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Tubewalker: The Tube, on Foot

Northern Line: Euston to East Finchley

I guess this walk is best summed up by the following report from today's London Paper.

'Monsoon' in Capital

Monsoon-like conditions hit the capital today, as forecasters warned half a month's rain could fall on London in just 24 hours. A Met Office spokesman said, 'It's thoroughly wet and miserable.'

I can vouch for the last bit; it certainly was wet and miserable out there. However, I was joined for this section by my good friend Bill, and it's amazing how good company in the face of climactic adversity makes everything seem all right. Yes, we got completely soaked, as the rain didn't stop for one second, but this is an interesting tubewalk and even in the rain it's worth doing. Just remember your umbrella; Bill didn't, and by Highgate the rain had reached his boxers... and you never want that to happen, believe me.

Euston to Mornington Crescent

The original Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway station at Euston
The original Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway station at Euston

Turning north from the concrete forecourt of Euston station – which looks fairly drab in the rain, with its washed-out picnic tables and penchant for pebbledash grey – we headed past the now disused Tube station from the original opening of the Charing Cross branch of the Northern line, then known as the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway. The distinctive Leslie Green design of ox-blood red terracotta tiles is still evident in the building on the corner of Melton Street and Drummond Street, though all the markings have long since gone. It's a short walk from there to St James Gardens, a small wedge of green among the monoliths, but this isn't the most beautiful part of London, especially in the rain; however, if you look behind you when walking up Hampstead Road, you do at least get a good view of the BT Tower rising in the distance, and for fans of the tower (like me), it's always a comforting sight.

Greater London House
Greater London House

Mornington Crescent to Camden Town

Camden High Street
A rather damp Camden High Street

The quickest way from Mornington Crescent to Camden Town is along Camden High Street. It's a bit of a grungy street, not unlike the rest of Camden, but it has a decent range of shops, and if you look along the tops of the buildings (something we rarely do when out shopping) there are some interesting period designs to be seen. Camden is a trendy area, which means its fans positively enjoy the slight air of decay about the place. Others might not be so impressed, though I rather enjoy it.

Camden Town to Kentish Town

Pretty Kentish Town terraces
Pretty Kentish Town terraces

We took a wrong turn off Kentish Town Road and ended up walking towards Camden Lock, but that particular delight is reserved for my jaunt from Camden Town to Edgware, so we retraced our steps and ended up in the backstreets of Kentish Town. This is a land of large council estates, some of them deeply impressive buildings that tower over the main road, despite sitting back from the street behind car parks and gardens. Of course, there are also some rather uninspiring examples of housing round here, some peeling so much paint that they're presumably only good for squatting, but even in the gloom of a constant downpour, this isn't a horrible place.

Kentish Town to Tufnell Park

Torriano Cottages
Torriano Cottages

I'm glad I designed such a rambling route between Kentish Town and Tufnell Park, because it gave us the chance to explore the beautiful suburbs of Tufnell Park, something that would never have occurred to me otherwise. The reason for the long-winded approach was simple: I'd heard that the flat from Spaced – the cult TV show starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Jessica Stevenson before they went on to receive international acclaim for Sean of the Dead – was round here somewhere. I typed the address into Google Maps, stuck the marker on my map, and designed an appropriate route through the suburbs. Unfortunately Google Maps got the right road, but the wrong end of it, so my carefully plotted jaunt soon fell apart, not helped by the fact that I'd wanted to take a short-cut through an estate on Torriano Avenue, but couldn't find any way through.

23 Carleton Road
23 Carleton Road was used as the flat in Spaced

Tufnell Park to Archway

Holly Lodge Estate
Holly Lodge Estate

From Tufnell Park, things just get better and better as you head up towards Highgate. The houses get bigger and more impressive as you move into Dartmouth Park, the area named after the Earl of Dartmouth, who bought the land here in the mid-18th century. You soon join the southern perimeter of Highgate Cemetery, with the odd grave peeping through the thick trees, but the real show starts when you reach Holly Village, a bizarre but attractive collection of nine Gothic cottages on the corner of Chester Road and Swain's Lane. This is the bottom corner of the cemetery, and while walking north up Swain's Lane, make sure you look left at the private Holly Lodge Estate. Huge blocks of Mock Tudor housing line manicured streets, and the streets are closed off with chained gates (one of which has obviously been driven into by someone trying to leave the estate at speed while not concentrating very hard). Each road has a different style – Mock Tudor flats, Mock Tudor terraces, Mock Tudor houses and so on – but you've probably guessed the common theme. This is Mock Tudor heaven, in a prime spot overlooking the cemetery, and I guess you either love Mock Tudor... or you don't.

Richard Smith's grave
Richard Smith's grave

'Stoney' Richard Smith, , of Stone in Staffordshire, Macclesfield in Cheshire and London. After years of patient investigation he patented on the his improved treatment of the wheat germ and broken wheat which made the manufacture of Hovis bread possible.

I can practically hear your apathy, but bear with me, because I'm from Stone in Staffordshire, and to find out that one's small home town produced the man who invented modern bread manufacturing – someone who was clearly important enough to be buried in Highgate Cemetery – is a surprise that brightens up even the rainiest of days. So what's that feeling? It's provincial pride, that's what it is, and I revelled in it as the rain dripped down my neck.

Douglas Adams' grave
Douglas Adams' grave
Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery is very atmospheric in the rain

Amazing. The great solo in 'My Generation'. If you could write that in words, that's what you'd have on your gravestone.

Too right, Noel. I couldn't put it better myself.

Archway to Highgate

Parkland Walk
Parkland Walk

A long run of estates takes you north to Hornsey Rise. There's nothing wrong with these estates – some of them look quite pleasant, even in the rain – but there's nothing to write home about. However, halfway to the next station we joined the Parkland Walk, and things instantly improved.

Highgate to East Finchley

Queen's Wood
Queen's Wood

The Capital Ring continues northwest all the way to East Finchley, and it's well worth following as it winds through two woods and through a park. The first wood, Queen's Wood, is the wildest of the two, and even though there's a gravel path at one point, it's still a bit of a slippery bugger in the rain. It is, however, a genuine English wood, and you could be forgiven for believing that you were in the middle of the countryside.

The archer on East Finchley station
The archer on East Finchley station