Parkland Walk
a ghost railway gone wild
London's longest nature reserve, a disused railway line turned green trail from Finsbury Park to Highgate, free and famously home to a spriggan.
Free to visit · Crouch End · Finsbury Park · N8 8AA
Opening: Always open · best in daylight
The Parkland Walk follows the route of a long-closed railway line through north London, and over the decades since the trains stopped nature has reclaimed it completely. The result is the longest nature reserve in the capital, a green leafy corridor running from Finsbury Park up to Highgate, and it is entirely free to walk or cycle.
It is a wonderfully strange experience, walking a flat railway cutting that is now a tunnel of trees, with old platforms slowly being swallowed by ivy and brambles. Look out for the famous spriggan, a goblin-like sculpture peering out from a bricked-up arch that has inspired ghost stories and even an Arthur Machen tale.
Birds, butterflies and wildflowers thrive along the line, and because it runs above the streets you get a quiet, almost rural ribbon cutting through the heart of the city. A free walk with a real sense of secret discovery.
Getting there: Join at Finsbury Park station for the southern end, or at Highgate for the top.
Best time to go: A bright morning in spring or autumn when the trees are at their best.
Insider tip: Look up for the spriggan sculpture set into the old arches near the Crouch End platforms, easy to miss. Walk south to north and you can finish at Highgate Wood, also free, for a longer green day.
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide