Trundling through trees in North London, tracing the course of an extinct Victorian-era railway line, the Parkland Walk is a traffic-free trek that can be explored in two parts, or done in one.
The southern section detailed here chugs along London’s longest linear nature reserve, a hidden (possibly haunted), wildlife-rich green corridor, stretching from Finsbury Park, around Crouch End to Highgate, passing ghost platforms and railway arches splattered with stunning street art.
A verdant link section through ancient woodlands leads to the northern half, which steams around Muswell Hill and climbs to the iconic antennae-topped broadcasting bastion of Alexandra Palace, delivering sensational views over London.
More London walks
- Kew Gardens to Richmond Park walk, London
- Finsbury Park to Stoke Newington walk, London
- Sydenham Hill Wood walk, London
- Bushy Park walk, London
Parkland Walk
Parkland Walk southern section: 2.5 miles miles / 4km | 1.5 hours | easy
Parkland Walk whole route: 4.9 miles / 8km | 3.5 hours | moderate
1. Start
From Finsbury Park Tube station, cross the road at the lights, turn left on Stroud Green Road, then bear right along the walkway just before the railway bridge, following Capital Ring link waymarkers into the great green expanse of the park – a wonderfully expansive alfresco playground for North Londoners since 1869. Keep going straight until you reach a T-junction with the main Capital Ring trail, and then turn left. Exit Finsbury Park across a footbridge over train tracks.
2. Parkland Walk
Immediately turn right and set off along the Parkland Walk proper, following a dismantled railway line upon which, from the late 1860s until 1970, trains puffed through London’s ‘Northern Heights’. The noisy locomotives are long gone and the route has been transformed into a peaceful path popular with walkers, runners and cyclists.
An oasis for local humans seeking to escape concrete, crowds and traffic, this elongated nature reserve is also home to all kinds of wildlife – from foxes and muntjac deer to myriad species of butterflies, birds and bats – and it provides a vital vehicle-free corridor for vulnerable nocturnal wanderers such as hedgehogs.
3. Stapleton Bridge Road
Stroll along the wide, unsealed path, which crosses the occasional road bridge but otherwise passes through a tunnel of trees with suburbia largely unseen on either side. Information boards provide details about local flora and fauna, explaining that over 60 species of bird inhabit this secret stretch of semi-wilderness, including finches, goldcrests, redpolls, jays, spotted woodpeckers, nuthatches and even the occasional kestrel. Keep going, across Stapleton Bridge Road and through more trees that shade an acid grassland habitat.
4. Crouch End Hill
Walk beneath two bridges, the sides of which are kaleidoscopically coloured with urban artwork. Pass a fingerpost pointing to Crouch Hill, but continue straight ahead towards Highgate (1 mile). Ignore a path rising to the left, and continue through the slightly surreal surrounds of an abandoned railway station – Crouch End Hill – complete with long-deserted platforms, which now stand incongruously on either side of the reclaimed track.
See if you can spot a man-sized figure emerging from one of the brick arches around here; this mythical creature is called a Spriggan, and it is rumoured to haunt this section of the path. The sculpture was created by artist Marilyn Collins, but the story behind it is thought to have inspired a Stephen King short story called Crouch End.
5. Stanhope Road
After you go under a bridge, the track rises slightly and becomes more densely wooded, with trees including cherry laurel, holm oak and holly, all festooned with ivy. Cross a bridge over Stanhope Road, and pass a garden on the right, by a couple of old fashioned street lamps, where Friends of the Parkland Walk have created a small woodland trail, complete with insect lodges, bug hotels, hedgehog houses, bat boxes, bird feeders and a frog pond, along with informative signage.
6. Boogaloo
As you approach Highgate, the old railway track trundles into the gloom of a long-ago blocked-off tunnel, while the Parkland Walk lurches left and emerges on Archway Road, near the brilliant Boogaloo, a legendary pub. You can bail here and head to Highgate tube station.
Optional: northern half of the Parkland Walk
If you want to do the second, northern half of the Parkland Walk, follow Capital Ring waymarkers right along Shepherds Hill and then through Queen’s Wood and Highgate Wood – two surviving remnants of an ancient woodland that once cloaked the entirety of London, and much of the country beyond – to Cranley Gardens. Here signage gets you back on track, to follow the old railway line around the flanks of Muswell Hill and up to Alexandra Palace, where you can enjoy views right across the capital.
Parkland Walk map
Parkland Walk - southern section (2.5 miles)
Parkland Walk - whole route (5 miles)
Useful information
Starting point
Start from Finsbury Park underground station (tube), which is on the Piccadilly and Victoria lines.
Finish point
The southern section of the Parkland Walk described here finishes near Highgate underground station, which is on the Northern Line (High Barnet branch). If you continue and complete the northern section, you will finish near Alexandra Palace overground train station.
Terrain
The path is a mixture of sealed and unsealed surfaces, but the dirt and gravel sections are hardpacked and easy to walk on. It is all wheelchair and pushchair friendly.
Map
OS Explorer 173 London North
Eat/drink/stay
Merro (instagram.com/merrocafe) is an excellent Crouch End café just beside the Parkland Walk, accessible from the abandoned platforms at old Crouch End Hill station (point 4).
The Boogaloo (theboogaloo.co.uk) is a legendary pub located at the end of the southern section of the Parkland Walk, which offers lots of ales, hearty food and regular live music sessions.
The Roseview Alexandra Palace Hotel (roseviewhotel.co.uk) offers boutique accommodation in Muswell Hill, between the southern and northern sections of the Parkland Walk
Need new walking kit? Check out our guides to the best walking boots, best walking shoes, best walking trousers, best walking socks, best walking sandals - and lots more.
