Archway to Highgate Wood Walk: 3 Routes for Families

Archway is not exactly famous for its greenery. Step out of the station and you get a gyratory, buses and a lot of concrete. But walk uphill for a bit and you reach one of the oldest woods in London. An Archway to Highgate Wood walk is my go-to suggestion for parents who want a free half-day out that tires the kids, gets your heart rate up, and ends at a playground and a cafe.

I run my bootcamp classes in Archway and have coached in Highgate for over 10 years, so I know these hills well. Here are three ways to do the walk, how hard each one is, what kids can look out for, and an honest answer to a question I get a lot: is the Parkland Walk safe?

Archway to Highgate Wood walk: three routes

Route 1: straight up the hill (quickest)

From Archway station, follow Archway Road uphill to Highgate station, then carry on along Archway Road to Highgate Wood. The City of London says the wood is about a 5-minute walk from Highgate station.

• Effort: a long, steady climb. Good for you, hard work for under-5s.
• Pros: simple, no navigation, easy to bail out at Highgate station.
• Cons: it follows a busy main road, so it is noisy and not much fun for kids. Hold hands at every junction.

Route 2: via Queen’s Wood (my favourite)

Walk up to Highgate station as in Route 1, then pick up the Capital Ring signs and go through Queen’s Wood, a local nature reserve, before crossing Muswell Hill Road into Highgate Wood.

• Effort: the hill up from Archway plus short, steep ups and downs in Queen’s Wood. This is the best workout of the three.
• Pros: you are among trees for longer, and Queen’s Wood feels much wilder than you expect this close to the A1.
• Cons: muddy in autumn and winter, and some paths are steep for buggies.

I explain more about this stretch in my post on the Capital Ring in Highgate.

Route 3: via the Parkland Walk (longest, flattest underfoot)

Walk east from Archway towards Crouch End and join the Parkland Walk at one of its southern entrances. The Parkland Walk group lists a ramped access at Hillside Rise behind Ashmount School and a steep surfaced ramp at Crouch Hill. Then follow the old railway line north-west to its end at Holmesdale Road in Highgate, and walk on past Highgate station to the wood. Use a map app for the street sections the first time.

• Effort: the old railway is a gentle gradient, so this is the most even of the three once you are on it, but it is also the longest.
• Pros: traffic-free for most of the way, brilliant for bikes and scooters on the Parkland Walk itself.
• Cons: longer, and you need to plan where you get on and off.

Is the Parkland Walk safe?

This is the most common question I hear from parents, so here is my honest take.

In daylight, the Parkland Walk is a well-used local route with dog walkers, runners, families and commuters. I walk and run it myself and would happily take a family along it on a weekend morning. The practical risks are more about the ground than about people:

• The Parkland Walk access guide says the surface is coarse, with occasional rough stones and small tree stumps. Watch small children on scooters.
• Parts flood after wet weather, especially between Stapleton Hall Road and the Finsbury Park end.
• Many entrances are steep steps or slopes, and the Crouch Hill ramp crosses an embankment with no side barrier.
• It is shared with cyclists and runners, so teach kids to keep to one side.

My personal rule: I use it in daylight, with my phone charged, and I tell someone where I am going if I am alone. After dark I take the street route instead. That is common sense for any green route in London, not a special warning about this one.

For the full background on the old railway, see my Parkland Walk guide.

Things for kids to spot in Highgate Wood

Once you arrive, turn the walk into a nature hunt. The City of London’s Highgate Wood wildlife page gives you plenty to work with:

• Oaks and hornbeams. These are the main trees. Hornbeams were traditionally coppiced (cut low so they regrow) for fuel. See if the kids can find a tree with several trunks.
• Veteran trees. Very old trees, protected because so much wildlife lives in them. Look for hollows and odd shapes.
• Fungi. Over 350 species have been recorded. Look, but never pick or touch.
• Birds and bats. Around 70 bird species and seven bat species have been recorded.
• Moths. The wood has the longest-running moth survey in the UK.

Then head to the large playground and the cafe. The wood also has toilets and a drinking fountain. Note that cycling is not allowed inside Highgate Wood, and closing times get earlier from late October, so check the visit Highgate Wood page before setting off. More ideas are in my Highgate Wood with kids post.

A mini workout on the way

If you want this walk to count as training, try this while the kids play or explore:

1. Hill walk: on Archway Road or in Queen’s Wood, walk up hard for 1 minute, easy for 1 minute. Repeat 5 times.
2. Bench set at the playground: 10 incline push-ups on a bench, 12 step-ups each leg, 15 squats. Rest a minute. Do 3 rounds.
3. Walk home briskly. Downhill is easier on the lungs but harder on the knees, so take shorter steps.

Where a bootcamp class fits

Hills like Archway Road are a brilliant test of fitness. If that climb leaves you puffing, regular strength and conditioning will change that faster than you think. My SYP Recharge energy and focus class is a good starting point for parents who feel flat and out of breath.

FAQs

How long does it take to walk from Archway to Highgate Wood?

It depends on the route and your pace. Route 1 is the shortest. With kids, allow at least an hour each way for Routes 2 and 3 including stops, and more for toddlers.

Can I take a buggy?

Route 1 is all pavement. Inside Highgate Wood the main paths are fine. Queen’s Wood and some Parkland Walk entrances are steep, so an all-terrain buggy or a carrier is better.

Is Highgate Wood open every day?

It is normally open daily, with closing times that change through the year. It can close at short notice in high winds, so check before you go.

Can I get the tube back?

Yes. Highgate station is close to the wood and on the same Northern line branch as Archway, so it is one stop home.

Book your first class

Want that hill to feel easier next time? SYP Bootcamp runs 45-minute small-group classes indoors in a church hall in Archway N19, max 10 people, £15 a class, for every fitness level. Book your £15 class here or call or WhatsApp me on 07301 512215. If you want to see how one-to-one coaching works before committing, read how my personal training works.

About the author

Artem Olekhnovych is a personal trainer in Archway and the founder of SYP Fitness and SYP Bootcamp. He has coached clients in Archway, Highgate and across North London for over 10 years, and runs small-group bootcamp classes for busy mums and dads. Read reviews from his 1-1 clients.