North London Food & Culture

Free Weekend: Walk To The Countryside (well, Totteridge Fields)


I’m a complete urbanite but nevertheless I’ve long been obsessed with stepping out of my front door and walking to the ‘countryside’. And so here’s how we did it from Kentish Town, on one of those sunny Sundays when the clouds are so pillowy and the sky so blue there’s really nothing better to do with the morning.

From Parliament Hill Fields we ambled across the Heath, climbing up over the viaduct, the clouds reflected in the lake, and past Vale Of Health to what they eerily call Middle Heath, between Spaniards Road and Jack Straws Castle.

Never crowded, on a Sunday morning we had the gnarled old oaks, gorse, boggy lake and sandy paths to ourselves.


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Continuing over the Hampstead Heath Extension (whoever dreamt up that dreary name?) we crept through the pin-drop suburbia of Hampstead Garden Suburb, founded in 1906 by Henrietta Barnett, (whose other winning idea was the Whitechapel Gallery). The Suburb was an attempt to create accommodation for ‘all classes of people, and all income groups.’ Somewhat ironic now, of course.

From the Garden Suburb we picked up the Dollis Valley Green Path, a 10 mile route to Moat Mount Nature Reserve in Mill Hill (with links to the 78 mile Capital Ring, which we walked here), through the bluebells of Big Wood and Little Wood, and on to Mutton Brook and Windsor Open Space.

The clear signs make the route a no-brainer, despite its fiddly weaving together of the various green spaces all connected by the tiny Dollis Brook.

Often no more than a few centimetres deep, it’s a tributary of the River Brent (itself a tributary of the Thames) and a calming presence with bridges, waterfalls, tunnels.

It’s hard not be impressed passing under the vast Victorian viaduct, built in 1863 and, at 60 feet above ground level, the highest point on the London underground, with trains rattling along above the trees. Eventually we turned left off the Route along the muddy hedgerow at Woodside Park Sports Club, so we could cross the ancient hay meadows of Totteridge Fields, a beauty spot of ‘Metropolitan Importance.’ And there we were: hello countryside!

But on we climbed, up to ye olde Totteridge village, with its pretty detached cottages, after three hours on our feet focussed on our goal ahead: the 18th Century Orange Tree pub (owned by Hampstead’s Freemasons Arms) which sits by the pond.

The sun was still out (just), the breeze light enough, and so we basked alfresco with a glass of ice-cold rose, tearing off the flesh from juicy spit roast chickens and chips. And it was pleasing to observe the well-fed denizens of one of the most expensive parts of the capital rock up in their big cars, and roll out into the yawning warmth of the airless pub.

Bellies full, legs a little weary, we made the descent to Totteridge & Whetstone on the northern line – and, after this gentlest of adventures, were back in the sprawl of Kentish Town in fifteen minutes.

Fancy a wander? Have a look at the route properly here.

Words & Photos: Stephen Emms


1 thought on “Free Weekend: Walk To The Countryside (well, Totteridge Fields)”

  1. Glad you enjoyed finding the countryside in the city! Totteridge Fields are managed by the London Wildlife Trust, a charity dedicated to conserving the capital wildlife. If you enjoyed your walk, consider a small donation to help keep these spaces stay special.

    See http://www.wildlondon.org.uk or text WILDLIFE to 70007 to donate £3

Leave a Comment

1 thought on “Free Weekend: Walk To The Countryside (well, Totteridge Fields)”

  1. Glad you enjoyed finding the countryside in the city! Totteridge Fields are managed by the London Wildlife Trust, a charity dedicated to conserving the capital wildlife. If you enjoyed your walk, consider a small donation to help keep these spaces stay special.

    See http://www.wildlondon.org.uk or text WILDLIFE to 70007 to donate £3

Leave a Comment

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The award-winning print and online title Kentishtowner was founded in 2010 and is part of London Belongs To Me, a citywide network of travel guides for locals. For more info on what we write about and why, see our About section.