THE new Bristol Lido has opened its doors to the public for the first time, but it will be more than a week before the swimming pool is warm enough to use.

Solar panels on the roof are currently heating the 24m pool to a welcoming 35 degrees, but it currently remains bitingly cold.

Adventurer and Clifton resident Jon Bradshaw became the first person in almost 20 years to take a dip just before lunchtime yesterday.

"I certainly felt very cold and there wasn't much time to take in the beautiful surroundings as I tried to catch my breath," said Jon, who has trekked to the South Pole and is planning his next adventure, swimming 3,400 miles across the Atlantic from the USA to Ireland.

Yesterday, he only had to swim 24 metres, twice for the benefit of the gathered photographers and cameramen, before being wrapped in a warm towel and led to the sauna where he could warm up.

Although the general public are yet to be allowed into the pool, the rest of the Grade II*-listed former Clifton Victoria Baths was open for business, from the bar and restaurant overlooking the pool to the spa and treatment rooms.

While there is a membership scheme for swimming (full annual membership costs £450 while the off-peak fee is £300), anyone can use the bar and restaurant, or pay for a session in the pool or treatment in the spa area.

People can also go for a swim between 1pm and 4pm on a weekday. This costs £15 for an adult and £7.50 for children. Spa treatments including facials, massages, scrubs and body wraps cost from £50.

The man with the vision to transform the lido from a crumbling relic was Arne Ringer, owner of the Glass Boat and Spyglass restaurants on Welsh Back.

It has taken two years for the restoration work on the 1850 lido to be completed, and before that there was a long campaign successfully waged against it being turned into development for housing.

Its future was secured in 1998 when Grade II* listing was awarded, but full planning permission for the restoration of the pool and surrounding buildings was only granted in 2006.

Yesterday Arne was a very happy man as he surveyed the new lido, named the Bristol Lido rather than the Clifton Lido, because he wants it to belong to the whole of the city.

"There's a few bits and pieces to do but we are almost there. This is a special day," Arne said.

"There has been so much hard work getting to this stage and it's a great honour to have been able to create this environment after so many said it couldn't be done.

"It was condemned by three reports but here we are."

The new lido, to be found on the corner of Southleigh Road and Oakfield Place, with The Victoria pub sandwiched between its two entrances, is a little oasis hidden from view in the middle of residential streets.

Stepping inside is like walking into a different world, a world of preserved Victorian grandeur blended with some carefully chosen modern touches, to create what Arne and general manager Mark Thwaites hope will soon become a "destination venue".

"When I first visited here in January it was still a building site, but I could see the vision and feel what was being created," said Mark.

"Now, it's beyond all expectations. It's phenomenal.

"We want people to feel really comfortable here. There's no pretence. It's not a Clifton facility it's a Bristol facility.

"The public will be able to swim on weekday afternoons, so we are making it as accessible as we can.

"The same goes for the spa.

"We want to strip away all the pretentiousness of modern spa culture and offer a genuine value- for-money package to suit the needs of city dwellers."

One city dweller already in love with the lido is adventurer Jon Bradshaw, who soon warmed up from his decidedly chilly dip after sitting in the sauna.

"I saw this place in the 1980s and I can't believe what they've done with it, especially after the state that it was in," he said.

"Anything to encourage people swimming is a really good thing,.

"I'm also very much looking forward to coming here in the summer when the sun is shining and the pool is a bit warmer."