The Kenwood Ladies' Pond is a private place and photography is not allowed inside unless you get permission first. Here is the entrance and the famous sign on the railings.
This is the path leading away from the pond onto Millfield Lane.
A view over the bird pond next to the Ladies' Pond. I have seen kingfishers raise a family here.
The chalkboard sign that is updated every day, indicating the temperature of the pond.
A view over the empty Ladies' Pond in winter. You can see there are rings anchored in the water and a boundary rope across the pond keeping swimmers near to the ladders.
Another chalk board sign indicating the wildlife in and around the Ladies' Pond. The edges of the pond are vulnerable to human activity so we are always encouraged to swim well away from the edges and to avoid nesting birds.
This is a view from the heath onto the tree canopy surrounding the Ladies' Pond. Taken in the summer when the wildflowers are blooming and the tall grasses are turning to straw.
This is the old dairy building in the grounds of Kenwood, Hampstead Heath. I liked the idea of a small house standing alone on the heath but when I wrote Where Water Lies, the house is much smaller and more covered with vegetation.
A view of Kenwood House. In the foreground you can see my dog, Luna, and her best friend Maggie, a welsh border collie who is obsessed with chasing tennis balls. I like the name Maggie and used it for a character in Where Water Lies.
This is the pond my dog likes to paddle in. Taken in September, you can see the mist rising from the surface of the water. The cordon you can see stops the dogs venturing into deep water and provides a welcome separation from the ducks and moorhens who swim and nest there.
Wildflowers and grasses in the meadows of Hampstead Heath, taken in July.
The heath and meadow east of Kenwood house. This is where I imagined Eliza walking with Iris as she recovered from her injury.
