Stroll along this country lane and you are taken back to a time when the only way to travel was along highways like this one – before trains and traffic. But this path was once a railway line, and every now and again a crumbling station platform can be spotted as you make your way along the ridge and over the old railway bridges.
Start walking at Finsbury Park and you leave behind the noise and pollution of the city. Soon only the sound of birdsong can be heard and you can walk all the way to Highgate – this greenway is several miles long.
In late summer this is the perfect place to go blackberrying but at any time of the year you can appreciate the diversity of the plant and animal life that has sprung up all the way along the length of the walk.
There is an abundance of herbs – hops climb up trees, wild garlic, cow parsley and fennel can be spotted amongst the tangle of vegetation on both sides of the path.
Flowers by the path
A wild cherry tree blossoms and flowering mallow adds another colour to the nature’s palette along the way. Cabbage white butterflies and red admirals flit from leaf to leaf. At dusk bats dart around amongst the trees.
Wood pigeons waddle on the path, too plump to fly away until you are so near they must force themselves to move; robins, blackbirds, song thrushes, coal tits and wrens live in this elongated sanctuary and you may notice a nest tucked away in a hawthorn bush.
There are over 50 species of birds to see here.
Commuters who use Parkland Walk for their daily commute to and from work by cycling or walking or jogging enjoy the nature that surrounds them every day.
Walk from Finsbury Park Station Crouch Hill Station Highgate Station
North London map