Listen to Ruth talk about the Hampstead ladies pond on BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour (forward to 15m:35s)

Sometimes I can’t bear London. The noise, the pollution, the hordes of people. Coming back from somewhere else and arriving at the North Circular, regardless of the time you are hit by a sense of urgency. People desperate to get to places and people desperate to leave.

It makes London so absolutely worthwhile. Ironically, once you have been for a swim in the pond, you are ready for anything… and you can even begin to embrace London and appreciate its vitality.