Hampstead heath gay pond
Hampstead Ponds
The men&#;s pond is certainly frequented by gays, among many others, including orthodox jews (whose religion requires gender segregated swimming), fathers and sons and all sorts of others. The reputation it has for being cruisey is a minuscule unfair. At most, I possess been looked up and down once or twice but never accosted in any way, and neither has any other straight man I know, despite using the showers naked etc.
Anyway it might benefit most straight men to be looked up and down like that once in a while to remind us how we make most women feel most of the time!
The lawn outside the gates of the men&#;s pond area is actually more of a cruising ground really, but even when I have sat there to dry off, minding my have business, I have never been accosted. It&#;s amusing to verb the men wearing the sort of budgie smugglers that might get some strange looks elsewhere on the heath, but to be honest, unless you commence staring and eyeing up the gay men there, giving a signal that you might be interested in them, you are unlikely to be of much interest to them!
Despi
Hampstead Heath Bathing Ponds
Hampstead Heath London
Website
Hampstead Heath’s three ‘bathing ponds’ – Men’s, Ladies’ and Mixed – have been popular with swimmers since Victorian times, and in summer, when the rain temperature can hit 24ºC, they are entirely wonderful. The Men’s and Ladies’ Ponds, over on the east side of the Heath (known as ‘Highgate Ponds’), are delightfully big, so you can get your exercise just by swimming around, rather than up and down like in a municipal pool. The Mixed Pond, over to the west (amid the ‘Hampstead Ponds’), is a smaller area and tends to be a bit more crowded. For the best swim, proceed segregated, unless you have youthful kids – the Men’s and Ladies’ ponds are for over-eights only, and anyone under 15 has to be accompanied by an adult. Segregation also means that the pools have adj and particular followers – the men’s pond draws in North London’s Hassidic population, and both pools have something of a gay reputation, with enclosures for nude sunbathing. But there’s nothing exclusive or intimidating about this.
The Men’s and Ladies’ Pon
Hampstead Heath Ponds
This has been the busiest & most popular Gay Cruising ground in London, if not the world. Hampstead Heath is located Northwest of Central London north of Camden. There are 2 separate cruising ground in Hampstead Heath. Gay West Heath - Main cruising ground The west section of north London's Hampstead Heath. It is located just up the hill from Hampstead Tube Station on the Edgware Branch of the Northern Line. Follow Heath street(A) towards north until you extend the artifical Whitestone Pond on the left adjacent to Jack Straws Castle apartments; the main entrance onto the Gay West Heath is from behind the appartments car descent to the cruising area starts there.
Gay West Heath really is, like much of the gay scene, the most mixed of bags: lawyers get it on with barrow boys, multimillionaires with the unemployed - even celebrities with other celebrities. The male only Bathing Pond Hampstead Heath is in summer the hot spot for London boys to swim and cruise around. The Male Only swimming pond (Highgate Bathing Ponds) is to be found east section of the Ha
From “Cruising” to Calm: A Queer History of the Hampstead Ponds
Hampstead ponds have a more exciting history than you might expect
In amongst the chaos of city life lies a sleepy pocket of green called Hampstead Heath: in a little deeper and you can find Hampstead Ponds. Hampstead Ponds are usually frequented by elderly men and women who come to dive in the cold waters. For decades, no matter the weather, many have found the ponds a sanctuary, an oasis of calm and clarity in a hectic world. But for one community, the ponds have a more fruitful history.
“The heath” — as locals call it — is a collection of thirty bodies of water within the vast open woodland of North London. Originally the main ponds were dug out in the 17th and 18th centuries to cope with London’s growing liquid demands. But over the past century, the ponds have been frequented by Londoners looking for a leisurely swim and a wholesome chat.
What’s unique about the ponds is they are separated by gender: something relished in the past but divisive in the present. In May , the City of London, who administer