With the summer months upon us and temperatures rising, our thoughts often drift towards ways of trying to keep cool in the heat and one great way to do this is to go for a swim. Needless to say, when living in London this can be quite a difficult thing to do, however there are a variety of options available which aren’t too far from the Maida Vale area.

One of the closest swimming pools to Morshead Mansions is in the Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre. Located a short walk from Finchley Road and Swiss Cottage Jubilee Line tube stations and walkable in around 25 minutes, the centre has a 25m, 8 lane pool with a separate learner pool. Open to non-members, there are a variety of pricing options, you can find out more by clicking here –

https://www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/london/camden/swiss-cottage-leisure-centre

Another swimming pool within easy reach is the Harbour Club Notting Hill, which can be found on Alfred Road, just off the Harrow Road close to the end of Sutherland Avenue.

Around a 20 minute walk from Morshead this pool is only accessible to members, details can be found on the link below –

https://www.harbourclub.com/clubs/notting-hill/

Just beyond Swiss Cottage at the O2 Centre in the Finchley Road is Virgin Active. This fitness centre has a large swimming pool, complete with steam room, sauna and jacuzzi.

Virgin Active is also a members only club, however, it’s probably a little more affordable than the Harbour Club. You can find out more here –

https://www.virginactive.co.uk/clubs/swiss-cottage/facilities/swimming

Close to the Bayswater Waitrose is the Porchester Centre, run by Everyone Active. Open 7 days a week, this historic building offers a 30m, 4 lane pool plus a teaching pool for beginners.

Westminster residents can usually get discounts at Everyone Active, so if you’d like to find out more, click here –

https://www.everyoneactive.com/centre/porchester-centre/

For those that prefer swimming outdoors, there are several options. The first is the lido on Hampstead Heath, close to Parliament Hill. Accessible from Maida Vale by car or bus, there is paid parking close by and bus routes including the 31 from Shirland Road, changing at Chalk Farm Road to the 24 to Hampstead Heath

All the pricing and access details can be found here –

https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/green-spaces/hampstead-heath/where-to-go-at-hampstead-heath/parliament-hill-lido

Also on the Heath are 3 ponds where you can swim, one mixed, one male only and one female only. Booking is required for some of the ponds and the water can be a little cold, but definitely refreshing!

The ponds can get quite busy, especially on warmer days, so it’s a good idea to choose the times you visit wisely. More details can be found here –

https://www.hampsteadheath.net/swimming-ponds

Another outdoor place to swim is the Serpentine Lido in Hyde Park. Called ‘London’s most iconic open water swimming location’, the lido is open from 10am to 6pm every day between June and Mid-September.

As a bonus, it’s beside a lovely café for post-swim refreshments. Booking details can be found here –

https://www.royalparks.org.uk/visit/parks/hyde-park/serpentine-lido

If you feel like going a little further afield to swim in the sea, one of the closest beaches to London is Brighton. Accessible by hundreds of trains each day from Blackfriars or Victoria, the journey time is usually just over an hour.

If you’ve never been to Brighton before, you can find out more about it here –

https://citydays.com/places/brighton-beach/