For an exhilarating spring and summertime plunge, head to one of London’s outdoor pools. The water-filled clay pits on Hampstead Heath and the heated London Fields Lido (tel: +44 20 7254 9038; www.better.org.uk/leisure/london-fields-lido) are both favoured alfresco swimming spots by trendy Londoners, whilst King’s Cross Pond Club (tel: +44 203 818 6500; www.kingscrosspond.club) is a natural art installation you can swim in.
Things to do in London
Around 30 minutes’ north of London, hurtle along fast-flowing waters at the exhilarating Lee Valley White Water Centre (tel: +44 3000 030 616; www.gowhitewater.co.uk). Built for the 2012 London Olympics, visitors can learn basic rafting techniques before tackling the rapids and stomach churning drops along the choppy 300m-long (984ft) route.
Daredevils with a head for heights can scale the dizzying summit of the O2 dome (tel: +44 208 463 2000; www.theo2.co.uk), one of the city's iconic landmarks. Attached by a harness, adventurers who brave the 190m-high (623ft) rooftop walkway are rewarded with panoramic views, which are particularly stunning at dusk.
It may not be a sprawling green course, but Alexandra Palace’s pitch and putt (tel: +44 20 8365 2121; www.alexandrapalace.com) affords fantastic views over London. Elsewhere, Urban Golf (tel: +44 207 248 8600; www.urbangolf.co.uk) is technological in its approach play with state-of-the-art simulators instead of tees; and crazy golf fans should try Plonk Golf’s four courses (http://plonkgolf.co.uk).
Whether you kayak under Tower Bridge or join in at an underground concert, Secret Adventures (tel: +44 203 287 7986; http://secretadventures.org) shows visitors a side of London they haven’t seen before and, in the case of the secret skinny dip, perhaps don’t want to see again. Activities vary but are always wild. Book early.
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