Cancer Behind Her, Emily Keeps Swimming

An Indoor Pool in Scotland

It's spring 2020, and we just started what Emily calls "the lockdown thing. It's me and my husband and our three hens and two dogs, Kasper and Luna. So being home is just fine." One thing makes it even finer: Their home features a newly installed Endless Pools® Performance model.

"Swimming is my absolute favorite thing," Emily enthuses, which is why she chose to upgrade her Original Series pool to the smoother, larger Performance current. "I've never swum competitively or anything like that, but it's my favorite sort of exercise.

"I had this dream of a massive basement pool that's all black slate, but I'm not a millionaire so I couldn't make that happen." What she did get is "the next best thing," which is a compact pool house for her Performance pool. It took time to build, but since the project's completion, "I've been in it every single day."

Given the weather in Scotland, you'd think indoor pools might be common. According to Emily, her pool house is "quite a cool thing to have because nobody has them."

Backyard pools may be the norm there, but for her, "I thought, 'Absolutely not!'" given Scotland's cool summers and long winters. "Even the thought of getting into your swimsuit, [and then] going out there with jacket and boots on. You definitely wouldn't use it as much.

"When the weather is good, you can just open the door, and it's got a skylight as well. You can just float on your back, like a floatation chamber kind of thing. It's super cool!

"With the Endless Pools [current], you set the speed, and you're working hard. Your heart rate goes up and it stays up. It's amazing!" With her daily swims, she says, "I definitely think my technique has grown."

As Seen on TV

Emily originally got the idea for the pool while watching television, specifically a home improvement program called Grand Designs. "Someone was getting one installed," and she recalls thinking, "I'm up for that!

"It's really my ideal pool, small and easy to maintain." Her pool research convinced her to go with the Endless Pools brand. "I really liked that you’ve got copycat brands, but you guys were the pioneers of the technology. So, if you're going to spend that much money, you might as well get the best one."

A Survivor Rebounds

A year prior, Emily was hit with a cancer diagnosis that led to the removal of half of her thyroid gland. She received an insurance payout as a survivor. "I decided to spend that money on an Endless Pool[s model]," seeing it as an investment in her own future wellness.

She still goes in for regular medical checkups, of course. "I have to have an ultrasound scan once a year to make sure the half thyroid I have isn't developing any tumors," she notes matter-of-factly.

Her pool journey started with a visit to Caldera Spas Scotland, her area's certified Endless Pools dealer. "It's only about a 25-minute drive from where we live. I went there before I even bought it" because our U.K. dealers offer free demonstration swims (local health regulations permitting).

"It makes sure that you're swimming in a totally symmetrical way." It took only a little getting used to, she recalls. "Probably just the second time" that she swam with the Endless Pools current, Emily thought to herself, "Yeah, I got this. I know what I'm doing."

Looking Ahead

The Performance pool is just one part of Emily's full renovation of her 1872 Victorian property. Starting next year, she expects to have it available for rental.

"It's not really open as a proper guest house. We're just getting used to the building."

This year we have people staying until Christmas but they're all people I know, and I know a lot of people with dogs!"

Her vision is reflected in the name, Bully Manor. "Because we have two bull terriers, we built Bully Manor with that in mind. It's actually quite hard to get places to accept your dog."

Other than your dog, the former coach house "is really just for couples -- one main room and then the pool on one side with the bathroom in back. It's a completely self-contained unit." And with private, year-round swimming as an amenity, Bully Manor is sure to stand out from the competition.