The Netflix-famous sandy beach an hour from London with ‘excellent' water quality – and it's nowhere near the sea
Plus, the six cleanest beaches in the UK where you can safely swim in the sea this summer
SWIM SAFE The Netflix-famous sandy beach an hour from London with 'excellent' water quality – and it's nowhere near the sea
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NOT FAR from London is a sandy beach with beautiful waters - but surprisingly, it's nowhere near the coast.
Frensham Great Pond in Surrey is a Green Flag award-winning site with excellent water quality, making it a great swim spot, without venturing to the beach.
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Frensham Great Pond in Surrey has a sandy beach and clean swimming waters
Credit: Alamy
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It's a popular paddling and sailing spot in Farnham
Credit: Alamy
Frensham Great Pond, found between Farnham and Hindhead, is just an hour and a half drive away from London.
The pond is known for its sandy beach and is a popular spot for swimming, sailing and fishing.
According to the government website, the water quality at Frensham Great Pond has been "excellent" since 2021.
The most recent water sample was taken on June 24, 2025.
During the hot weather, Frensham Great Pond can get very busy with families picnicking on the beach and having paddles in the water.
But there are times when the pond is quiet - one swimmer wrote on Facebook earlier this month: "Cracking swim at the famous Frensham Ponds in Surrey. Had the whole place to ourselves, bliss!"
Another commented: "Lovely place for a stroll. Ideal for families for a swim in the pond. Enjoy the sandy beach with a picnic."
A third described it as a "wild fresh water swimming oasis."
The pond forms part of the larger Frensham Common, which is about 1,000 acres, including Frensham Little Pond.
During the summer months, there is occasional Blue-Green Algae and a sign will go up to warn swimmers about going in - but currently the pond is safe to swim in.
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Huts were created at Frensham Pond for Snow White and the Huntsman
Credit: Alamy
However, you can't swim in Frensham Little Pond because it's water quality isn't as good, and it's home to protected wildlife.
You might not have visited Frensham Pond in person, but there's a chance you've seen them on the big screen.
Frensham Pond has spent some time on both the big and small screen, it appeared in the 1999 film, The Mummy, for a Nile scene.
Snow White and the Huntsman, which had a cast including Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth, was filmed at Frensham Little Pond too.
The woods were used for forest scenes and Frensham Pond for a fishing village with huts being built on the shores.
Part of the 1960s classic Carry On Jack was filmed there too, as well as scenes for the fantasy series, The Witcher.
Frensham Little Pond was also the setting of Nimue's home village in the Netflix series, Cursed starring Katherine Langford.
For any keen coastal swimmers, here are the six cleanest beaches in the UK where you can safely swim in the sea this summer.
Plus, here are the three UK beaches named the best in Europe by Tripadvisor this year.
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