SWC Short Walk 26 – Woodberry Wetlands (Stoke Newington Reservoirs)
Length:
6.8 km (4.2 mi) [or 5.0 km/3.1 mi with the Manor House ending]
Meet at 11.30 (eleven-thirty!) outside Finsbury Park Station (Main Line Services from Kings Cross, and Victoria and Piccadilly Lines), Station Place/National Rail Exit.
Meet at 11.30 (eleven-thirty!) outside Finsbury Park Station (Main Line Services from Kings Cross, and Victoria and Piccadilly Lines), Station Place/National Rail Exit.
Return trains from Stoke Newington Overground go
to Liverpool Street or to Enfield Town or Cheshunt. Manor House is served by
the Piccadilly Line.
Woodberry Wetlands is a Thames
Water-owned and London Wildlife Trust-run urban nature reserve on East
Reservoir, one of the two Stoke Newington reservoirs on the New River (which –
famously – is “neither new nor a river”). The reservoirs were built in 1833 to
hold water from the New River, a man-made canal supplying drinking water to
London from springs near Ware in Hertfordshire. The reservoir had been
off-limits to the public for more than 180 years until 2016, when Woodberry
Wetlands and its fantastic café in the former coal house opened.
The
route starts with a meander through Finsbury Park before entering the Wetlands
and then continues along the New River past the West Reservoir to Green Lanes,
to then lead south, then east through Clissold Park (and its café in
Clissold House) and along the very charming Stoke Newington Church Street to Abney
Park cemetery (one of the most splendid and enlightened of the
‘Magnificent Seven’ London garden cemeteries) and from there to Stoke Newington
Overground.
An
Alternative Finish goes north from
the West Reservoir along Green Lanes back to Manor House Underground (or even
back to Finsbury Park Station, this adds 1.4 km)
Please note: Dogs
are not allowed
in the Nature Reserve.
Lunch/Tea: 16 Cafés and 2 Pubs en route (see webpage or pdf for details).
For summary, map, photos, walk directions and gpx/kml files click here. T=short.26
3 comments:
this sounds bliss and just what I need!
Delightful stroll through some parts of London unfamiliar to me, with much wildlife, including nesting birds. I strolled along, taking many pics, and getting left behind by 10yds for every shot - but enjoyed the walk in the way I like - smells, views, bird songs, pauses for the views and was amazed by the astonishing Abney Cemetery at the end. Super walk directions - thank you, with extra nudges to see less obvious points.
Here are the flickr pics taken on my leisurely stroll
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ramblinros/albums/72157684321053256
n=17 w=sunny-initially-becoming-overcast-and-muggy
17 walkers started out on this exploration in North London, 16 departing at the posted time and 1 playing catch up (but who managed to overtake the group without noticing them, or they noticing her). A pleasant stroll through a bustling Finsbury Park, surprisingly peaceful Woodberry Wetlands, busy Clissold Park, and atmospheric Abney Park cemetery. We paused at the Coal House in the Woodberry Wetlands where some had refreshments and 2 stayed on. Another walker was tempted into Clissod Park Cafe. Near the end of the walk, Church Street in Stoke Newington is an impressive stretch of independent eateries and shops - a refreshing change from the usual chain-packed high street. 7 were tempted to return at the end of the walk and ate and drank well in one such establishment, before going their separate ways at 17:00ish. A nice introduction for those who haven't spent much time in this part of North London.
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