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. 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. Combining personal reminiscence with reflections on the history of the place over the years and through the changing seasons, At the Pond captures fourteen contemporary writers’ impressions of this unique place. 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 Pond was established in the late-seventeenth century as a freshwater reservoir, fed by the subterranean River Fleet. It was opened to the public for bathing in 1925, and joins around thirty freshwater ponds dotted across Hampstead Heath, only three of which can be swum in. One of these is solely for men, but there is also a 'mixed Pond' which women are able to visit. In the summer, the ponds can be very crowded. It is not ideal when you’re wandering around, soaking wet, looking for somewhere to lay down your towel, sunbathe and dry off. Trust me – I’ve been there. The pond is closed during the winter, but otherwise, it’s open from 7 am to 8:30 pm daily. How to Get There

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. At the Pond is a real delight. Almost every one of these essays is overwhelming positive, and each offers recollections of joy and warmth. The authors are united in the sense of community fostered at the Hampstead Ladies' Pond, and in the deep sense of peace and wellbeing which they have found within its waters. This is an excellent question and worth asking! Despite the murky appearance of the ponds, all three ponds are safe to swim in. The water has been tested to ensure its safety. I went to school not far from the Heath. Our cross- country running ascended nearby Primrose Hill, which we were told in history class had been flat land prior to being excavated as a plague pit. The ponds were for summer, for those who knew how to negotiate the Heath’s unmarked paths and the ponds’ unwritten rules. The Ladies’ bathing ponds on Hampstead Heath are a London institution, whether it’s sunny or snowy, so what better way to immortalise them than with a book?’ – Red

The Kenwood Ladies' Pond was officially opened in 1926 following the popularity of the Mixed and Men's Ponds. There were few trees on the Heath in those days and the ponds were unfenced and so drew crowds of men and children who would come to watch the ladies bathe. By 1929 naked sunbathing on the meadow above the pond was no longer permitted and dogs had to be tied up outside. There is something enthralling about underground rivers, even when they have been tamed and flow through manmade pipes. We like to think of the watery world hidden beneath us. They are boxed in and have gone under, writes the poet UA Fanthorpe, but they “return spectrally after heavy rain” to confound suburban gardens, deluge cellars, and detonate manholes. The landscape is alive, and the rivers at times resurgent.A joy to read – perfect for when you need an escape from the stresses of everyday life.’ – Culturefly 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. There are a total of 18 ponds across Hampstead Heath, however only 3 are dedicated to swimming: Highgate Men's Bathing Pond; Kenwood Ladies' Bathing Pond and Hampstead Mixed Bathing Pond..

The pong is located near Millfield Lane, where there is on-street parking. Otherwise, get off the Overground Line at Gospel Oak station, and walk 23 minutes to the pond. Or, when on the Northern Line, get off at Highgate and walk 26 minutes. According to some Guardian UK staffers, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions, distress arose among younger members of staff and those supportive of trans rights. “The editorial was clearly trying to avoid alienating that portion of our readership – but in doing so it created a false equivalence between the two views, as if they were both equally valid,” says one staff member. “This was obviously disheartening for those who believe trans rights should be protected.” I ended up unwittingly shouldering the burden of representation,” she says now. “I got burned out, and couldn’t really do it anymore, then you had people like Paris Lees coming through, who was a lot more able to handle the bigger platforms.” This book of essays is divided into four seasons, beginning with winter - much like the documentary of the Hampstead Ponds which was released in the summer of 2018 and I saw at the Hampstead Everyman cinema in the winter of 2019. You don’t absolutely need to have an experience of the Hampstead Ponds or ‘wild swimming’ to be interested by this book, but it helps, I think.

The Lido and Bathing 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. nii et päris peadpööritav paradigmamuutus oli kolida Londonisse ja avastada, et looduslikes veekogudes ujumine on brittide jaoks nii eksootiline kontseptsioon, et selle jaoks kasutatakse isegi eraldi väljendit: wild swimming. ja kui nüüd vaatama hakata, siis kust neid veekogusid võttagi. nojah, tehniliselt võttes elame saarel ja meri ei ole kunagi kaugemal kui 70 miili. praktiliselt võttes, kui mitu korda olen spetsiaalselt sõitnud mereranda ja avastanud, et ei mingit ujumist, sest mõõn. (ja üldse, mis ujumine see meres ujumine ka on.) mingid suplemiseks sobivad jõekäärud (vesi: puusani, kui mitte ainult põlvini) olen aastatega ka avastanud, järved on pigem kõik eraomanduses ja ligipääsmatud (või asuvad Lake Districtis, 300 miili kaugusel), veehoidlates ujumine rangelt keelatud. We aspire to be a leader in diversity, equality and inclusion, and we are committed to supporting a strong, sustainable and cohesive society in the capital and beyond.”

When the Men’s Pond protest happened, the small group was led by one woman – and founding member of the #ManFriday movement – Hannah Clarke. In the Daily Mail coverage of the small event, Clarke was quoted at length as being “articulate, measured in her language, and solidly middle-class”. Her father is a retired Army major, magistrate and Tory councillor; her mother has also been a Tory councillor in the Home Counties for almost three decades. Her husband worked in finance. She’s never protested before, she told the reporter, but finally she has a cause. kõigist neist lugudest jäi mu jaoks enim kõlama... naise suhe ta enda kehaga läbi elu ja aastate. ja veega. kõik need kirjeldused, mis tunne täpselt on sellesse vette astuda või hüpata, mismoodi tundub esimene ja mismoodi järgmised tõmbed, kuidas kirvendab välja tulles nahk ja kuidas täpselt kleepuvavõitu vesi sellelt maha voolab (see vee kleepumise teema on läbiv! ei ole ta nii kleepuv midagi mu meelest, tavaline järvevesi. aga eks see ongi tavalisest basseiniveest erinev). kuidas talvel tuleb ujumiseks vahel jäässe rada sisse murda ja suvel tuleb peale tohutu talveigatsus. ja peaaegu mitte keegi ei jäta mainimata mõnd kohtumist udusulis pardipoegadega või etteheitva pilguga haigrut, kes sind mingi puunoti pealt jälgib. Growing up on the edge of the northern suburbs of the city, the Heath marked a geographical watershed: the beginning of the sanctum that was central London. It did not mark the wild fringes – wild in both bohemian and arboreal senses – but instead a passport to pagan poetry and a larger secular cultural life. Here be myths and monsters marking my map of the Heath. We were greeted, sunbathing topless, by our headmistress. Where’s a plague pit to open up beneath you when you need one?

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There’s something wild and anarchic about the pond. It may be managed by the Corporation of London, but it remains a place of wildness and freedom, a beautiful sanctuary, and that’s very precious. One day, when they’re older, I hope to take my granddaughters there. So Mayer: ‘I am not alone: many trans and non-binary people swim in the Ladies’ Pond’