Borough of London (former)

Walk Details:
Date: 11/9/2004
Total ascent: 47m
Total distance walked: 2.5 mile circuit
Walk difficulty: 0.5/10 walking from Hampstead, 0/10 by car
Enjoyment rating: 4/10
Best bits: Hampstead itself is charming; Hampstead Heath in the evening was gorgeous. Spaniards Inn looked quite nice too.
Worst bits: The top itself is unfortunately on a busy and featureless road.

Top details:
Name: Spaniards Road, Hampstead Heath
Number: 2 of 207
Grid reference: TQ 26425 86760 MAP
Height above sea level: 134m/441ft
How nice was it?: 0.5/10 for the top itself, 4/10 for the ascent route
Description/Notes: This was on someone else's list as the highest point in "London". As it clearly doesn't mean Greater London, we assume it's actually the Borough of London which we don't think counts as a "County Top" under the Rules. But we're doing it anyway, just in case.

The Walk:

We "climbed" this top immediately after we had completed the final section of the London LOOP, and thought that the previous 14 miles might take their toll and turn it into a bit of a slog. Not a bit of it - the glow of having completed our first Long Distance Path not only carried us through, but appeared to help us see the top through rose-tinted glasses!

We had a hectic journey across town (why do Londoners call such a damn big city so?). Half of the tube and rail network and stations appeared to be shut by the ubiquitous "engineering works", but a replacement bus service did enable us to see some fantastic conical roundabouts with impossibly tall tapering tips on a junction of the A13. We also saw the Tower of London as we wandered disconsolately around Fenchurch Street station looking for a tube station that was open.

We finally reached Hampstead station at 5pm, an hour after we'd said we'd meet Justin. However, he had happily passed the time testing out a local pub, burger vendor and bookshop, and seemed unphased by our tardy arrival.

Immediately opposite the station was a tempting steep road, Holly Hill; we almost started up it before I looked at the map and discovered that our route actually took us in the opposite direction - downhill! After some initial coomplaints, I assured them that we would start to go uphill again soon and they grudgingly acquiesced to my directing them a few metres down the high street and left into Flask Walk.

This seemed a delightful area - pedestrianised, with lots of charming little pavement cafés and restaurants. I would have loved to linger a while and savour the atmosphere, but it was getting late and frankly we were embarrassed that we stank to high heaven of 14 miles of sweaty walking. Probably our odour did linger a while, but polluted rather than savoured the atmosphere!

Flask Walk lead to Well Walk and then on into the woods of Hampstead Heath itself. We were still gently descending and there were further mutterings of discontent in the ranks. These were quelled when we reached a pond almost hidden behind trees, and the path started an equally gentle ascent.

There were lots of small paths meandering off into the woods, but I waited until a larger intersection before turning left towards the top of the Heath. Here we were frightened and nearly bowled over by a small pack of fighting dogs - why oh why can't their owners keep them under control? You never get this trouble with cats!

The woods now thinned slightly, the path continued gently upwards and everything seemed good with the world. The clouds of earlier in the day had cleared to leave evening sunlight filtering through the trees, the air was warm, all the people we passed were happy and nodded politely or said hello; I felt a wave of contentment wash over me. Of all of the open spaces I've visited in London, I think this may well be my favourite, with only the inner sanctum of Bushy Park coming close.

Eventually we emerged at the west gate of Kenwood House, on Spaniards Road at the top of the Heath. I realised straight away that we had come out too far east; I'd been suspecting this for some time but the walking had been too pleasant and chilled out to make me want to do anything about it. We turned left along the road and headed up the steepest hill of the walk (not very steep though!) which weaved around the interesting looking Spaniards Inn (we were still too smelly to enter!).

Beyond the Inn the road appeared to peak, and deciding we were at the Top, we once again went through the humiliating experienceof taking photos of each other at a failry pointless place in front of curious onlookers. Fortunately, unlike Reading, there were no small children to point and laugh. Less fortunately, a few hundred metres along the road our altimeter told us the road had gone up a bit further and we had to go through the whole rigmarole again.

For the record the highest point appears to be just before a bus shelter, but as the road is almost flat for a kilometre or so it could be pretty much anywhere along it.

From here it was a short walk back down Heath Road past dozens of art galleries and trendy people to the station - in our sweaty walking gear we felt thoroughly out of place. Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Possibly part of my enjoyment was the happiness carried over from completing the Loop, but a good part of it came from the fact that Hampstead and its Heath are so damn nice!

NOTE:

Anth revisited this top on 27th August 2005 with Ali & Fiona in tow, on the way back from an excellent Katie Melua concert at Kenwood House. Ali commented on it: "I was desperate for the loo and couldn't give a stuff that I was on a county top". There's commitment for you!