King's Cross to Ally Pally

Waitlist: This event is fully booked, however, if you'd like to attend, add yourself to the waitlist, places often become available closer to the date, and chances are you may still get a place. 

This linear walk utilises London's repurposed industrial heritage to get from the centre of town to the Victorian pleasure complex of Alexandra Palace, with its commanding views of the city laid out before us. Our S-shaped route northward will take us along the Regent's Canal, the New River Path, and the Parkland Walk.

The sights:

King's Cross Station: Completed in 1852 as the London terminus of the Great Northern Railway to York, it is now the departure station for trains to Edinburgh and the East Coast main line. It was extensively refurbished in 2007-12, with the addition of a spectacular semi-circular departures concourse.

Regent's Canal: The canal was constructed between 1812 -20 to link the Grand Union Canal from Birmingham terminating at Paddington Basin with the newly-constructed docks on the Thames at Limehouse. After 1840, the canal was struggling financially against the railways and later road transport and commercial traffic along the canal had largely ceased by the 1960's. it found a new use in the 1970's for pleasure boating, with the canal towpath being repurposed as a pedestrian and cycle route.

Islington Tunnel: This carries the canal 960 yards/878m under Pentonville Hill. There is no tow path here, and until a steam tug was installed in 1826, barges were 'legged' through the tunnel.

New River: Neither new nor a river, but a 37-mile artificial watercourse completed in 1613 to carry fresh drinking water from Hertfordshire into central London. Remarkably, it is still in use today, supplying about 8% of London's water. It now terminates at reservoirs south of Finsbury Park, but the last 5 miles to Clerkenwell have been repurposed as a heritage footpath.

Castle Climbing Centre: Beloved of ODL boulderers and climbers, this bizarre building was constructed between 1852-56 as a pumping station for the New River. It was built in the form of a Scottish castle to camouflage its industrial purpose. It became redundant in 1942, and was saved from demolition and listed in the 1970s after a local outcry. It finally found a new use as an indoor climbing centre in 1994.

Finsbury Park: Created in 1869 as one of the first London parks laid out in the Victorian period. After a period of decline in the late 20th century, it was renovated in 2003 following a Heritage Lottery award.

Parkland Walk: This urban greenway follows the route of the disused Finsbury Park - Highgate and Highgate - Alexandra Palace railways opened in 1867 & 1873. By 1970, both lines had been closed, and the track beds were repurposed as a footpath in 1984.

Spriggan Sculpture: This carving of a Cornish sprite by Marilyn Collins was installed in an alcove near the disused Crouch End station in 1993.

Highgate Wood: This 70-acre remnant of ancient woodland has been owned and managed by the City of London Corporation since 1886 and is maintained in perpetuity for the benefit of Londoners.

Alexandra Palace: Conceived as the 'Palace of the People', this entertainment & recreation venue was built between 1865-73 on a 300-foot ridge high above London. It promptly burnt down 16 days after its opening in May 1873, but was rebuilt within two years. It then contained a concert hall, an art gallery, a museum, lecture hall, library, banqueting room and a theatre. During WWI, the Palace and park were used as an interment camp for German & Austrian civilians. Part of the Palace was leased to the BBC in 1935 for television broadcasting, and it was from here that the world's first scheduled TV programmes were transmitted on 2nd November 1936. Despite another major fire in 1980, the Palace continues to this day as a major London entertainment complex.

The route (see location section for OS link)

From King's Cross, we will head north to reach the Regent's Canal, and follow it east as far as the Islington Tunnel. We will walk through Islington to join the New River Walk above Duncan Terrace, and follow it north through Colebrook Row, Essex Road, Astey's Row, New River Garden, Wallace Road, Petherton Road & Aden Terrace to reach Clissold Park, the Castle Climbing Centre, the West Reservoir & Finsbury Park, where we will pause for lunch.

After the break, we will leave Finsbury Park to the west, following the Parkland Walk through Crouch End to Highgate, then along Archway Road to enter Highgate Wood. Once through the wood, we rejoin the Parkland Walk to get to Muswell Hill, and then on into Alexandra Park to reach the Palace.

After our visit to Ally Pally, it is a half-mile walk down Alexandra Palace Way to reach Alexandra Palace station for National Rail trains back to central London.

Dogs

Well-behaved dogs are welcome, but please note this is an urban walk along busy roads & footpaths. This especially applies when we are walking alongside canals & waterways, where we will be mixing with other walkers, joggers and cyclists.

For this reason, dogs will need to be on a lead for some of the walk. At all other times, a dog must be obedient.

Is this your first ODL event?

Attending your first event with OutdoorLads might feel daunting. What will happen, who will be there, and what can you expect? We know that new members in particular like to know in advance more about what an OutdoorLads event will be like. 

If this is your first ODL event, you should check out the information designed specifically for you on the My First Event page on the ODL website. If you have any other questions you can send a message to the leader.

IMPORTANT! - Participation Statement

You MUST complete a Participation Statement, in addition to booking your event space before attending an OutdoorLads event. You only need to complete this Participation Statement once, not for each event you attend.

Photos: The Spriggan sculpture (header) / London from Ally Pally / King's Cross station / Regent's Canal / Islington Tunnel / Colebrook Row / New River Garden, Islington / Castle Climbing Centre / West Reservoir, Stoke Newington / Finsbury Park & Café / Crouch End station / Highgate Wood / Alexandra Palace / Plaque commemorating first TV broadcast 1936 / East Court, Alexandra Palace.

All photos taken by the leader 4th February 2025 and permission given to OutdoorLads for use.