COLD SWIMMING @ Hampstead Heath Mixed Pond [£4.80 MORNING SESSIONS]

🌊 LCC COLD SWIMMING:

⏱️ MORNING SESSION (10:00 AM)

📅 SATURDAY AUGUST 16th 2025

📍 HAMPSTEAD MIXED POND (FIND IT HERE)

💷 COST: £4.80 (NO PRE-BOOKING REQUIRED)

Supplies to bring:

• Swimming costume
• Towel(s)
• Something warm to throw on after getting out
• Flip-flops or slip-ons recommended
• A hot drink!

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Swimming as an act of defiance: Britain's wettest capitalists (Thames Water, Severn Trent, etc) may have set their hearts on turning our waterways into one great solid mass of waste. But the bond between the people and the water refuses to break, with wild swimming clubs booming since the pandemic. Per the BBC:

"Swimming has always been a popular sport in the UK, with accounts of 16th-century knights struggling to paddle in full armour and Victorians embracing dips in the sea. But [since] the pandemic, the hobby of outdoor swimming has been rediscovered. Public swimming pools closed, and people could not travel, so they looked closer to home for opportunities to swim, creating a spike in interest and soaring club memberships."

Across the country access to this ancient, popular, indeed working-class pastime is under threat. Here in London we have options. Wild swimming at Hampstead Heath's Mixed Bathing Ponds is a great way to get your wild aquatic fix, set back in the Heath's lush forest.

Why wild swim? Swimming is one of the best low-impact full-body workouts you can do, and it requires almost nothing in terms of gear or equipment - just a piece of swimwear. Forget the Lidos (manmade pools) with their jostling crowds and pre-booking: adult access to the Mixed Pond is just £4.80, payable on-site without advanced booking during morning and evening (off-peak) sessions. The Hampstead ponds (non-mixed ponds are also found elsewhere on the Heath) feature all the essentials found at a Lido including lifeguards, changing areas, showers, toilets, and stepped access into the water via ladders.

What about cold swimming? Unlike a Lido, these ponds ain't heated or treated. Expect the shock upon getting in the water. Cold swimming and cold plunges however aren't all pain, no gain: cold therapy has been shown to help fight inflammation, improve metabolism, regulate stress hormones like cortisol, improve rest and recovery, promote the immune system, and of course provide an endorphin rush that needs to be experienced to be explained. Hampstead's ponds aren't icy obviously so they present the opportunity for some light, easy cold therapy that won't send shivers too far down your spine.

The waters at the Mixed Pond are deep and dark, so swimming ability is a must! Find out everything else you need to know here:

https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/green-spaces/hampstead-heath/where-to-go-at-hampstead-heath/mixed-pond

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hampstead-mixed-pond-tues-29-jul-mon-04-aug-tickets-1510081236629

These events will run on weekends throughout August, September and possibly, per demand, beyond. Take care and see you on the water!