Laure Latham is a London National Park City Ranger based in Hammersmith. She is a published Outdoors Author and award-winning Nature Blogger. Here, she tells us how she found her passion for wild swimming and shares her favourite London swim spots.
I came to wild swimming when I was apart from family and friends in the US. One of my new friends mentioned swimming to Alcatraz, in the San Francisco Bay, and I thought why not?
A few days later I was in the Bay and, once I got over the initial cold shock, I loved it. I was surprised to find that wild swimming provided a mental refuge, an activity where I could leave my worries on shore and live in the moment. From then on, I was hooked.
I learnt to front crawl using YouTube tutorials and three years later, when I moved to London, I started taking swimming classes. One thing led to another and, after joining the Serpentine Swimming Club in 2012, I discovered a thriving outdoor swimming community. Over the next 11 years, I was inspired to embark on wild swimming adventures and progressively acclimatised to cold water. Finally, in 2023, I swam solo across the English Channel.
One of my favourite things about wild swimming is watching the passage of the seasons from the surface of the water, at the swan’s level, looking up at tree branches going from dark and bare in the winter to vibrant green and leafy in the spring. It makes me feel part of the world as nothing else does.
London is a huge city, with well over ten million people, but we are blessed with many blue places on the map. London has ponds, rivers, locks, and lakes. A lot of these places are amazing swimming spots where you can enjoy the city from a different perspective. When you are in the water, you can swim next to the migratory waterfowl, past a young rowing team training for an event, or along people’s riverside gardens – all while catching up with friends.
outdoor swimmers: are all included in this community?
It’s an entirely different way to see London. It’s also really good for your physical and mental health. Swimming has been known to regulate breathing and to bring peace of mind. It’s gentle on the joints and gentle on the soul. It would be a perfect activity for all Londoners if everybody had equal access to water and to swimming.
Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. A 2023 report by London Sports shows that while over half of Londoners (54 percent) learned to swim at a public pool, one in ten (11 percent) have not learned to swim at all. The research also conveys an unequal impact on distinct groups in London, as nearly one in five adults from lower socio-economic groups and ethnic minority groups have not learnt to swim.
To enjoy wild swimming, everybody needs to be a confident swimmer and that’s a bridge we need to cross at some point, leaving nobody behind. Through preventing drowning, swimming is the only sport that can save lives and I believe it should be a national health priority.
wild swimming is a journey
While pools are heated to around 30ºC, the water temperature in swimming areas like the Hampstead Ponds ranges from 0 to 24ºC, depending on the time of year. There may not be lifeguards on duty, and you will not see the bottom. This might make you feel uneasy; don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. Wild swimming is a journey, and we all need to take it slowly, at our own pace. Sometimes, we don’t necessarily know our limits. When the sun shines in the early days of spring, we feel buoyed by the approach of summer and yet, the water is still much colder than it looks.
Be patient! It takes time to acclimatise to cold water. When you start swimming without acclimatising, it can be risky. I’ve seen my fair share of swimmers experiencing hypothermia or panic attacks when they start swimming outside. At first, I didn’t know how to react or even what was truly happening. How can you tell someone is in trouble? It’s not always obvious. It’s maybe for this reason that, when the Serpentine Swimming Club offered open water lifeguard training in 2024, I volunteered. I wanted to know what to do in difficult situations, so I could help make swimming safe if needed. I learnt a lot about helping from dry land, reassuring struggling swimmers and helping them help themselves.
Even confident pool swimmers will find that swimming outside feels very different. After learning how to look out for others, I’m back in the water looking out for myself. Water keeps me honest, it’s a gauge of how I feel. When I feel good, it’s wonderful. And in difficult times, it helps keep my mind off worries. Either way, it’s a win-win.
How to swim safely
1. Before you get in, scan the area for exit points. Will it be easy for you to get out? Do you need to negotiate a ladder, a slope?
2. Never swim alone. Go with a friend.
3. When you feel reassured about the swim area, start where you can stand and take a few strokes. How does that feel? If it feels good, keep swimming. If not, skip ahead to point 7.
4. During the cold season, acclimatise to cold water and be mindful of how cold your body gets. Increase your time and distance in the water gradually.
5. Avoid hypothermia. It’s better to get out when you feel great, than leave it too late. Your body keeps cooling down an hour after you get out of the water and you could be feeling the after-drop effects on dry land.
6. Dress in warm layers quickly after you get out, and have a warm drink.
7. If you don’t feel confident in water, don’t hesitate to attend adult swimming classes. There’s no shame in learning how to swim later in life.
8. If you get into difficulty get on your back and call for help.
9. Swim sober. Alcohol and swimming are a notoriously bad combination.
10. Enjoy yourself! Wild swimming is about feeling good in your body and your mind.
Laure's top london swim spots
WEST RESERVOIR WATER SPORTS CENTRE
This impressive conversion of historic water reservoirs is great for its close proximity to a bird sanctuary.
better.org.uk/leisure-centre/london/hackney/west-reservoir-centre
PETERSHAM MEADOWS, RICHMOND
This lovely stretch of the Thames (pictured above) is accessible by train. There are no lifeguards, so swim at your own risk and beware of boats and rowers.
SERPENTINE LIDO, HYDE PARK
This iconic central location can’t be beat, but it does get crowded. It’s open for public swimming during the summer months. Members swim year-round.
royalparks.org.uk/visit/parks/hyde-park/serpentine-lido
LOVE OPEN WATER, ROYAL DOCKS
Great for the industrial heritage, reminding us that London started out as a port. Brightly coloured headgear and tow floats must be used here.
loveopenwater.co.uk
HAMPSTEAD PONDS, HAMPSTEAD HEATH
The beautiful natural surroundings provide a break from city noises, but it can get very busy in the summer.
This article originally appeared in the London National Park City Paper 2025, grab your copy here for more ideas on how to get active in London.
