LADIES POND

Last June a friend introduced me to 'Ladies Pond' on Hampstead Heath while I was staying in London. In spite of the 62 degree water temp, it was one of the most idyllic, bucolic, and civilized (in that inimitably English way) outdoor swimming experience that I have yet to encounter. Only ladies allowed within the gates of ladies pond! You walk in to see ladies of all ages bathing topless on grassy knolls, and encouraging each other on to brave the cold as they lower themselves down the ladder and swim the head-out breaststroke amongst families of ducklings. They even had table tennis on the grounds! I dove head first into the bracing water, and swam a few lengths of the pond, and then woozy from the head-first-cold, laid in the grass nude to warm in the sun. When we were dry we strolled over the heath for brunch at The Brew House in the rose gardens of Kenwood House. I made a mental note that I would spend a summer near the Heath in the not too distant future so that I could become a regular of Ladies Pond.