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North East London Group

We are the North East London Ramblers. We open the way for everyone in our local community to enjoy the pleasures of walking.

Join the Ramblers and enjoy

  • unlimited free access to 50,000 Ramblers group walks
  • a library jam-packed with thousands of tried-and-tested routes
  • a welcome pack teeming with top tips plus our Walk magazine
  • exclusive discounts from our partners
  • knowing your support is opening up more places to walk and helping more people discover the joy of walking

Overview

The walk begins at 10.30 from Highgate Tube Station and ends at Stoke Newington Station.

Please note we are meeting at the coffee stall at the Priory Gardens entrance to Highgate Tube Station

This section has a variety of green and watery spaces: a disused railway line, two parks,  a canal, two reservoirs and a cemetery. Most of the walk is on good paths and is flat, but there is a fairly steep climb at the start which can be avoided if desired by using an escalator from Highgate station then walking along the road to join the group near Jackson’s Lane Arts Centre.

There are no toilets at Highgate Station but we can use the ones in the Arts Centre, about five minutes into the walk.

The section starts with the Parkland Walk, a disused railway line now managed as a nature reserve. After a break near a café and toilets in Finsbury Park we will walk through the park and along the New River (a canal bringing fresh water to London from Hertfordshire). We will have lunch at Woodberry Wetlands, a reservoir now managed as a nature reserve. The Coal House Café has a fairly limited menu of baguettes and soup so you may wish to bring a packed lunch. There are picnic benches near the café, and toilets in the café.

Our route then takes us past the West Reservoir and through Clissold Park (with more toilets). After a short walk along Stoke Newington Church Street we reach Abney Park, a Victorian cemetery now managed as a park, with an interesting range of tombstones, most overgrown and ivy-clad. Stoke Newington Station (Weaver Line) is a short distance away, or there are lots of buses along Stamford Hill.

Wednesday, 6 August 2025
Start time:
10:30 am
Estimated finish time:
3:00 pm
Difficulty:
Leisurely
Distance:
9km / 5.6mi
Ascent:
N/A
Type:
linear

Features

  • Refreshments available (Pub/cafe)
  • Toilets available
  • No car needed

Starting point

Grid reference:
TQ 28535 88162
Nearest postcode:
N6 5UA
what3words:
united.engage.hello
Start time:
10:30 am

Finishing point

Grid reference:
TQ 33670 86907
Nearest postcode:
N16 6YA
what3words:
snail.stow.crate
Estimated finish time:
3:00 pm

Join the Ramblers and enjoy

  • unlimited free access to 50,000 Ramblers group walks
  • a library jam-packed with thousands of tried-and-tested routes
  • a welcome pack teeming with top tips plus our Walk magazine
  • exclusive discounts from our partners
  • knowing your support is opening up more places to walk and helping more people discover the joy of walking