London’s beautiful and sprawling Hampstead Heath is home to three historic bathing ponds: the mixed pond close to Parliament Hill, Highgate Men’s Pond and Kenwood Ladies’ Pond. The latter pair are open year round, attracting hardy, ice-breaking swimmers, but also warmly welcoming newcomers willing to experience the thrill of slipping into cold water for the first time.

Ireland’s most famous wild swimming spot, The Forty Foot sits at the south of Dublin Bay in Sandycove. Swimming here is said to date back some 250 years, with James Joyce adding to its legend by having Buck Milligan enjoy an icy dip here in his seminal Ulysses.

Sydney is blessed with arguably the greatest ocean baths on the planet and picking just one to try is a challenge. But the spectacular Bronte Baths, adjacent to the beach of the same name, is hard to beat. While the ocean here can be wild, this sheltered pool provides the ideal way to taste that salty water and enjoy a wild swim on a scorching Australian summer’s day. There’s room for serious swimmers to stretch out, as well as shallow areas for younger swimmers to get some practice in.

Less than an hour’s drive from Cape Town, this charming, sheltered pool is bordered by colourful Victorian bathing boxes, making it perfect for a dip and a pic! There are natural rock pools with fascinating wildlife for kids to discover and a large man-made tidal pool with calm, relatively warm waters. It’s free to visit and open at all hours, but best enjoyed on a sunny day with a packed picnic.

Tucked away in Boekenberg park in the suburb of Deurne, Belgium, this beautiful pond is a swimmer’s paradise. The water is filtered using an ecological, reed bed system and is crystal clear, with a smart clubhouse and modern changing area adding to its allure. Between May and September it’s free to swim here, with members having the run of the pond during winter, when it often ices over.

At over 5000 square metres, Astoria Park Pool in New York City feels more like a lake than a swimming pool. Set within Astoria Park, in the shadow of the Robert F Kennedy Bridge, the pool was used for US Olympic trials in 1936 and 1964. The art deco buildings and bleachers are a fine example of New Deal-era architecture, offering the perfect space for a post swim picnic.