North London history and nature walk
13 people attending
7 places left
This is a lovely walk on the edge of north London, taking in ancient woodland, and interesting buildings, built over the last 800 years. It's a linear walk, starting in High Barnet and finishing in Cockfosters. First, we'll walk up to the village of Monken Hadley where there are good views over London. Then we'll walk east through the trees of Monken Hadley Common, towards Trent Country Park. We'll do a circuit of the Park, taking in the fine historic country house, ornamental lakes and beautiful woodland. When we finish walking, you may like to do Go Ape in the Park, although this is not part of the walk itself and you would do it at your own risk.
The sights:
Monken Hadley Common: a remnant of the former Royal Forest of Enfield Chase.
Monken Hadley church: rebuilt in 1494, the beacon on the top of the tower is lit for national events.
The East Coast mainline: from London to Edinburgh, built in the 1840s.
Cockfosters station: designed by Charles Holden and opened in July 1933.
Trent Country Park: once part of Enfield Chase, one of Henry IV's hunting grounds. The house has a rich history, including being used to imprison captured German officers during World War II. Their rooms were bugged by British Intelligence.
Oakwood station: designed by Charles Holden and opened in March 1933.
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What to bring
Water: bring at least a litre
Medicines: if you have hay fever, diabetes, minor ailments etc.
Rucksack: or any other bag
Footwear: hiking boots or waterproof sturdy trainers as the ground may be muddy in places.
Layered clothing: lets you quickly adapt to changes in the weather and body temperature. Go for a base layer (vest or t-shirt) and a mid layer (a micro fleece or shirt) and in cooler weather add an outer layer (a windproof jacket or thick fleece)
Trousers: ideally not jeans which become heavy and cold in the rain, breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry and on warm days shorts are OK
Waterproof jacket: breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry
Hat or cap: stay warm in winter and shaded in summer
Sunglasses: for any sunny day, even in winter
Sun cream: can be useful even on cloudy and winter days
Snacks: bring biscuits, energy bars, gels, bananas, chocolate or dried fruit for example and put them somewhere easy to get hold of
Lunch: bring a packed lunch unless otherwise stated
Food & drink
Please bring a packed lunch and plenty to drink.