North London High Points Reversited

Sat 13th Jan 2024

Walk Details:

Event Type
Group Walk
Region
Southern England
Local Group
London
Distance
16.5ml.
Start Time
09.15
Route
Finsbury Park station (meet by main exit, Station Place)

Another chance to discover the delights(?) of the Borough Tops of Hackney, Islington, Haringey, Camden and Brent as I do the original walk visiting them in the other direction

General Notes
Picnic lunch advised
Finish

Entry Details:

Cost

Walk Report

25 walkers and one dog, 16.8 miles with 901ft of ascent - leader Gavin Fuller

After the series of nine Borough Tops had been completed in October some people requested the opportunity of doing tops they had missed, and so bowing to popular demand Gavin restaged the second one to have been done, but in the opposite direction to add a bit of variety (hence the title above). No less then 23 people thus joined him at a cold and grey Finsbury Park for the opportunity to visit (or revisit) five across northern London.
It was a quick stroll up the road to the first of the day, Hackney's top, which lies unprepossessingly in a suburban street just off the Seven Sisters Road. For those not versed in the niceties of the tops there was the usual reaction of 'it's higher across the road': true, but that's over the borough boundary as Hackney's is one of a number right at the end of their borough.
The lowest of the five thus bagged, it was through Finsbury Park itself dodging the Parkrunners to the pleasing site to many of the public conveniences. Then it was along the Parkland Walk, dodging the clutches of the Spriggan, to the second top, Islington's at the junction of Dartmouth Park Hill and Highgate Hill. Once Gavin had sorted out to Susanne's satisfaction, just where the top was, it was into Waterlow Park and more welcome toilets, and then up into Highgate and Haringey's top, outside Highgate School. Duly bagged, it was then onto a somewhat muddy Hampstead Heath to a proper hill with views, namely Parliament Hill, although the murky conditions meant the views over London were greyed out somewhat. Back over the heath, we then reached Camden's top at Whitestone Pond, where we had lunch at the highest point of the day's walk.
Then it was down over the heath extension to more welcome toilets, and through the Garden Suburb to pick up the Capital Ring to Brent Reservoir, which to the surprise of many of those who remained at this point turned out to be empty as it had been drained for maintenance works. More mud awaited as we crossed West Hendon Playing Fields, passed the world's first eco-Temple in Kingsbury, and up to the final Borough Top, Brent's, in Wakeman's Hill Avenue. Once the group had managed to contain its excitement at the summit, it was on through one final park (Roe Green) and a decidedly muddy Fryent Country Park to cross two more hills (Gotfords and Barn) before descending to the end at Wembley Park.
After this walk, we now have our first members after myself to have reached 20 of the 32 borough tops - Pete Colley and Keith Mills (21 each) and Steve Wills (20). Since the walks started in November 2021, 85 people have visited at least one top on one of these walks. Thanks to all who have accompanied me so far in this series, and I already know which will the next to be up for a return visit...

Photographs by Steve Wills and Gavin Fuller

GPX

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Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2016.
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Large scale digital mapping is provided by John Thorn
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Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2016.
© OpenStreetMap contributors under Open Database Licence.
Rights of way data from selected Local Authorities.
Large scale digital mapping is provided by John Thorn.