From the hills of Highgate to the woods of Hampstead. Views, tombs, pubs, history and the Pergola walk. Welcome to north London!
| Time | ~ 4 hours |
| Starts | Highgate tube station |
| Ends | North End Way, bus to Hampstead tube station |
| Highlights | Highgate Cemetery, Kenwood House, , Spaniards Inn, Hill Garden & Pergola |
1. Highgate tube station
The old Highgate station was a railway station and the new tube station opened in 1941. Use exit Archway Road, when you leave the station. Just outside the exit, you find Jackson´s Lane, a creative arts spot hosted in an old Gotic house.
2. The Waterlow Park
Walk down to the church crossing at the east side of Waterlow Park. Here you find the Lauderdale House with jazz, yoga and art activities. There is a café in the house if you feel peckish.
3. Highgate Cemetery
You can visit the east Highgate Cemetery on your own, here you find the tombs of T.S. Eliot and Karl Marx. There is an entrance fee and you book tickets online. The London Cemetery Company first opened the cemetery in 1839. Today a charity organisation, the Friends of Highgate Cemetery, manages and maintains the cemetery.
4. Highgate Village
Walk up Swain´s Lane to Highgate village. This is indeed a lovely village and you can easily find a café, pub or restaurant for refreshments.
5. The Gatehouse
Along the road to London, a number of joints sprang up and the Gatehouse was one of the oldest. In 1839 a meeting of the Literary and Scientific Institutions took place here and both Dickens and Lord Byron were there. Above the pub, you find the theatre “Upstairs at the Gatehouse“.
6. The Flask
The Flask in Highgate is a famous place for a drink. The pub has a lot of history and a nice garden if the sun is your friend. The name comes from selling flasks to collect water from the springs in Highgate and Hampstead Heath.
7. The Kenwood House
The collection of paintings in the Kenwood House includes work from British painters as well as works from Rembrandt and Vermeer. An act from 1929 stipulates that the house and surroundings should be open to the public free of charge. At the Kenwood House, you also find the Brewery café.
8. The Spaniards Inn
The Spaniards Inn pub has a great literary heritage and is both mentioned in Dracula and The Pickwick Papers. Once the pub and the Toll House formed the entrance to the Bishops of London´s hunting estate. By the way, the Toll House is situated in Camden and the Toll House is in Barnet.
9. The Hill Garden and Pergola
Enter the Hill Garden and Pergola from Inverforth Close and find your way through the labyrinth with green bridges and paths. This is indeed a strange and exciting place. To go home catch the bus from the North End Way to Hampstead or Golders Green. If you prefer to walk it is about 1 km (0,6 miles) to Hampstead.
10. North End Way
From here you can catch the bus to Hampstead or Golders Green. The buses are running several times each hour. The Northern line tube passes both Golders Green and Hampstead.
