At the pond : swimming at The Hampstead Ladies' Pond

Freud, Esther

2019 . - Book . - 198 sider

Women-only wild swimming spot the Kenwood Ladies' Bathing Pond features across literature and holds a special place in the hearts of many. Esther Freud, Margaret Drabble, Leanne Shapton and many others reflect on what it means to them. Tucked away along a shady path towards the north-east edge of Hampstead Heath is a sign: Women Only. This is the Kenwood Ladies' Bathing Pond. Officially opened to the public in 1925, it is the only wild swimming spot in the UK that is reserved for women. Created centuries ago, the Heath's chain of ponds are one of the sources of the River Fleet that runs subterraneously through London. Swimming in the Ladies' Pond's green, silty, silky waters, it's hard to avoid the feeling that you are moving through history and outside of time.

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