Hampstead Heath

Terrible, but true, having lived in London for over eight years, last week was my first ever visit to Hampstead Heath! And I'm already planning my next one!

Hopped on the Jubilee Line going north, then switched to the Overground at West Hampstead. Only two stops to Hampstead Heath and we were there.

The 790 acre heath is sprawling and vast - we only saw a fraction of its woodlands, trails, meadows and ponds.

Hampstead Heath is famous for its outdoor Bathing Ponds (Ladies' Pond, Men's Pond and Mixed Pond), as well as its Parliament Hill Lido. To find out more about Hampstead Heath's swimming ponds, opening and closing times, charges and cold water swimming guidelines, visit The City of London's Swimming page here.

Pond View

Bathing Pond

Heath Trails

The beautiful Kenwood House sits towards the northern boundary of Hampstead Heath, and has been used as a filming location for Notting Hill and 1995's Sense and Sensibility.

Originally built in the early 17th century, it was expanded and redesigned by Scottish architect Robert Adam after being purchased by William Murray (Lord Mansfield) and his wife Elizabeth Finch in 1754 as their weekend country villa.

With no children of their own, Lord Mansfield and his wife raised their niece Anne Murray, and great-nieces Elizabeth Murray and 'Dido' Elizabeth Bell at Kenwood House. Elizabeth and Dido's portrait can be seen below, though the original now hangs at Scone Palace in Scotland.

Kenwood House

Dido Bell & Elizabeth Murray

Kenwood Library

Library

Entry to Kenwood House is FREE (with a suggested donation of £5). There are some incredible rooms to explore, we even stumbled upon a talk outlining Kenwood's impressive art collection (including works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Gainsborough and more).

There is a lovely cafe on-site to grab a cup of tea, a bite to eat or to rest up your feet after a day of walking the Heath. I also hear there are some amazing pubs surrounding heath which we'll have to explore on our next visit ;)

What are some of your favourite spots in Hampstead Heath? Tweet me @StephanieRuth24

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