At the Pond: Swimming at the Hampstead Ladies' Pond

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Mayhew seems sincerely perturbed by the scale of publicity it got, attributing it to the high-profile women who use the ponds. “It was something that was whipped up out of nothing, really, out of a trivialisation and a really uncompassionate desire to make headlines. I would prefer not to see that being whipped up again, because there are people out there who appear to have nothing better to do than to try to make other people’s lives more uncomfortable and painful, which I think is despicable.” In February 2019, the New York Times published an op-ed with the headline “ How British Feminism Became Anti-Trans”. The lead image was the Ladies Pond sign. It immediately translated the very particular and peculiar Britishness of our anti-trans sentiment for a progressive US audience, for whom trans rights is an unquestioned tenet of human rights and feminism. (This reputation was solidified this month, when Harry Potter author JK Rowling doubled down on her tweets about trans people with a self-published essay originally titled “ Terf Wars”.) A number of mystified US publications have spent entire articles questioning just why the UK is so transphobic. “TERF ideology,” one Vox article declared, “has become the de facto face of feminism in the UK.” Faye has written a forthcoming political non-fiction book about the systemic transphobia in British society and says, quite sincerely, that the hardest chapter to write has been on feminism (“without wanting to sound too self-pitying, I’ve been targeted very badly in the name of feminism”). Lees hasn’t written for a newspaper for the past two years. She’s semi-retired from journalism and doesn’t consider herself an activist anymore. The Ladies’ Pond has truly been one of the wonders of my life. Slipping into its waters is slipping into bliss.’ – Deborah Moggach

It was timeless, though perhaps the period it most evoked (despite the bikinis and the hippy beads) was Edwardian: it was the female equivalent of that fine bathing party scene in EM Forster’s A Room with a View, where the Reverend Mr Beebe and George Emerson and young Freddy cast off their clothes and disport themselves in a village pool in the mild landscape of Surrey. The ponds are the best place to go swimming in London and certainly one of the most unique things to do in London!

I’m on the lowest rungs of the pond hierarchy, because I’m a fairweather visitor, swimming from June to October. I gaze with admiration at those superior creatures who brave the water all year round, breaking the ice and making the rest of us feel like wimps. They know the lifeguards. Lifeguards are on hand to ensure everything goes smoothly, but try to look after yourself first! Are the Showers Warm? You also have to wear swimwear, so no nude dipping, please. And you aren’t allowed to bring dogs unless they’re assistance dogs.

For more information on the opening times of the Hampstead Heath Swimming Ponds have a look here! 6. Keep an Open Mind!If Hampstead seems too far for you, here’s a post on the best lidos in London! The Hampstead Heath Lido is at the bottom of Parliament Hill as in this photo, keep it in mind when visiting the Hampstead Heath Swimming Ponds! FAQ about Hampstead Heath Swimming: Do you have to pay to swim in Hampstead Ponds? The ponds on the Heath were created to provide drinking water for the growing villages of Hampstead and Highgate. The mineral-rich water became known for its health-giving qualities in the late-18th century, but before that, they were primarily reservoirs, and are still supposed to be maintained at drinking quality, something that any head-above-the-water swimmer in their murky, weedy green will be surprised to hear. 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. Yes, there are small changing rooms but do not expect leisure centre quality. Is it safe to swim in Hampstead Ponds? The men’s pond has the same facilities and regulations, but only guys can take the plunge there. Kids are welcome as long as regulations are followed. The men’s pond also has the same opening times as the ladies, but is located slightly further away. How to Get There

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. The past week for trans people culminated in the news that Boris Johnson plans to scrap potential changes to the Gender Recognition Act, despite the fact that 70 percent of respondents to the GRA consultation supported trans people having the right to self-identify. The PM is said to be preparing new protections that would prevent some trans women from using single-sex spaces like toilets and refuges. At the same time – and on the fourth anniversary of the Orlando massacre – US president Donald Trump announced that gender-based health protection for trans people would be revoked. All around the world, plans – long drawn up, executed consciously or unconsciously by right-wingers, the mainstream press and a minority of British feminists – are being rolled out to exile trans people from public life. 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’

Volunteer to swim

On my first attempt at visiting the pond, with a classmate the summer before A levels, we were greeted, while sunbathing topless, by our intimidating headmistress. Where’s a plague pit to open up beneath you when you need one? I found out about this book through my interest in its authors and through my fascination with Hampstead Heath. I still can hardly believe the mysticism that surrounds the Kenwood Ladies’ Pond, which made this book a must read for me. And I have noticed that the male ponds on Hampstead Heath are frequented by men in very small swimming shorts.