Challenge: Part 2 of 2 in Micro-break! Day trips for under £50

The path in to Hampstead Heath

This past weekend I trekked up Hampstead Heath with a friend and her baby. We were in search of clean(ish) air, a cool breeze and a dip in the pond legendary bathing ponds (this last item was just for us grown-ups, though — babies are not allowed in the pools).

Now, technically speaking, a trip to Hampstead Heath does not count as a micro-break (which I have defined as an escape from London), but I challenge anyone to delve into this particular part of N5 and not feel as though they are very, very far indeed from the London hustle.

We went to the Kenwood Ladies’ Pond, which is easily accessible either by car (park near Kenwood House, a day out in itself) or by tube (Archway or Golders Green, then the 210 bus or a short walk). Parking was £5 and fairly limited.

From the car park area we walked down a wooded path towards the main of the heath. Just a few steps into the park and we could feel a grateful distance opening up between us and the roads, horns, mobile phones and related city noises.

At Kenwood House, we stopped at the Brew House Cafe for a sandwich (£3.20) and a coffee (£1.20). The food was fantastic – fresh bread, tasty fillings and not a hint of sogginess. The atmosphere was also hugely entertaining, with a lot of Dog People (you know the types) sharing human food with their canine companions and conversing loudly with said barking beasts. Amusing, but twenty minutes did it for us!

The Brew House Cafe at Kenwood House

Lunch complete, we loaded baby back into her pram and ambled over to the pond. It’s a hilly walk, but doable with a pram or, I would think, a wheelchair.

As babies are not permitted in the pond area (which is monitored by lifeguards), we took it in turns to swim whilst the other chilled out in the shade with the little one. We weren’t the only ones doing this, so if you have a small child and still want to swim, consider taking an adult sidekick and setting up camp just outside the fence.

View of the pond from just outside the fence

The pond was just amazing – more peaceful than the mixed pond, which I had been to before, and the water was slightly cooler (it’s also said to be cleaner). If you haven’t yet taken a dip in the ponds, you won’t know what you’re missing til you do.

The Kenwood Ladies' Pond

The water is gasp-worthy cold – and there’s a dock to jump off, so no wading in chicken style — but within five or six strokes I was loving it. The ponds are large enough to have a proper swim and they’re fringed with trees, so when you float on your back you can stretch out under the sky, trees all around you, and really feel a million miles away. It’s a perfect little micro-break.

Look to the sky

Admission to the ponds is £2 for adults and £1 for concessions. You can easily pack a picnic if you want to keep your micro-break as budget as possible. With parking, lunch and admission, I still left with change of a tenner – fairly impressive for such a gorgeous day out.

Total spend: £2 admission, £2.50 parking, £4.40 lunch = £8.90 Looking back to my last beachy day out (pre-oola days, of course!) the spend was closer to £50… which means a savings of £41.10!

Micro-break verdict: Another winner — I’m going back in two weeks!