Icy You

The Mens' Bathing Pond at Hampstead Heath, London

A cold shower every morning, if you are physically fitted for it, is an excellent will exercise, which more than pays for itself in its effects upon your health. - Henry Hazlitt, The Way to Will-Power (1922)
Rupert Shortt reviews Pondlife: A Swimmer's Journal by the English critic/essayist/novelist/poet Al Alvarez (1929-):

"Among the other passions that define him is cold-water swimming, chiefly on Hampstead Heath. He has taken the plunge several times a week in all weathers for decades, unless ill or away. Pondlife: A swimmer’s journal is a paean to what the author knows as one of life’s three great Ss – the others are sex and sleep.

"Having won early acclaim as a poet and critic, Alvarez was smitten by the United States and almost settled there. But the pull of his roots in north-west London proved too strong. At the centre of this domain stands the heath. As well as offering a taste of the countryside through its hills and dells, it has eleven lakes or 'ponds', three of which (the Women’s, the Men’s and the Mixed) cater for swimmers. Stuck in his study, perhaps straining over a manuscript or review, Alvarez grows stiff and restless. The absence of cartilage in one of his ankles – the legacy of a botched operation after a climbing accident – is a source of constant pain. But once in the water, he finds that his agonies subside. For a man who eschews formal religion, this is his secular transport of delight.

"Temperature is a critical part of the alchemy. The Mixed pond, usually open only in summer, affords many pleasures, but warm water fails to supply the adrenalin fix Alvarez often craves. His spiritual spring comes during the autumn, at the Men’s pond, when the water temperature falls below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. What matters is the sting of immersion and the glow of well-being that follows. The science involved is straightforward. When you jump into cold water, your blood surges inwards to protect the body’s core, before racing back to the extremities. The glow, Alvarez explains, 'makes our bodies pink as though fresh-boiled. Added to the glow, and adding to it, is the wintry darkness of the sky, the stillness and the silence . . . . The result is an old man’s version of climbing a north face – a little challenge – just you and it'."

Fellow Men's Pond swimmer Shiatsu Mike on The joys of cold water swimming:

"Then there is the incredible feeling you get when you emerge from seriously parky water – especially on a clear, crisp day when the sun hangs low and douses the pond in golden light. For about a minute after you clamber out of the icy depths, your body glows bright red and you feel invincible.

"I’ve also found bathing in cold water very helpful in dealing with depression and grief. I first started swimming regularly at the Heath in the autumn after my partner Gus died. There’s nothing like plunging into freezing water on a cold winter’s day for bringing you into the present moment and helping you appreciate the beauty of the “now”. Every time I came out of the water and stood on the deck that winter felt like a small victory over bereavement and depression."