Highgate to Stoke Newington

Penelope, Susan and Nadia

We held the second in our series of walks today. The weather wasn't as warm as three weeks ago, but at least it didn't rain. We are still only four (Penelope Soteriou, Nadia Bernaz, Susan Scott-Hunt and myself). A few who promised to join us didn't make it, possibly because of the delayed effects of St. Patrick's Day celebrations last night. Highgate underground station was the starting point. Highgate is famous for its cemetery, where Karl Marx is buried, and for other reasons too. 

From the Highgate tube, the route goes almost immediately to the Parkland Walk. It is actually the right of way of a former railway line, that operated from 1867 to 1970, that went from Finsbury Park to Alexandra Palace and Edgware. Now it is a nature reserve, and there are even some deer although we didn't see any today.

At one point, the Parkland Walk passes through an abandoned station. All that remains are the platforms. There are other signs of railway activity, including various bridges and arches. There has been a lot of decorating by graffiti artists. The route was filled with other walkers, people strolling with their dogs, and many joggers.

Former Crouch End rail station.

Graffiti-covered arches and a spriggan.

Viaduct over the main London to Scotland rail line.

The Parkland Walk continues for perhaps 3 km. At the end, it passes over the main London to Scotland railway line. Then the route enters Finsbury Park. There are some lovely spots in the park, and a café with seats reserved for dog owners!

Café in Finsbury Park with a "Seating area for dog owners".

 The route leaves the Park and then runs along the New River. The path is not paved and it was quite muddy in places. On the right is the Woodberry Down Estate, which is the largest council housing estate in all of Britain. On the left, are industrial sites. Eventually, the path comes to the end of the New River and to two reservoirs. In one of them, there were sailboats and kayaks.

Along the New River.

Swan building a nest on New River.

The Castle was formerly the pumping station.

 After leaving the reservoirs, the route crosses Clissold Park and then reaches Church Street in Stoke Newington. We'd been walking for a couple of hours without a real break, and quickly found a place to have lunch. We stopped in the Fox Reformed, which sits on the site of a former school where Edgar Allan Poe was a student for three years when his father was working in England. The food was delicious: pies made with sweet potato and goat cheese, and beef and stilton cheese. We lingered over wine and desert before deciding to make our way home.

But the high street beckoned. It has some lovely shops, including Homage, where some members of the group indulged in a bit of retail therapy. The Daniel Defoe pub acknowledges one of Stoke Newington's famous residents.

It was a great walk, refreshing and informative. A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Please join us on 8 April for the third segment. We start at Stoke Newington, at the rail station, and end at Hackney Wick.

Old churchyard and burial ground in Stoke Newington.

The Fox Reformed.

Formerly a fountain pen repair shop.

Shops in Stoke Newington.

More photos of the first walk

These photos were taken by Sandra Schulberg on yesterday’s walk.

The first walk: 26 February from Hendon Central to Highgate

We did the first walk, from Hendon Central underground station to Highgate, on a gorgeous February day. It was about 11 or 12 degrees with the sun shining. A great beginning. The group consisted of Penelope Soteriou, Nadia Bernaz, Sandra Schulberg (who is visiting from New York City) and myself.
From Hendon Central we walked to Hendon Park, to the path itself. This is where we will finish, 15 Sunday afternoons from now.

Sandra, Penelope and Nadia under the waymark where we met the path, in Hendon Park

While in Hendon Park, we met a man who was setting up an elaborate amateur radio antenna. He is an inventor, trying to develop a better, lightweight antenna.

Our inventor friend, explaining how his antenna works.

Sign at the exit from Hendon Park.

We left the Park and headed towards the North Circular Road. There is a short stretch on the footpath beside the busy road (said to be the noisiest road in the UK), and then we left the road into Brent Park. The path follows the River Brent, and then a succession of other little brooks and rivers until it reaches the northern part of the Hampstead Garden Suburb.

Two male mallards chasing a female. There was a lot of this sort of thing going on in the River Brent. Something to do with spring, it seems.

Pit stop at the Chestnut café, in the Marketplace.

We continued through the parks that line the Garden Suburb. There were many lovely displays of crocuses and a few daffodils, although it is still a bit early for them.

Patch of crocuses.

The path continues through the Lyttelton Playing Fields. The parks end for a little while, and it passes through a lovely residential neighbourhood near East Finchley tube station. From East Finchley it is back to the parks: Cherry Tree Wood and Highgate Wood.

Metal gates at the entrance to Highgate Wood.

The parks are remnants of the ancient Forest of Middlesex. The walking was quite strenuous in parts, and a lot of climbing to get to the official end of this segment of the path, at Highgate underground station. All told, it was 5.5 miles. It took us nearly three hours, including a nice stop for coffee and cake.

Windowshopping in Highgate village.

We finished the afternoon with a leisurely lunch in Highgate village.
Please join us for the next walk, on March 18. We pick up where we left off, at Highgate underground station, at 11 AM.