Want to escape British heat?

Feeling hot and bothered?

Colwell Bay, Isle of Wight

I was lucky enough to spend the first week of the British heatwave in the Isle of Wight, which was every bit as beautiful as the Mediterranean in the July sunshine. My favourite place to keep cool was The Hut (01983 898637; thehutcolwell.co.uk, booking essential), a stylish new bar and restaurant at Colwell Bay – so close to the beach that you can paddle or swim between courses. It’s already drawing crowds of locals and holidaymakers for its short, well-prepared lunch and dinner menu, friendly young staff, great cocktails and superb terrace views of a yacht-filled Solent. It’s west-facing, so makes a great spot for an evening drink, and there are weekend evening barbecues, weather permitting. If you arrive by boat and anchor offshore, a tender from the restaurant will ferry you to and from the beach. 

You want to keep cool in summer in Norfolk? You need a building with thick walls, a paved floor and very high ceilings. Luckily, there are more than 600 medieval churches in the county – one of the richest veins of architectural heritage in Britain. Among the most impressive are Salle (10 miles from Norwich), built as a single project in the early 15th century, big and amazingly well preserved, and now in the middle of nowhere; South Creake (pictured), with its painted angels high on the hammer beams; and Blakeney, with its 13th-century chancel and recently discovered graffiti of medieval sailing boats on the nave piers. There is no better time to explore and enjoy these wonderful buildings than in high summer: grasshoppers whirr in the graveyards, sun streams through the stained glass, and the cool, slightly musty air – which can be bone-chilling for much of the year – is a real bonus. 

Want to feel the wind in your hair? A cool sea spray wash across your face? Your heart skip several beats as you cling on for dear life on a white-knuckle water ride? Then a Zapcat experience is for you. Capable of reaching 50mph in just three seconds, turning on a sixpence and leaping clear of the water, these high-speed miniature powerboats are not for the faint-hearted, but will wake anyone from a sun-baked beach slumber. I tried mine in Brighton, but there are opportunities all along the South Coast, from Bournemouth to the Solent

The three ponds on Hampstead Heath offer extraordinary oases from the stresses of urban life – and are fabulous places to cool down when the heat is on. The prettiest is the Ladies’ Pond, a picturesque spot surrounded by trees on the Highgate side of the Heath and close to the (slightly less secluded) Men’s Pond. On the Hampstead side, the smaller Mixed Pond is another lovely haven, in which the cooling waters are shared with ducks, storks and swans.

These are wonderful refuges for those seeking something akin to beach life in the heart of London, though at weekends they can be extrmely crowded. Go instead at 7am on a weekday and reconnect with the magic. Get there by Tube to Golders Green, Hampstead or Kentish Town; by train to Hampstead Heath or Gospel Oak. 

Wild swimming in Skye

Plunge into Glen Brittle’s Fairy Pools in the Isle of Skye. Set against the imposing backdrop of Sgurr an Fheadain, this series of cascading waterfalls and emerald-green pools offers wild swimming at its elemental best. Too cold to dip a toe? You’ll still find much to admire in the pebbled depths – including an underwater arch – and the surrounding scenery. The pools are signposted from the B8009 near Merkadale.

Recline at the hotel pool

While everyone else heads for the seaside to cool down, you can head for the hills – or Hampshire at least. Despite the dodgy weather, Britain is surprisingly well stocked with hotels with inviting outdoor pools. Perhaps the best known – or should that be notorious? – is the one at Cliveden, the 1850s mansion built in a blend of English Palladian and Roman Cinquecento style. John Profumo met Christine Keeler at a house party here in 1961, setting in motion the events that would lead to his resignation. She was supposedly basking in the pool when he first laid eyes on her.