Family Walks North London: 4 Routes Near Archway

Some weekends you do not have the energy for a big day out. You just need to get everyone out of the house and into some fresh air. The good news is that some of the best family walks North London has to offer are right on our doorstep in Archway and Highgate: ancient woods, an old railway line turned nature reserve and a hillside park with ponds. Here are four I recommend to the parents I train, with the practical details you need before you set off.

Everything below is checked against the official websites of the councils and organisations that run each place. Opening and closing times change through the year, so always check the linked page before you go.

Family walks North London parents can fit into a weekend

Walking counts. The NHS lists brisk walking as moderate intensity activity, and adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of it a week. Children aged 5 to 18 should average at least 60 minutes of moderate or vigorous activity a day across the week. A weekend walk will not cover all of that, but it is a big chunk, and it is time you spend together.

1. Highgate Wood: easy paths and a big playground

Highgate Wood is a 70-acre ancient woodland managed by the City of London. For families it ticks a lot of boxes: a large playground, a café with a terrace, toilets, and some tarmac paths that work for buggies. Other paths are unmade and can get muddy after rain.

• Getting there: Highgate station on the Northern line is about a 5-minute walk, and buses 43, 134 and 234 serve the wood.
• Good to know: cycling is not allowed anywhere in the wood, there is no car park, and the wood can close at short notice in high winds.
• Closing times: these get earlier through autumn and winter, so check before an afternoon visit.

I have written a full guide to Highgate Wood with kids if you want more detail.

2. Highgate Wood and Queen’s Wood together

For older children or a longer walk, cross Muswell Hill Road into Queen’s Wood. Haringey Council describes it as an ancient woodland dating from at least 1600, mostly oak and hornbeam, and a Local Nature Reserve since 1990. It has a café and a toilet. It feels wilder than Highgate Wood, with more up and down, and the site is not fully accessible, so this is one for walking boots rather than buggies.

3. The Parkland Walk: an old railway line

The Parkland Walk follows a former railway line and is a nature reserve looked after by Haringey and Islington Councils, supported by the volunteer Friends of the Parkland Walk. The southern section runs for just over 3km between Holmesdale Road in Highgate and Finsbury Park. Children love the idea that trains once ran along it.

• Easiest start: the Friends’ access page says the Oxford Road entrance at Finsbury Park has almost level access with a reasonably firm surface to Blythwood Road.
• Surface: generally coarse, and some stretches get muddy after wet weather.
• Check first: the Friends’ website posts current path closures and diversions.

See my Parkland Walk guide for entrances and a family-sized route.

4. Waterlow Park: ponds, play areas and a view

Waterlow Park is a 29-acre Camden Council park on Highgate Hill, with terraced gardens, three ponds, a nature conservation area and two small children’s play areas. According to Lauderdale House, which sits on the edge of the park and has a café, the land was given to the public in 1889 by Sydney Waterlow as “a garden for the gardenless”. Look out for ducks around the ponds.

It is a short walk from Archway, so it works well for a quick after-school leg stretch.

Tips to make family walks actually happen

• Give it a mission. Count ducks, find five different leaves, spot a squirrel. Kids walk further with a job.
• Plan the snack stop. A café or a bench halfway is the best motivator for all ages.
• Pack for mud. Wellies or old trainers, and a spare pair of socks in the bag.
• Walk briskly for part of it. If you want it to count as exercise for you, push the pace on the flat bits while the kids scoot ahead.
• Keep it short at first. A 45-minute walk everyone enjoys beats a 2-hour one with tears.

Where a bootcamp fits

Walking is brilliant for everyday activity, but most parents also need some strength work to keep up with lifting and carrying. That is what my small-group classes in Archway are for: 45 minutes, indoors, maximum 10 people, £15 a class. See this week’s times on the SYP Bootcamp booking page.

FAQs

What are the best family walks in North London for toddlers?

Highgate Wood is a good choice because it has some tarmac paths, a large playground, a café and toilets. Waterlow Park is also handy for shorter walks, with play areas and ponds.

Are there buggy-friendly walks in North London?

Highgate Wood has some tarmac paths, though others can be muddy. On the Parkland Walk, the Oxford Road entrance at Finsbury Park has almost level access with a reasonably firm surface to Blythwood Road.

Can you cycle on family walks in Highgate Wood?

No. The City of London says cycling is not allowed anywhere in Highgate Wood, to protect the ancient woodland.

Enjoy the walks, and if you want to add two strength sessions a week to all that fresh air, book your £15 class in Archway. If you live up the hill and want 1-1 help, have a look at personal training in Highgate.

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.