Eschew the confines of your local leisure centre and swim in the open air at Hampstead. There are several ponds to choose from: two single-sex ponds and a mixed one, alternatively there is Parliament Hill Lido, an open-air swimming pool. The Ladies’ and Men’s Ponds are open 365 days of the year for those of you who can bear the lower temperature, but their website helpfully states the current temperature of the water so you can avoid a potential case of hypothermia. In any case, when it’s warm enough it’s a very pleasant change to swimming in busy chlorinated pools.
