London has lidos and lakes aplenty, shady parks with deckchairs, but there’s something about the city that really feels unbearable on a summer’s day. Sometimes, the only way to escape the heat is to skip the city altogether, and luckily there are many beautiful boltholes outside the capital that are perfect for doing just that. We’ve rounded up five of our favorites below, from swanky Surrey hotels to stylish Cotswold manors, each with great swimming pools (plunge pools, you’re not welcome here) for long, lazy days and refreshing dips.
