Heath to , starting at LSW the summit of Camden 5

Start — 300m SSW of NW3 7JD

Finish Swiss Cott age station () — NW3 6HY

Distance 3.27km

Duration 43 minutes

Ascent 38.4m

Access Bus stop at start of section. Swiss Cott age station at end of section. Buses at the foot of Hampstead Heath, on Rosslyn Hill, and on Fitz john’s Avenue en route.

Facilities All facilities at the foot of Hampstead Heath. Shops and pub on Rosslyn Hill en route. All facilities at end of section.

5.1 Start at Hampstead Heath bus stop (bus). 0m

5.2 Down path on E side of Spaniards Road, bearing R to contour the top of 1300m open land; L down path to E of Vale of Health; pass pond; keep L of houses to R; R to East Heath Road at car park.

5.3 Cross East Heath Road; ahead on Downshire Hill; R on Rosslyn Hill; L on 800m Shepherd’s Walk to Fitz john’s Avenue.

5.4 L on Fitz john’s Avenue; Spring Path; R on Shepherd’s Path; L on Fitz john’s 1170m Avenue; R pvt; College Crescent to Swiss Cott age stn outside Ye Olde Swiss Cott age Inn.

© 2017-21 IG Liddell London Summits Walk 5 – 1 This section of the 5.1 London Summits Walk begins at the bus stop on Spaniards Road named Hampstead Heath, between the Spaniards Inn (to the north) and the former inn of Jack Straw’s Castle (to the south). The 210 bus route which serves the stops here links shopping centre and Finsbury Park station, via The key navigation point and Village. towards the Vale of Health, Hampstead Heath Once on the east side of Spaniards Road, take a path 5.2 which drops into the woodland of the Heath. This path bends gradually rightwards as you descend, until you reach an open patch of grass. Make for the top right corner of the grass, where you will see a large waste-box which is panelled in wood. Beside the waste-box, you will fi nd a tarmac path (with a dog-waste container on its other side): the words No Cycling are stencilled on the ground at the top of the path. This is your way forwards and downwards. This path leads down into the Vale of Health, past a parking zone for a ramshackle assortment of caravans and lorries, and alongside a pond on the right-hand side. Why should these caravans keep their quarters in an area more associated with such world-famous luminaries as Rabindranath Tagore, DH Lawrence and Michael Foot? Before the litt le hamlet of housing in the Vale of Health grew up, this was a boggy area of no real consequence, and became the site of fairgrounds. Land was bought by one of the fairground families, and it still houses the paraphernalia of the pleasure-drome today, particularly during the winter off -season. At the far end of the pond, do not take the higher, right-hand path, but keep ahead on a steady descent. Repeat this “left option to descend” to reach some buildings on your right: just keep straight ahead. Beyond the buildings, you will see a rough car park: pass to its left, then turn right at its far end to reach East Heath Road at its junction with Downshire Hill. This is where you will leave Hampstead Heath. From this point, a short descent along the road to your left will lead you to all the facilities of this corner of the Heath, including Hampstead Heath station (Overground services) and the Hampstead Heath bus terminus, with services to , along with many shops and dining establishments of all sorts.

5 – 2 London Summits Walk © 2017-21 IG Liddell Cross East Heath Road, then go 5.3 straight ahead to follow the right- hand pavement of Downshire Hill past (or, if time and intent coincide, via) the Freemason’s Arms to the next crossroads on Rosslyn Hill. Rosslyn Hill is part of a continuous climb by road of almost 100m to Hampstead. The Royal Free Hospital nearby was established as a Fever Hospital, and was requisitioned as a smallpox hospital during the epidemic of 1876-77, much to the evident discomfort of many of the well-to-do residents of this part of Hampstead. Over the years, this area has been home to Cabinet ministers and socialites, and to other celebrated people such as Sir Rowland Hill (who established the Penny Post and issued the Penny Black stamp in 1840) and Sir Richard Steele, founder of the Spectator. Turn right, up the hill, then fi rst left up Shepherd’s Walk. This becomes a pedestrian path which climbs to the left of the Royal Mail building to come out onto Fitz john’s Avenue. The source of the is here: the “Spring Path” which veers off downhill to the left of the road is a bit of a hint as to exactly Shepherds Walk, where. The River Tyburn fl ows (almost entirely underground between Rosslyn Hill these days) past Swiss Cott age, through the Regent’s Park and and Fitz john’s Avenue (it is the ‘bourne’ in that area’s name), and onwards via , Green Park and , reaching the Thames just Spring Path, upstream from Bridge. Fitz john’s Avenue Turn left: Spring Path leads down to 5.4 another Shepherd’s Path: turn right here to re-join Fitz john’s Avenue, where turn left. From here, it is straight down Fitz john’s Avenue (the right-hand pavement is to be recommended). This area of Hampstead is associated with Sigmund Freud, who practised in his home in Maresfi eld Gardens (the road parallel to Fitz john’s Avenue to the west) after leaving Nazi Austria in 1938: after his daughter Anna’s death, his home became a museum. Continue down Fitz john’s Avenue until it runs into College Crescent and then joins

© 2017-21 IG Liddell London Summits Walk 5 – 3 Ye Olde Swiss Cott age Inn Road at Ye Olde Swiss Cott age — and also at Ye Newere Swiss Cott age station on Ye Jubilee Line. The pub which bears the name of Ye Olde Swiss Cott age only received its exterior cladding of arch fake-Swissery during the 1960s, when an old dairy building, which had become the Cott age Grill, was demolished. There had been an inn at the tollgate hereabouts on the called the Swiss Tavern, which was built in 1804 in the style of a Swiss chalet, but that inn has long gone. The current pub is of signifi cantly later date. Those looking for Helvetic authenticity will therefore be somewhat disappointed: others may have varying degrees of disappointment in the rather old-style food off erings, and in the barn of an interior, so reminiscent of many roadhouse pubs of the mid-twentieth century which turned up on housing estates and by-passes across the country and which are increasingly morphing into branches of Tesco Express. The station marks the end of this section: as well as the adjacent inn, there are all facilities along Finchley Road to the north, and many buses ply the route south into central London. In addition to the Swiss Cott age Inn, Finchley Road (to the north) off ers a broad range of shops and cafés: users of the Metropolitan Line may fi nd it easier to walk past these shops to Finchley Road station, a litt le over 500m from Swiss Cott age station.

5 – 4 London Summits Walk © 2017-21 IG Liddell