Hampstead Heath
Sunday, February 17th, 2008Today went for a walk up to Hampstead Heath which I was surprised to find was only 10 minutes up the road. It is a huge park land which according to my mum has a dodgy reputation but I couldn’t see any evidence of this. My TK Guide mentions that Sunday is the best day to go as the local residents are out in force ‘digesting their Sunday beef lunches and discuss the contents of the Sunday paper’, or is this be the other way around.
There are lots of swimming ponds around the park, some men only, some women only and some mixed. The water looks black, cold and uninviting but perhaps it is better in the summer. Many fallen trees around the park provide fantastic climbing frames.
The highlight for me is Parliament Hill which gives a fantastic view over the city and is also a hive of activity with pretty dangerous kite flyers, mountain boarders and cyclists.There are still many areas of the park I want to explore, including the woods and the open air stage towards the north. Definitely worth another visit!
On the way back we passed Little Green Street, a lovely cobbled road which I’ve since learnt is the centre of a celebrity faced protest. We also stopped in The Vine on Highgate Road which is a great pub with comfy sofas and a big fireplace. Highly recommend!
Wikipedia link - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampstead_heath
