At the Pond: Swimming at the Hampstead Ladies' Pond

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Open all year round you’ll only spot a few brave and dedicated swimmers in the winter months but come spring & summer in London the Hampstead Heath Bathing Ponds are filled with people wanting to go swimming at Hampstead Heath, and who can blame them! In those Hampstead days of my youth I hadn’t realised that the ponds, although they look so natural, were created centuries ago (possibly as early as 1692) by the damming of two streams that arose in the Heath. The streams, according to Taking the Waters: A Swim Around Hampstead Heath (2012) by Caitlin Davies and Ruth Corney, “then join in Camden Town to form the River Fleet, which in turn flows through London and joins the Thames”. The Fleet is one of those great London rivers that has been almost wholly buried below ground in sewer systems, and I’ve never been quite sure of its original course: it seemed, in wet weather, to flow through our cellar on its way to join what I guess must have been its main current beneath Fleet Road, before it went on its way through Camden and Kentish Town to Fleet Street. Those who oppose their rights are frequently white, middle or upper middle-class people, or working-class people whose successful careers have afforded them a significant measure of social mobility. They have concerns over being silenced and yet hold large platforms with tens of thousands, even millions, of followers. They appear on Newsnight, radio shows or in reputable newspapers everyday.

The ponds on the Heath were created to provide drinking water for the growing villages of Hampstead and Highgate. The mineral-rich water became known for its health-giving qualities in the late-18th century, but before that, they were primarily reservoirs, and are still supposed to be maintained at drinking quality, something that any head-above-the-water swimmer in their murky, weedy green will be surprised to hear. Yes, despite the mud and cold water, it is safe to swim in Hampstead Ponds. All 3 swimming ponds have lifeguards and people have been swimming in them since at least the 1970’s. Recent work has been done on the ponds to ensure their safety. Of course, when the water is cold you have to take cold water swimming precautions to ensure your own safety from cold water swimming. I used to know the Heath so well, but on my last visit to the pond I managed to get myself thoroughly lost. There was a joy in this as well as a sadness. All walks on the Heath are beautiful, and in the resplendent summer of 2018 they were more beautiful than ever, and there was no danger of losing oneself for long. I wandered along paths and avenues and past many a vast and fallen oak lying hugely on its side.Kenwood Ladies’ Pond is open all year round, but with shorter opening times over winter. Between the 28th of November and the 5th of February, the facilities are open from 7:30 am to 3 pm. Otherwise, the pond is open from 7 am to 8:30 pm the rest of the year.

The Mixed Pond is located near East Heath Road on Hampstead Heath. There is parking available at East Heath Car Park if you’re driving. Otherwise, you can get off the Overground Line at Hampstead Heath and walk 7 minutes to the pond. Or, get off at Hampstead on the Northern Line and walk 13 minutes. With prior notice the Bathing Ponds and Lido may be closed to facilitate staff training, facility maintenance and additional cleaning. Know your limits and leave the water if you don’t feel well or if you are advised to by the lifeguards. Traditionally, access to the ponds was free and swimmers could pay voluntary contributions. The CoLC maintains mandatory fees were necessary to sustainably fund upkeep of the ponds. Both are totally fine and that’s the reason they are split which I love, but just keep this in mind in case you feel it would make you or people you go with uncomfortable, and remember that here’s always the mixed ponds on Hampstead Heath.kuidas ja miks ja kas üldse kirjeldada eesti keeles raamatut kohast, mida enamus eesti lugejaid ühest küljest pole iialgi kogenud ja teisest küljest, kui kogeksid, kehitaksid ilmselt õlgu, et mis siin erilist? One of my favourite elements of this collection was the way in which it spans every season; indeed, it is split into four sections, which denote each season. Swimming is something which I always love reading about - and doing, although I must admit that I am more of a fair weather woman - and to be able to view the same place in so many different weathers was wonderful. I shivered slightly when a couple of the authors wrote about the lifeguards having to break the surface ice during the winter, and the way in which around 150 hardy women still decide to swim regularly during the season. Yes, there are cold showers at the ponds. These are not showers like you find in leisure centres though and are very basic outdoor ones. Are there Changing Facilities at Hampstead Ponds? Hampstead Heath also has a lido which is a swimming pool outside, it’s located at the Parliament Hill section of Hampstead Heath closer to Gospel Oak.