I am looking to book accommodation in the area around Sarlat for mid September this year. My children love swimming, and after three weeks in various cities it would be great to have a pool for swimming between visits to interesting things. Is it realistic to swim in an unheated pool at that time of year? (We're from the north of Australia so we're not very tolerant to cold).
I just need to decide whether to spend the extra on a place with a heated pool.
Thanks everyone!

Pool temperature will be around 22°C. Heated outdoor pools won't be much warmer, because we consider the temperature comfortable.

Thanks for the tip. Here, my daughter's swimming squad trainer won't let them swim if the pool temperature is below 26 degrees! I might do some research on municipal indoor pools in the areas we are going instead.

And do not swim in the piranah infested Dordogne River!

We were there late September once and the evenings were cool enough to affect the pool temperature. I think if we were "home" in the middle of the day, it would have been fine but, we were out all day and a swim when we got home was just too cool. I think once a pool cools, the weather in September is not often warm enough to raise the temperature.

Thank you Judy

We keep our pool in the Dordogne open until mid-October. It depends on the weather. It's been a cool summer so far.

As with everything weather related, it all depends.

Will the weather be warm enough? Hard to say. It's been really cool this year. This morning it's only 12, but meant to go up to 30. We dont usually have such big differences, but... September is often warm during the day, but can be cool at night.

Does the pool have a cover to keep the heat in. We have just had a pool installed, and keep the security cover on, and are surprised how warm that does keep it.

'Pool temperature will be around 22°C. Heated outdoor pools won't be much warmer, because we consider the temperature comfortable.' I' not sure what that means. I have been swimming in our pool at that temperature, but all my friends here think I'm mad. People with heated pools in my village keep them at least at 25. The heat pump itself came with a default setting of 27.

Finally, don't expect municipal pools here unless you are in a city. Sarlat has an outdoor pool open only in July and August. There is nothing else until you get to Perigueux or Bergerac I suspect. Every year there is a discussion about building an indoor pool, but so far no one has come up with the money. I researched this for someone else, and came to the conclusion that the only pools available were at hotels or rented properties, gites, etc.

If you think you need 26 and up, you probably will need a heated pool - and you might ask what temperature they would heat it to.

(Can I mention here that I was in a house in northern New South Wales during the floods in Queensland. Although luckily we weren't flooded, the pool practically overflowed with all the water, and we spent most of the holiday watching rain fall day after day. The best laid plans.)

Thank you StCirq and Carlux
One property I came across had an Australian solar heating system which unfortunately didn't come with Australian weather! Although as Carlux found that can't be guaranteed. I apologise on behalf of Australia - what a shame. (although it's good you weren't flooded - that would have been a terrible holiday)