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Home , Capital Ring, Cherry Tree Wood, Dollis Brook, Dollis Valley Greenwalk, East Finchley, Finchley

Capital Ring section 11 page 1

Section 11 of 15 Park to

Section start: Nearest station to start: Hendon Central ()

Section finish: Priory Gardens, Highgate

Nearest station to finish: Highgate (Northern line)

Section distance 5.0 miles plus 0.6 miles of station links Total = 5.6 miles (9.0 km)

Introduction This walk passes through many green spaces and ancient woodlands on firm pavements and paths.

The walk is mainly level but there are some steep ups and downs and rough ground, especially at the end towards Highgate station. This may be difficult for wheelchairs and buggies but it can be avoided by taking a parallel route.

Interesting things to see along the way include the lake in Brent Park, once a duck decoy, the statue of La Délivrance at Road, Garden dating from 1907, the distinctive Underground station opened in 1939 with its famous archer statue and the three woods - Cherry Tree, Highgate and Queen’s Woods - all remnants of the ancient forest of .

There are pubs and cafés at Hendon Central, Northway, East Finchley, and Queen’s Wood. There are public toilets at Highgate Wood and Queen’s Wood. There is an Underground station at East Finchley, as well as bus stops along the way.

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Capital Ring section 11 page 2

Walking directions Turn left out of Hendon Central station then left again to walk along Queen's Road. Cross the road opposite Hendon Park gates at the Capital Ring signpost and enter the park. Turn right and walk alongside the tennis courts, with the tennis courts on your left and the cafe/toilets on your right. Turn left at the cafe on a path that runs down to the edge of the park with the railway on the right.

At the second path junction, with the railway footbridge on your right, turn left to join the main Capital Ring route. There are Capital Ring signs on a lamp post here.

Updated by members of the Ramblers for In this format: text © Ramblers 2020, maps © OpenStreetMap Downloaded from: http://innerlondonramblers.org.uk/capital-ring

Capital Ring section 11 page 3

Walk through the park exiting left onto a road (Shirehall Lane). Turn right at a Capital Ring signpost (that is twisted out of line) along Shirehall Close and then left at a T-junction into Shirehall Park. Follow the road left around the bend and then turn first right, as signed, to reach Brent Street.

When you reach Brent Street, cross at the traffic island just to the left and Did you know? then turn right, as signed, to walk towards the busy . The North Circular was Before crossing the river on the Brent Street road bridge, turn left onto a built in the 1920s and is considered the noisiest footpath that cuts the corner and runs down towards the river. (The is no road in Britain. waymark.) Look for a bridge on your right. Cross the bridge and you will be in Brent Park. After the Bridge turn left and follow the path along the .

Alternative route If the path from Brent Street into Brent Park is closed, stay on Brent Street to cross the river on the road bridge towards the main road ahead. Turn left along the North Circular Road. After about 100 yards turn left to enter Brent Park at a Capital Ring signpost down a steep slope to join the path along the River Brent. Did you know? The Decoy lake in Brent Park was dug as a duck The route now runs by the River Brent, roughly parallel with the North decoy to lure wildfowl Circular, for about 700 yards. Follow the path keeping the river on your left. for the table; the You will come to a small wooden post with a green Capital Ring waymark, surrounding woodland follow it to turn left across a small bridge. Bend right over the bridge with is called Decoy Wood. Brent Park became a the Decoy lake now on your right and the river on the left. public park in 1934.

Leave the park, passing a waymark, and turn left onto a road (Bell Lane to the left and Bridge Lane to the right). Cross over and soon turn right into Brookside Walk just before the bridge across the river. Here you join the which you follow to and beyond.

After about 50 yards you cross a bridge over where it flows in from the right to join the forming the River Brent. Take care to turn right here to follow the path alongside Mutton Brook which is signed as the Dollis Greenway South. Follow this path, passing the children’s playground on your left, under the bridge that carries North Circular Road above. Keep ahead along a tarmac path, ignoring cross paths and turnings, keeping Mutton Brook on your right until you go up a short, steep slope to reach the Finchley Road. Here there are bus stops for buses to Underground station.

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Capital Ring section 11 page 4

Cross both carriageways of the Finchley Road at the two sets of lights. Did you know? Finchley Road was built Join the path ahead that is still part of the Dollis Valley Greenway. Continue around 1826. Just across the footbridge over Mutton Brook. Bear left, staying in the park at visible on the green, the first junction with an exit to a road (Addison Way). north of the North Circular Road, is La Towards the end of the park, bear right and then turn left onto Addison Way Délivrance, a bronze statue of a naked as waymarked. Then go straight on being very careful of turning traffic woman holding a sword when crossing a link to the busy road to the left. Cross the end of Oakwood by the French sculptor Road to join the main road (Falloden Way). (Here you leave the Dollis Emile Guillaume. Local Valley Greenway which goes off right.) Immediately after the road crosses names including 'Dirty Gertie', 'The Wicked Mutton Brook, take the footpath right at a Capital Ring signpost into Woman', and most Northway Gardens. is to the right of this park. popular 'The Naked Lady'.

