East Finchley Green Spaces Walk
There are many green spaces within or on the borders of East Finchley, including some old common and ancient woodland. This walk, with its optional variation, links most of them into a circular walk.
Starting from Cherry Tree Wood, make your way (along the route of the Capital Ring) through to the back of the station, then Edmund's Walk, Vivian Way and Norrice Lea to enter Lyttleton playing fields along a narrow passageway. From here is one of the classic views of St Jude's and the Institute. Beside the pavilion cross over the Mutton Brook and follow it left. Cross back into the Children's Millennium Wood where you can see part of the original boundary of the Medieval Bishop's Hunting Park. Continue to follow the Brook downstream (either bank). After the Toulous cafe and several sets of tennis courts the brook emerges at the A1 road. Turn left along Addison Way and left into Little Wood. Make your way out the back of the wood and along Denman Drive into Big Wood. (Big and Little Woods are recognisable on the earliest maps). When you emerge at a T junction turn left to leave the wood northwards, crossing your earlier route and then the A1 into Midholm. At the top, to skirt the edge of the cemetery, turn right along Hilltop and left up Ludlow Way and through several passages to emerge into Denison Close. Exit top right corner and then left to reach East End Road.
Here you can make a detour to visit St Marylebone Cemetery. (If there are more than one or two of you please check with the Cemetery staff first.) At the far right of the cemetery is the Willow Tree Garden, a haven of peace and roses. Several well-known people are buried in the cemetery including Thomas H Huxley and Heath Robinson.
Otherwise cross East end Road and take any road down to Manor Park road.
Turning right, seek out the railway underpass on the left and from there
continue forward along New Trinity Road. Here you cross the Walks. If
you wish you can follow the route of the other walk, East Finchley Walks,
by turning left and going eventually through the Glebelands and Coppetts
Wood as described there, or you can continue forward through St Pancras
and Islington Cemeteries, exiting at the North-Eastern gate to rejoin
the other route. Both variations then proceed up Coppetts Road and right
into the playing fields BEFORE Trott Road, through ancient Coldfall Wood
(and its coppicing) at the far end, finally emerging right into Creighton
Avenue. Just past Church Vale is a passageway through to Durham Road,
from there along Summerlee Avenue to regain Cherry Tree Wood
