birth to four years
- £16 per lesson, billed monthly four lessons at a time, with the first payment covering you up to your next billing date
- Free parking once you register your car at reception, plus viewing windows for parents who don't want to go poolside
- Run locally by franchise owner Ellie Cawdell, part of a UK network founded in 2002
Our verdict
At £16 a lesson this sits mid-market for private baby swimming in Edinburgh, and the warm private pool and age-banded stages are worth it if your child is under four. The Sunday afternoon Splashers slot was already down to a wait list at the time of writing, so build in a backup day if weekends are your only option. Families wanting lessons past age four need to look elsewhere, since this venue only runs the Baby and Pre-school programme.
What it is
Puddle Ducks is a national baby and pre-school swim franchise, and the Edinburgh and Glasgow team, run by franchise owner Ellie Cawdell, teaches at Nuffield Health’s Fountain Park club in Fountainbridge. The venue runs only the Baby and Pre-school programme: Floaties for 0 to 9 months, Splashers for 6 to 15 months, Kickers for 15 to 30 months and Little Dippers for 30 months to four years, all in a 1.2 metre pool kept at an average of 30°C.
Who should book
Parents with a baby or pre-schooler under four who want a warm, private pool rather than a shared leisure centre session, and who don’t mind paying more for it. Every class in this age band needs an adult in the water, so it suits parents happy to get in rather than watch from the side, though there are viewing windows if you’d rather not swim that week.
What stands out
Classes run Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, and cost £16 per lesson, billed monthly four lessons at a time after an initial joining payment that carries you to your first billing date. Puddle Ducks caps its baby and pre-school classes at ten children nationally, which keeps things smaller than a typical council learner pool session. Parking is free once you register your car at reception, and the changing rooms are large enough for two adults getting a baby ready at once.
The verdict
Sixteen pounds a lesson buys a warm private pool and a stage system that tracks your child from birth to four, which is the trade parents are making here over a cheaper council class. At the time of writing the Sunday 2:30pm Splashers slot was already full and running a wait list, so a weekday class is the safer bet if you need a guaranteed time. There is nothing here once your child turns four, and no option to swim without an adult in the water, so this venue is not for families past pre-school age or anyone wanting a break from being in the pool themselves.
More Puddle Ducks venues
All Puddle Ducks venuesPuddle Ducks runs its full 0 to 10 pathway at Everlast Fitness in Hartcliffe, from parent and baby classes through eight levels of Swim Academy, in a warm 1.2 metre pool.
Puddle Ducks runs its 0 to 4 baby and pre-school classes on Saturday mornings only at the Everlast gym pool on Coldhams Lane.
Puddle Ducks has sole use of the Novotel Cambridge North pool on weekday mornings for its 0 to 4 baby and pre-school classes.