Hampstead Heath

Hampstead Heath survived because a landowner, Thomas Maryon Wilson, spent decades trying to build on it and was blocked by parliament and by local opposition until his death in 1869, after which the Metropolitan Board of Works bought it. It is not landscaped: the ground is rough grass, gorse, hedgerow and old woodland, and the deliberate policy has been to keep it that way. Three ponds are open for swimming, one for men, one for women and one mixed, staffed by lifeguards and used year-round including through winter by regulars. Parliament Hill at ninety-eight metres holds another protected view of St Paul's. Kenwood House at the northern edge, remodelled by Robert Adam, holds a bequest including a Vermeer and a Rembrandt self-portrait and is free.

What you actually see

• The swimming ponds - men's, ladies' and mixed, open year-round with lifeguards.
• Parliament Hill - a protected view over the city skyline.
• Kenwood House - Adam interiors and a free art collection with a Vermeer.
• The rough heath - unlandscaped grass, gorse and ancient woodland.

When to go

April to September for the ponds at their most usable, though the regulars swim through winter at four degrees. Autumn colour in the woods is good. Weekends bring large crowds to Parliament Hill.

Honest expectations

Pond water is cold year-round and unheated, with winter temperatures near freezing; the ladies' pond in particular has long queues in summer heat. The heath is genuinely rough underfoot and muddy after rain. Navigation is confusing without a map.

Nearby

Kenwood House is at the northern edge; Hampstead village and Highgate lie either side.