Cycling UK Forum

Currently the shower at home is broken so I looked for local public showers... This is on the Wirral near Liverpool but I also tried Bristol a couple of weeks ago whilst there. I can't find any! In Germany all major rail stations have public showers... Is there a map of such facilities in the UK? I don't want to have to join an expensive gym just to have a shower.

Motorway services usually have showers - not that thats much help if you are self propelled! I think a lot of those facilities have fallen victim to council 'close all the toilet' schemes but there may still be a few at public 'baths' as opposed to leisure pools.

I've seen them on motorway services, and possibly at airports, but never anywhere else, so I suspect the map would be pretty blank. I do recall using a public bath somewhere in central London in about 1969, but it's hardly likely to still be there.

I was impressed when I found this some years ago https://www.north-norfolk.gov.uk/tasks/ ... c-toilets/ (North Norfolk District council map of public toilets. Used it (the map) on more than one occasion.

A pity there are not more or not centralised versions of such maps (maybe there are and I've not seen them).

Ian

Go to the local gym or swimming pool.
Camping / caravan sites too (not many of those in urban areas, granted).

Service stations normally have a couple of showers - often locked, you have to ask for a key. Most service stations have a (fairly well hidden) access road in from outside the motorway network for emergency services, service station staff etc so you can usually get in on foot or with a bike.

And there's this site too:
https://www.warmshowers.org/

Some of the boaters facilities canalside have showers, you need a key but they're only a few quid.
Some of the bigger transport cafes also have showers, specifically those that also offer overnight truck parking.

I'm not sure I've understood the context of the question - Your shower at home is broken (Just get a bucket and flannel, or one of those pump camping showers) so what's the need for a map? Or are you now just curious?

There are several apps available which show where publicly accessible toilets are - but they all fail because there is no central way of keeping them up to date. Almost all of these apps rely on 'crowd sourced' data.
If the country can't keep a reasonably good record of where toilets are, then I doubt that showers will be any better (or maybe will be better, because they are so few and far between?)

PH wrote: ↑11 Oct 2021, 7:35pm Some of the boaters facilities canalside have showers, you need a key but they're only a few quid.

Never been sure - is it OK to just buy one of those keys or is that considered "sneaky"?

ie are you not really supposed to do it/maybe intended for bona fide boating folk who maybe pay some sort of subs?

I stress I'm not criticising you - I bought one once but lost it amongst my many keys and am not sure which one it is.

Is there are a charge for using those canalside showers?

Do they ever change the key?

end of questions

Sweep wrote: ↑13 Oct 2021, 8:23pm Do they ever change the key?

I would suspect not.
Getting new keys to all of the legitimate boaters would doubtless take longer than the time required for the new keys to have appeared on the interweb and got into the pockets of the non-legitimate users.

"Legitimate users" would be those that have paid a non inconsiderable sum for a Canal & Rivers Trust boat licence, which is the source of the money that pays for the facilities (as well as general river maintenance). It seems to be in the range of £500 to £1500 p/a, depending on how big the boat is.

The canal key has been the same for at least 20 years. I can't see it changing soon.

It's the key to all sorts of things, showers, disposal facilities, gates, anti vandal lock padlocks, water points etc.

No one polices the use of the facilities like showers, although it's the boat licence that nominally funds them.
In my experience the locked loos and showers are always spotless, but basic.

Yes, getting one without a boat licence, is *sneaky' but as long as you don't take the proverbial no one will mind.

andrew_s wrote: ↑14 Oct 2021, 12:10am

Sweep wrote: ↑13 Oct 2021, 8:23pm Do they ever change the key?

"Legitimate users" would be those that have paid a non inconsiderable sum for a Canal & Rivers Trust boat licence, which is the source of the money that pays for the facilities (as well as general river maintenance). It seems to be in the range of £500 to £1500 p/a, depending on how big the boat is.

The Canal & River Trust’s income is over £200m of which £40m comes from boat and mooring licenses, that's less than either the DEFRA grant or the Investment and Property Income, both of which are over £50m.
You can openly and honestly buy the key from their website, there's no restriction or declaration that you're a boater. While walking or cycling along a towpath I consider myself a legitimate user and have no qualms about using the facilities, I don't consider there to be anything sneaky about it.
If anyone feels they ought to be contributing to the trust, it's easily done, either financially or by volunteering.

PH makes a valid point that we all contribute to CRT through taxation (via the DEFRA grant) .

I volunteer for CRT, but have no illusions about the organisation - it's effectively a business (a big one at that) doing the work of keeping the navigations running on behalf of the government. That's what big charities do these days - do the work for the government at arms length.

My use of the word 'sneaky' was perhaps ill advised 'non-standard' might be a better option.

Really useful info thank you. Pity there isn't a canal shower anywhere near me. Looking into joining a gym with a special joining offer.

thanks for all the reassuring answers on the key folks.
May well get another one from the Trust shop - seems to be around a tenner with postage.
Now off to research how many facilities/showers they have - I do get the feeling that there maybe aren't a lot - mainly concentrated at Marina's etc?
Was up the Leeds and Liverpool the other day on the bike - too captivated by the wonders of the Bingley 5 rise locks to explore any facilities that might be available there.

I’ve had a need for these kind of facilities when I’ve been marathon training and travelling with work, I’d travel early and give myself time to do my run before the meeting, usually saving travel time as I’d be avoiding peak commuter hours, start my run from the car park of a local swimming pool or gym then use the facilities when I’m done.

Swimming pools are easy to find on council websites and generally quite reasonable, for gyms I’d use the Hussle app, which using my local town as an example has a gym that you can use as a one off for £3.95.