The Sky Pool at Embassy Gardens, Nine Elms, south-west London

A swim in the sky

A lap in this sky pool may have you holding your breath, and not just because you're underwater. With the streets of London 10 storeys beneath, the view through the pool's clear bottom may prove a bit too scary for those without a head for heights. But swimming here is a one-of-a-kind experience, and for some lucky residents of these twin apartment blocks near the US embassy, an unusual way to pop in on the neighbours opposite.

The pool, which is suspended 115ft (35m) in the air, was manufactured in the USA, then shipped across the pond to its new home, high above Nine Elms in south-west London.