It is hot, hot, hot! So let’s take a page from Friendly Fires’ lyric sheet and jump in the pool. If you’re living in a London flatshare, here are the best places to take a dip under clear blue sky.
- Hampstead Heath
Famous for its chilly clay-bottom pools, Hampstead Heath Ponds are perfect to cool off when London decides to enter steam-cooker-mode. So fight the humid heat with a splash in Hampstead’s heath.
- Tooting Bec Lido
Tooting Bec Lido is the Latchmere Leisure Centre of the outdoor pool world. Although the Maccabees haven’t written a song about Tooting, it finds fame on its own through its iconic, multi-coloured changing cabins on the poolside.
- Serpentine
Swimming in Hyde Park’s Serpentine is a must. Check out the Serpentine Swimming Club for details. Understandably, with the park being so popular, you’ll have to navigate a bit of red tape to swim there, but for the faithful, it is so worth it.
- Brockwell Lido
Next door to a triathlon club and a BMX track, the Lido tops off a sporty enclave in the trendy Herne Hill area of South London. They also offer gym and dance. They even have an indoor cycling space, inverting the Lido’s philosophy of doing things usually performed inside, outside. Take your newfound London flatshare friends and enjoy yourselves.
- King’s Cross Pond Club
An art installation you can swim in, the Pond is part of the arty redevelopment of King’s Cross. They also have the coolest website. Check out their landing page! There’s limited space however, and when it’s hot, the pond books up for days in advance!
- Charlton Lido
Fully heated, the Charlton Lido is 50 watery meters of disrespect to the normal attitude of outdoor swimmers. However, no one likes to freeze, making this £2m pound development a popular attraction even in the colder months.
