The popularity of wild and sea swimming has surged in recent years.

When Covid hit many people turned to nature and new adventures as they reassessed their lives and tried to stave off cabin fever.

It was not so long ago there were just the odd couple of swimmers braving the Irish Sea unless we were in a heatwave. Now, most days you will see quite a number of people having a dip, even outside the summer months.

But thousands flocked to the island’s coastal waters from the late 1800s as tourism really took off.

As a result, a number of outdoor lidos popped up at different locations in the island, including two in Peel, one at Port Skillion at Douglas Head, one in Port Erin and one in Ramsey.

Sadly, the likes of Peel and Port Erin look like relics but you can still see the structures in place but Port Skillion has little left but some steps while there is little evidence now of the pool which at Mooragh Promenade in Ramsey. Ironically, the new pool stands close by.

Thanks to the Manx National Heritage’s (MNH) photo archive, we can take a look back at heyday of these pools which were once flooded with swimmers and spectators.

Curator of Art & Social History at MNH Katie King said: ‘When the Isle of Man first transformed itself into a holiday island in the 1870s/1880s one of the most important aspects of this was sea bathing.

‘It was a seaside holiday that the working classes were seeking, so to rival existing resorts, like Blackpool and Southport, we had to advertise our beautiful clean bathing waters.’

Katie pointed to an 1851 holiday guide about the Isle of Man which stated: ‘The climate is exceedingly salubrious during the summer and in the autumn…a delicious coolness prevails during even the hottest day.

‘The air is generally bracing. Finer sea bathing is not to be found anywhere in her Majesty’s dominions. The water is of great strength and purity.’

Port Skillion was the first dedicated public bathing creek but new by-laws had to be drafted to ensure social etiquette.

Katie said: ‘Douglas by-laws were hurriedly introduced to ensure strict moral standards were maintained. This meant bathers had to be wearing ‘suitable drawers’ at all times (meaning ankle length swimming costumes).

‘This was a male-only bathing creek and men had to remain 100 yards away from women when they were wearing their costumes! Often large crowds of women could be seen peering over the high wall to look at the men below – holiday romances were another key part of a Manx holiday!

‘The women’s and family bathing area was over at Port Jack, quite some distance away! There were also bathing huts along Douglas beach to allow further modesty.’

As transport routes improved so the number of outdoor pools across the island increased.

Katie explained: ‘As the railway lines began to open up the Island, purpose built bathing creeks began to appear – Port Erin, Peel and Ramsey are the most well-known. As time moved on these bathing creeks held weekly bathing beauty competitions and swimming galas – and were extremely popular with both visitors and locals.’

Speculating on how these outdoor lidos would fair today, Katie said: ‘They would be very popular today, although they must have been a health and safety nightmare with rocks and seaweed being flung over the walls. Ramsey and Port Erin in particular were filled by the sea each day.’