Swim in the city
Europe’s best urban dips
SUMMER IN THE CITY and the streets are oven-hot: tarmac shimmers, commuters melt and tempers are rising as fast as the mercury. How do you let off steam? Shuffle to the succour of aircon? Better still, why not strip off and slip into a gleaming lake, with the city skyline etched on the horizon beyond? For Kate Rew, founder of the Outdoor Swimming Society and author of Wild Swim (Guardian Books, £16.99), there’s nothing better. “Get in with intention – that’s the important thing with outdoor swimming. In 90 seconds’ time you will find your circulation’s kicked in, your skin will be nice and tingly, and you’ll be charged up. Bliss.”
ISLANDS BRYGGE, COPENHAGEN
The hale and hearty Danish are bonkers for an outdoor dip. Their first Copenhagen harbour pool – Havnebadet Islands Brygge, a strip of impeccably clean water sectioned off in the harbour at islands Brygge – opened in 2002. A second pool opened at Havnebadet Fisketorvet in 2005 and a third follows for 2011. www.sport.kk.dk/islandsbryggebad
STRANDBAD WANNSEE, BERLIN
Dating from the heyday of lido glamour, the Strandbad – occupying the eastern shore of the Wannsee lake in south-west Berlin – is the largest inland lido in Europe, sprawling along 1,275 metres of biscuity beach shipped in from the Baltic. Deckchairs, beach huts and bracing water – the definition of retro fun. www.strandbadwannsee.de
MASCHSEE LAKE, HANOVER
Close to Hanover’s New City Hall and Machine Park, Maschsee is a 2.4 kilometre-long lake originally built to reduce the risk of flooding. Now it is a top leisure-hours hangout, hemmed by a cycle track, and its bather’s beach is popular all summer long. www.hanover.de
HAMPSTEAD PONDS, LONDON
The walk up Parliament Hill to Hampstead Heath affords one of the best views of London. As well as spectacular neo-classical Kenwood House, the heath has several swimming ponds, single and mixed sex. Then after all that hard work, quench your thirst the British way, at one of the heath’s many traditional pubs. www.heathandhampsteadsociety.org.uk
LAKE ZURICH, ZURICH
Along with precision clocks and ski resorts, crystal-clear streams are perhaps one of the things that come to mind when you think of Switzerland. Zurich’s no exception – locals need little prompting to dive into sparkling Lake Zurich when the city heats up. For riverbathing, check out the Schanzengraben for men and the Frauenbadi Stadthausquai for women. www.visitzurich.org
Sally Howard
