This is part 2 of a series.
Highgate to Stoke Newington is a terrific walk. Much of its 4 1/2 miles is along an abandoned rail track. It was busy today with dog walkers and joggers, along with babies pushed in strollers. Along the way are numerous opportunities for cafe and pub stops, something that always makes us happy. The Ring is a 75 mile trail that circles London's Zone 3 and we are nearing its finish. Here are some photos of today's walk.
Before too long it was time to stop once again, this time at a pub close to the path. Alas, upon arriving at Nicholas Nickleby pub we discovered it would not open until 4 pm. Hmm, I thought this was just a Detroit problem. Not to worry, because just a bit further in the opposite direction was The Robin. Formerly known as Brave Sir Robin, they were about to be sued so they changed it to the present name. This turned into a real gem of a pub, with a connection to a pub we would stop at a bit further on. Close to Crouch Hill station, this one is worth a visit for ale lovers. We had two half pints here, Lamanva Best Bitter on hand pull and Black Gates Nitro Stout on draft (referred to in England as cask ale and keg ale, respectively). The bitter was quite fantastic, though served too warm. The stout was also pretty fine.
With the first pub now conquered, we could relax and die happy, if need be. We returned to the path and continued on, soon arriving at Finsbury Park. We could have stopped again at a cafe (most London parks have cafes), but pressed on. We made a wrong turn leaving the small lake, exploring a bit more of the large park than planned. By the time we found our way out at the correct gate, pangs of hunger were driving us to extreme seek and find mode. The park itself was our first experience with the great drought of 2026 in England. It is very bad, and though it rained twice on our visit, it did nothing to alleviate the problem.
We found a store that carried an amazing variety of ready to eat vegan products, and soon had a bag full of food. We sat on a raised cement planter box, devouring food as if we hadn't eaten in hours, which was true. We had burned a few calories getting to our hotel yesterday, and through two major airports. With our stomachs in much happier moods we continued with part 2 of the hike. This took us through a vast development project. London is going completely mad about high rise living, with literally dozens of enormous blocks going up. These are characterless areas that one flees from as quickly as possible. We fled as quickly as possible. We eventually arrived at another large park, stopping for coffee this time at its lovely cafe. It was coffee time, our fist since Wednesday, and it was badly needed.
Two sad memorials in one hike.
The walk leaves the park via a churchyard and its cemetery. This is St. Mary's, with a truly magnificent spire. Just across the street is the smaller Ancient Mother church, which was open so we paid a brief visit. Just up the road from the two churches and directly on our route was another great pub. The Mary Wollstonecraft was the sister pub to Sir Robin, both owned by the same man. Like its sister, this one is devoted to great beer and terrific atmosphere, and pays tribute not only to Mary (mother to Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein) but to all women dedicated to fighting for women's rights. A wall of specially made tiles pays tribute to about a hundred women, including our very own Margaret Atwood.
The final site on our walk today was a vast cemetery. As described in the Capital Ring guide book, "Abney Park Cemetery is a cheerfully eerie place, whose 300,000 graves [!] are framed by foliage amid an air of controlled abandonment." Who could resist a stroll through here? We missed out on the park cafe by just minutes, as it closed at 4 pm. Do you know many cemeteries with a cafe and public toilets? It was a most memorable visit, on a par with our visit to Highgate Cemetery many years ago.
Pussy cat.
Main street.
The hike finished up at Stoke Newington Station, on a London Overground route. Getting home from here wasn't easy, so we headed north (away from home) two stops to Seven Sisters Station, with a connection to the Victoria Line Underground. Now we had a direct line home, via Victoria Station. However, much to our delight, Deb discovered True Craft on her phone, not very far from the station. Away we went! It was a pizza and craft beer bar. We enjoyed olives (an enormous bowl of them) and pizza bread, as well as a glass of nitro stout from Anspach and Hobday. It was a perfect ending to our day, on one of my favourite segments of the Ring so far. While the walk itself could likely be done in two hours or less, the many stops we made along the way stretched out our time to about 7 1/2 hours. My kind of day hike.
We ended up taking the Victoria Line as far as Finsbury Park, only one stop, then changing to a direct train connection right to East Croydon via London Bridge. Our first full day in London had been a total blast!
Mapman Mike
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