One of the joys of living in London is that fact that we're blessed with a lot of green space in the middle of our capital city Some of it, like Hyde Park for example, is there because the monarchs of the time wanted to continue to hunt from Buckingham Palace and therefore kept that area of forest intact At the weekend, I visited Muswell Hill for the Chicken 2.0 UYE and spotted Highgate Wood on the way over from Highgate Tube station and as I was early, decided to take a little detour on that sunny day HIghgate Wood has been bequeathed to the people and is now maintained by the Corporation of London. They're doing a good job with clearly marked paths and with the first tentative shoots of spring coming through, it was a most agreeable walk I spied a board advrtising a series of free events and walks in the park The local citizens are lucky to have this park to enjoy read more

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I love, love, love this park...and Momo, my dog, likes it even more. Highgate Wood is what I'd call the perfect urban park: a combination of almost jungle-like areas and a sporting green with an adjacent café (I've been told that the café is run by a Brazilian chef and the food is supposed to be quite tasty.). What else do I like about this park? - Being able to escape the hectic activities of our modern lives for a short while. It allows me to tune out the noises and concentrate on my inner self...for lack of a better word. In fact, when I was writing on my dissertation, this is where I'd find the tranquility and energy needed to sort-of pre-formulate and re-arrange my ideas. A note for dog walkers like myself: what I like about this park is that it's almost impossible for your dog to run away as the park is completely fenced in. This brings down my worry-scale a lot when my dog once again has disappeared in the bushes for a couple minutes... read more

I love the woods here. Reminds me of my youth coming here especially in winter. Also has some lovely pubs either end so good for a pint

I love this part of town. Feels so far away from London when it really isn't. A beautiful part that has a Woods that is huge! Great for Sunday strolls and walking through casually. Love it. A North London gem. read more

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A gorgeous haven of calm! I often bring the dog here for a walk as it's less manic than going up to Hampstead Heath. Although it does get busy on a summer's day most people gather in the open section of the park so the circuit of woods is still fairly empty and it's a lovely walk. There is a small cafe and a playground for the kids that just looks so fantastic I want to run in and play there too! read more

This is a very pretty little park. The gates I saw going in and out where amazing creation: tall, cast iron, with a design of leaves. Inside tarmac lanes wander through a wood. Near where I entered from Archway Road there's a huge children's play area, which was stuffed full of kids apparently having an amazing time. From there I walked on and found an open space with playing fields and a café building on one side. It turned out to have a snack bar window and a restaurant. I didn't stop to eat, but there was a nice choice of tables inside, outside and in a covered area. The menu looked good with simple tasty basics like pasta. Lovely, and you could almost believe you were out in the country somewhere. The only thing to spoil the illusion was the noise from the nearby busy road. read more

There are several entrances to this interesting and ancient wood - and nature reserve, as it also is today. I enjoyed walking here last week (it is across the road from Highgate Wood, so a walk can include both). Many varieties of wild flower can be found here besides the great oaks and other tall trees, and the species of birds you may see include woodpeckers, blue tits, robins, sparrows, thrushes and wrens. There is also a cafe which has a separate review. The nearest Underground station is Highgate (Northern Line). read more

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Beautiful wood - went to my first ever Pagan Event (Pan's Picnic, 2006!) here and we had a massive picnic in a clearing and someone did a bit of a guided walk with interested people to tell us about the different types of trees! A children's treasure hunt passed through too, with children dressed as fairies! It's a very well cared for, well conserved family friendly wood, well worth a walk in! read more

This is a wonderful, wonderful place. It's always such a treat having access to large open spaces in London and this one is one of the best. The wood is lovely to walk in and there are open spaces to picnic/kick a ball around on in the summer. There's a lovely little cafe with both indoor and outdoor seating which serves delicious food and which gets packed out very quickly. There's also a couple of kiddie's playgrounds one of which has great activities for slightly older kids, whilst the one for younger kids also has a sandpit. There are also tables and benches if you want to take a packed lunch to eat. It's very easy to spend several hours in this place. read more

I had no idea this wood was so close to Highgate tube and to Hampstead Heath. It feels like you're out in the middle of the country, with such dense forest. I can't wait to come back here for picnics, and my friends might even organize a meditation meet-up here in the spring! It'll be lovely once the trees are full of leaves and blossoms again. read more

A very well kept park. This place has 11 park keepers. Mostly woodland with a large field, playground, cafe, cricket pitch and cricket nets. On a sunny day people of all ages wander round the pathway that circulates the woods, some jogging some with dogs but strictly no bicycles! Open whenever it's light, you'll see many cars parked outside on a Sunday. If you wander through the open woods there are many secluded spots with makeshift seating fashioned out of fallen trees can be a really nice place to escape from the concrete jungle with a good book and a flask of tea. Definately a good place to go for a relaxing walk after Sunday dinner and a very safe place due to the large number of staff who mostly live in the houses dotted around the park. read more

This is an absolutely great place. I'm not too keen on the cafe, which I no longer use (I find it grossly overpriced for the quality of the service) but the grounds are perfect. It's a great place for jogging and exercising with its long lanes amongst massive trees and very well kept grounds. A great advantage for runners and families with small kids is that most dog owners always seem to be very conscious, and I have never seen chav bike racers or pitbulls speeding about. The only downside of the park are the idiots who leave their rubbish behind on the lawn after their fast food and beer summer "feasts", but I cannot imagine what could be done against that practice, short of getting a dedicated bobby to fine or slap the imbeciles until they learn. But I digress... It's a five star park, without a doubt. read more

Highgate Wood a taste of real woods in the middle of London, great place for walks, to play ball with lil ones or have coffee and a chat with mates in a cafe. It's such a charming place, I would definitely recommend as a place to relax after busy week of working. read more