Inverness Aquadome’s thistle-shaped outdoor swimming pool was closed some 18 months ago by High Life Highland - with no sign of reopening
After it emerged one of the popular flumes at the Inverness Aquadome has been closed for over a year with no signs of reopening, it has now emerged the facility’s thistle-shaped outdoor swimming pool has been out-of-bounds even longer.
The Vortex flume attraction at the swimming pool complex within Inverness Leisure has been off-limits since August 18, 2023, whereas the outdoor area was last available early last year - some 18 months ago.
• See an image of the thistle-shaped outdoor swimming pool
Vortex is among a trio of height-restricted water slides designed to be available to customers, with the Cyclone and Ness Monster still operating, while the outdoor pool is still included as part of a description of what people can expect at the venue.
The facility - which attracts thousands of people each year - is run by High Life Highland, on behalf of Highland Council.
A spokesperson for High Life Highland said: “The small outdoor element of the pool at Inverness Leisure has not been available since early 2023. Primarily due to cost efficiencies balanced with wider service delivery throughout the facility.”
Although other areas are often thought to be available to customers, access can be limited on some days. Today none of the flumes were available and the ‘river’ section was also shut.
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The café area beside the changing rooms was also closed today - however this is not a permanent closure.
The High Life Highland spokesperson said: “A review of our catering offering at Inverness Leisure highlighted the limited need for a permanent café.
“The additional gym space that replaced the previous café has been overwhelmingly well received by customers and has created much-needed space for our newly refurbished gym. We have a good range of vending machines in the facility for customers in need of refreshments.
“We also signpost and encourage customers to visit the fantastic café at the Inverness Botanic Gardens just across the road, which makes excellent use of produce grown within the gardens themselves as well as other local producers and suppliers. We feel this is a far more sustainable, healthy and environmentally friendly way forward for our catering service in the locality.
“When required, we do offer face-to-face catering in Inverness Leisure when hosting large events, for example for Comic Con in August and next month’s Highland Budokan Judo Grand Prix.”
