The men only Highgate Ponds, also known as Hampstead Ponds, in North London is a favourite spot for an early morning dip. As Britain is seized by the

---

The men only Highgate Ponds, also known as Hampstead Ponds, in North London is a favourite spot for an early morning dip. As Britain is seized by the Big Freeze a few stalwarts go swimming in sub zero temperatures as the snow and ice turns Hampstead Heath in a winter wonderland. Swimming in freezing water can be dangerous to the uninitiated so people wishing to swim in the ponds during the winter are advised to acclimatise themselves to outdoor swimming. Advice from the Amateur Swimming Association is to start swimming outdoors in the summer and continue into winter preferably three or four times a week for short periods. Dangers are said to include numb freezing cold injury, hypothermia and sudden immersion syndrome (SIS). Photo by Michael Walter/Troika

---

Size: 4626px × 3779px
Location: London
Photo credit: © Troika / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: -, activity, capital, city, cold, exercise, extreme, free, freezing, green, grey, hampstead, highgate, ice, interest, islington, leisure, london, man, men, mens, nature, north, outdoor, pier, place, pond, ponds, snow, spaces, sport, sports, swim, swimmer, swimming, temperature, trees, urban, water, weather, wild, winter, wood, woodland