King's Cross Pond Club

 A while back, I heard about a special Art installation that was being created in the King's Cross area called King's Cross Pond Club. A special swimming pool that is actually a unique combination of natural and urban environments.  I couldn't imagine swimming open air in a pond in King's Cross  but I adore swimming in lakes and rivers so I couldn't resist the opportunity to travel up to London today to experience it.

In the words of the website:

This is the UK's first ever man-made fresh water public bathing pond is a piece of innovative Land Art, within a working construction site area of London's King's Cross. The 40m long, natural, chemical-free pond is the creation of Ooze Architects (Eva Pfannes and Sylvain Hartenberg) and artist Marjetica Potrc. The pond was engineered and built by Europe's leading natural pool designers BIOTOP (http://www.biotop-natural-pool.com) and its UK partner, Kingcombe Aquacare Ltd.
Entitled 'Of Soil and Water': the King's Cross Pond Club, the piece encourages visitors to enter the water and participate in the installation as a piece of experiential art.

You have to go to the website to book in advance as they are only allowed to have 45 people per 4 hour session to ensure the pond is able to maintain its correct levels. It can cost anywhere between £3.50 and £6.50 depending on the time and the day you book.  My 10.30-2.00pm session cost me £5.

I walked through all the half-built buildings and expensive eateries and wondered how there could be a natural pool.  But there it was.

You get given a padlock for a locker and there are some pleasant picnic tables besides them.

I changed in the beachhut-style changing huts- they had enough room and a handy bench to sit  on.

I wandered with a bag with my towel, book and shower gel etc and wandered towards the hill where the pool is.

 You have to shower before entering.  Yes, that is a crane and a half-finished building behind them. Interesting juxtaposition eh?  The downside of the showers are they are cold.

The pool was empty when I walked up and looked most serene with a few people sitting on pool loungers.

 It was smaller than I expected but since there were only about 5 people there, it was perfect!

 If you like your pools heated, then be prepared: this pool is NOT heated- that's part of its natural process of cleansing and maintenance.  If you like a clean, fresh pool with no salt or chlorine, this is perfect. I loved the lack of salt and chlorine but unless you keep moving, on a day like today which was 18 degrees celsius in the water, it did get cold!  The great thing was that there were never more than 4 people in the pool at a time.  Apparently, according to the lifeguards, most people don't stay in the pool for longer than 20 minutes at a time.  I can understand that. It is cold and my teeth were chattering.

 What I loved was the contrast of the pool and the initial surroundings, so natural- there was a beautiful dragonfly who flew around for a while, and then the tall buildings, the building sites.  It was a weird contrast but very pleasing.

 It would be utterly idyllic on a scorching hot day, though it was still pleasant despite the lower temperature.

 I chatted to a pleasant German lady and we imagined the wildflowers would have looked beautiful in June when they were at their full glory.

 I do think that the pool is good value- I sat and read by the pool for a while and I could imagine spending a long time here. I arrived about 12pm so I had a good 2 hours there.

 One of the downsides of the eco-systems is you aren't allowed to eat by the pool. A picnic would be just delightful here.

The other downside is the fact that a warm shower would be very welcome with the chattering teeth I had.  Sadly not- it's cold shower city.  Shampoo and the suchlike is allowed though.

At the end of the session, around about 4 of us were changing at the same time in cubicles- they are ever so slightly  translucent changing huts, so I did huddle under my towel as I changed rather!

 I definitely recommend paying a visit to the King's Cross Pond Club.  Particularly if you have other plans in London as you could pay a visit here as part of your trip.  You can book up to two weeks in advance- Saturdays are popular though, so get in early!

xx