facebooktwitterpinterest
mobil menu

Kenwood Ladies' Bathing Pond

  1. London

Reviews, get directions and contact details for Kenwood Ladies' Bathing Pond

Kenwood Ladies' Bathing Pond
Address: Kenwood Ladies Pond, Hampstead Heath, London NW5 1QR, UK
State: Greater London
City: London
Zip Code: NW5 1QR

opening times

Monday: 7:00 AM – 8:15 PM
Tuesday: 7:00 AM – 8:15 PM
Wednesday: 7:00 AM – 8:15 PM
Thursday: 7:00 AM – 8:15 PM
Friday: 7:00 AM – 8:15 PM
Saturday: 7:00 AM – 8:15 PM
Sunday: 7:00 AM – 8:15 PM

Update Info
Reviews
Nice place for a swim. I begrudged paying for it before going but on arrival I noticed that there are lifeguards, toilets, showers, changing rooms and drinking water and the demand for swimming is so high I understand that costs need to be covered. The staff were all really nice and helpful. If you're local it makes sense to go for the early drop in session before 11am.
Overpriced and an invitation to thieves. It is now £4.70 entry. This would be fine if it was a proper facility that included secure lockers to store belongings. But there is nowhere to store belongings safely, and they will not allow you to put them inside an an open water swimming float attached to your body.
One of my all time favourite places in London, especially when it's not busy. It's a beautiful, sincere and relaxed environment, and one of the very few wild swimming locations in London. It's a very secluded spot completely inclosed by trees and bushes which means that it's not overlooked by anyone. There is a good sized field for sunbathing and basic facilities like a shower, changing rooms and toilets. I love the pond, I love being surrounded by nature, and I love swimming in the cold water.nnBut I've got to knock a star off for the organisation. While as relaxing as the pond is, the lifeguards run it like a boot camp and over the years, it's become so regimented and needlessly strict. Firstly, it used to be free. Paying £4.90 for a one hour swim slot is ridiculous. Secondly, the facilities re, the toilets become unaccessible once the swimming session ends. If you're in the field beside the pond, then you're not allowed to use the toilets even though you're still within the Kenwood Pond grounds. The staff are generally unaccommodating and needlessly hostile.nnThe booking system is also ineffective. Drop-in during the mornings until 11am, fine. But booking only until 6pm even on weekdays. But from 6pm onwards, it's again drop-in which is insane as during summer, that's when the pond is at it's busiest with people coming from work. Yet another aspect of London life were spontaneity has been replaced by booking via app.nnThere has to be a middle ground between some sort of management and whatever is they're doing right now.
DO NOT BOOK UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE MISERABLE!!!!!! Most horrible experience of my life! Staff were unbearable and kept giving the me and other ladies dirty looks as we swam almost like high school girls making fun of us. I was playing with my friend and a strawberry blonde hair worker began berating me for playing with her and said im not allowed to swim anymore although i PAID for a ticket to swim! Then when they switched staff to another brown curly haired worker i heard her make rude comments regarding my body appearance and swimming which was equally as disgusting as i thought it was meant to be a women’s only section therefore friendly women and better enviroment but it was the opposite. What a joke!! I am deeply appalled by the service and staff and overall ruined the experience for me. The place was beautiful i just hoped they’d have the staff to match it. Do yourself a favour and save your money, hopefully they get better staff.
I rarely write reviews, but was openly discriminated against by this establishment and want to make sure others know what kind of establishment it is before choosing to attend.nnI love cold water swimming and my friend loves this pond, so I was excited to experience the place. I’m a queer-presenting person who has always been allowed into women’s only spaces. I read and followed all rules posted on the very detailed rules board in front of the gate. I entered with my friend, paid entry, changed into my swimsuit swim shorts and no top because I’ve had a complete double mastectomy, and walked outside to take a dip. We were being respectful and quiet patrons.nnI was stopped immediately before entering the water by 2 workers, that quickly became 5 or 6, almost the entire staff. They staunchly and intensely argued that I need to wear a swim top regardless of my chest having no breast tissue or nipples, and regardless of my strong discomfort with their request. They claimed repeatedly that it was a rule, but could not produce a rule stating this. I was wearing a swimming costume appropriate for my body and no rule or sign specifies that people with a body like mine must wear a top. I have been to all-women’s spaces before and have never had an issue like this. The staff’s claims included that it’s a “city of London rule,” and that “in the entire world a women’s swimming costume includes a top.”nnTheir insistence was so strong that it went on for maybe 10-15 minutes before I finally realized there was nothing they could physically do, so I got in the water against their wishes. It was a lovely swim, completely bittered by the entire staff making it clear that someone with a body like mine is not welcome there.nnThe extremity of the number of staff involved and their unwavering insistence is what made this occurrence very obviously discriminatory against me as a queer and trans appearing person. I would not recommend you come here or support this establishment if you are a queer person, queer-presenting, or ally until the culture has fundamentally changed.
Comment on this business

Kenwood Ladies' Bathing Pond map

Directions to Kenwood Ladies' Bathing Pond with public transportation

Merton Lane 450 meters
214
Holly Lodge Gardens 470 meters
214

to add Kenwood Ladies' Bathing Pond map to your website;



Copyright 2026 | All rights reserved.

You can use our top contact for adding and editing your business's contact details.
0.003 Loaded in seconds

We use cookies

We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our website, to show you personalized content and targeted ads, to analyze our website traffic, and to understand where our visitors are coming from. Privacy Policy