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| Joining the Greenwalk |
We had a lovely day for this walk, and I'd say this was also the prettiest walk of the Capital Ring so far with it's beautiful gardens and woods. It was unexpected, and we made the most of it, stopping at all but one cafe along the route!
The walk started at Hendon Central tube station and we backtracked into Hendon Park and stopped at the cafe for a drink and to use the loos before setting off. We walked a little of the same path the previous walk ended on. However, we took a cut across the park and exited in a different place. There were then a succession of roads to walk down before an alternative route to avoid the busy North Circular Road. Here we saw the last remaining structures of the Brent Bridge Hotel, two sun pavilions either side of the River Brent. Following this path we ended up in Brent Park.
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| Hendon Park |
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| Hendon Park |
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| Two pavilions |
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| River Brent |
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| Decoy Lake |
The walk then joins the Dollis Valley Greenwalk, which we stayed on until Finchley Road and beyond. The path wanders along Mutton Brook until coming to a the Finchley Road where we crossed reaching the next part of the park. After that it isn't far to Hampstead Garden Suburb. This area is beautiful and we seemed to be walking from one park to another. Here we encountered the Toulous Cafe (where we stopped for tea and cake and loo break). The cafe is named after the toilets from which it was converted! Suitably refreshed, we set off, crossing the road to continue until the next park.
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| Loved the eco-friendly notice boards in these parks |
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| Hampstead Garden Suburb |
Littleton Playing Fields was the next green space. This was once the Bishop of London's hunting ground (13th century) after which there were a succession of roads to walk before coming to East Finchley station where on the front of the building you can see 10 foot figure of the Archer by Eric Aumonier pointing down the line to central London.
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| Littleton Playing Fields |
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| The Archer at East Finchley station |
After crossing the duel carriageway we entered Cherry Tree Wood, and continued into Highgate Wood. This was a most pleasant walk, and signposted really well. We found the granite disused drinking fountain with an inscription by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1802). Again we crossed a road and continued into Queen's Wood Local Nature Reserve. Here we came across the Queenswood Cafe, a quaint Eco-house Lodge, and once the Woodkeeper's Lodge built in 1898. We just could not pass this cafe without visiting. We just bought cups of tea and took them into the garden at the back. Here flowers and vegetables are grown, the vegetables are used in cafe dishes. This was so serene it was hard to drag ourselves away.
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| Your intrepid walkers by the drinking fountain |
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| Queenswood Cafe |
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| Cafe Garden |
It wasn't far until the end of the walk from here. We entered Priory Gardens, a leafy road with some most interesting (and expensive) houses. Highgate tube station was just ahead.
Can any of the last four walks be as pretty? I'm not sure, but London always surprises me, so watch this space.
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| The end of the walk |
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