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Capital Ring section 11 page 5

Carry straight on through Northway Gardens over a crossing path and go Did you know? Hampstead Garden past tennis courts first to the right and then to the left, and community Suburb was promoted flowerbeds as waymarked. Keep left where the path forks and leave the by Dame Henrietta park up the slope. There are cafés here. Cross Northway and keep ahead Barnett in 1907 and to enter another section of the riverside park. Follow the path to Kingsley principally planned by Sir , Way where you turn right then left immediately after crossing the bridge. with contributions from many leading You enter Lyttelton Playing Fields. At the notice board bend right along the architects. Designed to wider path and then curve left past the play area, pavilion, tennis courts create a range of house and bowling green, all on your left. (You may spot a sign post that suggests styles and sizes, the suburb offers many that the route goes behind the tennis court next to the brook but the route open spaces, described here works well.) There is a café in the pavilion, open every day pedestrian walkways except Saturday. Leave the park by a narrow lane between hedges. Turn and beautiful mature trees. left into Norrice Lea at a Capital Ring signpost. Pass the 1956 red-brick Hampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue with its classical stone portico.

At the T-junction, cross over the dual Lyttelton Road at the pedestrian Did you know? Kingsley Way is part of lights. Turn right and then first left into Vivian Way. Immediately go right at the later suburb added the signpost still on Vivian Way crossing the ends of Totnes Walk, Devon in the 1930s. The Rise and Harford Walk following waymarks on lamp posts and on a housing here is built to higher densities with wooden post. At the end of Vivian Way follow the Capital Ring signpost left less character and onto Deansway and then another sign post right onto Edmunds Walk. distinction due to increased building Fork right past a triangle of grass then keep ahead on a narrower path that costs. is still Edmunds Walk. Follow the signs to turn right at the T-junction onto another path, ‘The Causeway’. Turn left to cut through the station to the right of the ticket barriers.

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Capital Ring section 11 page 6

Alternative route Did you know? If the station is closed carry on, past the station entrance, down the path to East Finchley station was originally opened reach the Great North Road, then turn left under the bridge to reach the as East End station in pedestrian lights and rejoin the route. 1867 by the Great Northern Railway. It was Look back and up above the station entrance to see the 10-foot tall figure later demolished and of the Archer by , pointing down the line towards central re-built to an art deco London. The archer represents Finchley's ancient association with hunting design by Charles Holden. Underground in the nearby Royal Forest of Enfield. services began running in 1939. Cross the dual carriageway at the pedestrian lights, turn right and bear left just before the bridge to enter . Keep straight on, guided by the map at the entrance and the waymarks. Notice the low-lying field which used to be watercress beds.

Leave the park just after the empty café building through a metal gate with fox outline and across the end of Indigo Walk. Keep ahead, slightly left, on Fordington Road.

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Capital Ring section 11 page 7

Bear right into Lanchester Road at the mini-roundabout at the junction with Did you know? Woodside Avenue. At the Capital Ring signpost after 50 yards, take the Owned and managed steep tarmac path on the left which climbs and bends right to enter by the Corporation of London, Highgate Wood Highgate Wood at Bridge Gate. with its 28 hectares of Enter by fine metal gates with their images of animals, and keep straight probably dates from the on to the drinking fountain. Turn right at the waymark near a drinking last ice age. Part of the fountain along a tarmac track to reach the next junction. At a crossing track Ancient Forest of Middlesex, the wood (just before the toilets and a cafe ahead) turn left as signposted. Keep features in both the ahead at the next junction then continue over a crossing track bearing right and to follow the path which runs parallel to the road. At a fork, drop down to more recently the Bishop of London's the left, as waymarked, to exit Highgate Wood through New Gate. estate.

Cross Road by the pedestrian lights and immediately enter Queen's Wood Local Nature Reserve on the path ahead.

Follow the path downhill to the Eco-house Lodge, which has a café. Fork right at the café downhill past a small pond on the right. At the bottom follow the waymarks up the hill ahead. Curve left after some wide steps, then take a right fork, as waymarked. Cross the road (Queen's Wood Road) to continue on the path ahead.

Keep along the path, veering left after crossing another path as waymarked. Go down wide steps to a junction with a tarmac path at the bottom. Follow the signpost to go right up a steep slope to Priory Gardens.

At Priory Gardens, turn right and follow the road towards Highgate Underground station.

Next steps This section ends on Priory Gardens. To continue to Section 12, turn left at a signpost, walking up a steep narrow path between house numbers 63 and 65.

To reach the end of this walk, continue in the direction of the Capital Ring Link sign for about 100 yards along Priory Gardens to reach the Highgate Station entrance at the end of the road.

Updated by members of the Ramblers for Transport for London In this format: text © Ramblers 2020, maps © OpenStreetMap Downloaded from: http://innerlondonramblers.org.uk/capital-ring