Hampstead Heath from Kentish Town: lido and ponds
Parliament Hill Lido and the Heath ponds are a short hop from Kentish Town: winter hours, £5 entry and how to get there.
By Only Camden Editorial
The short version: Parliament Hill Lido is on winter hours, 7am to 1pm, and costs £5 for an adult or £3 concession. The ponds are £5 and £3 as well. Pay attention to last entry, because the lifeguards mean it.
Kentish Town is the Camden end of the Heath, and it is the sensible way in if you want a swim, a long lap of the water and a stroll afterwards. Here is what you need before you go.
Getting there from Kentish Town
Time Out's advice for the ponds is to take the Tube to Kentish Town (or Belsize Park), then pick up a C2 or 214 bus. The Overground is the other option: Gospel Oak for the lido and the Heath, or Hampstead Heath station for the Mixed Pond. Time Out lists Gospel Oak as the nearest station to the lido itself.
Do not trust anyone who promises you a precise walking time without having done it in your own shoes. Decide how much of the journey you want to do on foot, and let the bus take the rest.
Parliament Hill Lido
The lido is in Parliament Hill Fields, on Gordon House Road, Gospel Oak. It was built in 1938, refurbished in 2005 and is Grade II-listed, at about 60m by 28m. The steel liner is the only one of its kind in an outdoor pool in the UK, which gives the water a metallic shimmer.
Time Out’s 2025/26 lido list ranks it best for beautiful views and describes it as a “Wes Anderson set crossed with a Soviet municipal building”. Fair enough, though the brutalist charm is the least of it. The thing to know is that the water is unheated. Wetsuits are allowed at the lifeguard’s discretion, and there is a paddling pool for under-fives and a cafe.
- Winter hours: 7am to 1pm. Last entry is 1pm, you must be out of the water by 1.30pm and out of the facility by 1.45pm.
- Price in winter: £5 adult, £3 concession.
- Sauna: The City of London Corporation, which runs the lido, opens the sauna from autumn to early spring, with morning sessions at 7, 8, 9, 10, 11am and 12pm. It closes in summer. The Glossary says it earns its keep in winter, and in March, in unheated water, you will understand why.
- Open all year: the users’ group says 365 days a year.
Driving? The lido car park has 45 spaces and 3 disabled bays, costs £3.50 an hour for up to 4 hours, opens at 7am and is locked from 9pm. Honestly, take the bus or the Overground and save yourself the hassle.
The summer schedule brings bookable sessions from towards the end of May. Until then, every session is pay on entry. Check the council’s opening times page before you set off, because the schedule changes with the seasons.
The bathing ponds
The Heath ponds began life as dammed clay pits and the City of London Corporation runs them. There are three: one for women, one for men and one mixed. Single tickets are £5 for an adult and £3 concession or under 16.
- Kenwood Ladies’ Pond: off Millfield Lane, for women and girls aged 8 and over, on the Highgate side of the Heath. Open all year.
- Highgate Men’s Pond: a natural, lifeguarded pond for men, also on the Highgate side. Open 365 days a year.
- Hampstead Mixed Pond: the only pond on the Hampstead side, near Hampstead Heath Overground station. It is open from April to October, and the council says it is deep and opaque, for competent swimmers only.
Pond hours move with the clocks. The council’s late winter hours run 7am to 2pm, with last entry at 2pm and out of the water by 2.15pm, and the schedule changes at the end of March. Look at the council page on the morning you go. Better to read a table than to stand at a locked gate with a wet towel.
What to bring and what to skip
- A hat and gloves for the walk back. You will not believe how cold your hands get.
- Cash is not your friend on the Heath. The council has been moving to cashless payment, so bring a card or phone.
- A flask. The cafe situation around the lido varies, and reviews mention the lido cafe stops serving the pool area after midday, so do not plan lunch around it.
Time Out also suggests a walk up Parliament Hill after a swim, with the lido right next to one of the best views of the London skyline. That is the plan: swim first, climb afterwards, and let your legs warm up on the slope.
For full opening times and prices, go to the City of London Corporation pages on swimming opening times and swimming tickets. Time Out has a useful guide to Parliament Hill Lido and the Heath ponds.
