HampsteadHeath Trails

The trail starts here atthe Parliament Hill Café.Follow the trail towards

the chain of ponds.

The chain of ponds onyour right were dug asreservoirs around 300

years ago. The waters of theRiver Fleet feed them. Waterbirds such as herons, great-crested grebes and the pre-historic like cormorants can beseen here. You may even catch aglimpse of a kingfisher.

The pine-topped Tumulusis something of a mys-tery. Some believe it is an

ancient burial ground or theresting-place of Queen Boudicca.More likely it is the site of an oldwindmill or a folly, once visiblefrom Kenwood House.

Just inside the woodlandon your right you will

see what is probably theoldest human-made feature on

the Heath. The ‘Saxon Ditch’has been here since at least AD986. Ancient trees and stonesalso mark this old manorial andparish boundary.

The summit of ParliamentHill will give you awelcome breather and

great views over the city.More mystery surrounds thename. It may simply record thevisibility of the seat of govern-ment, or does it commemorateGuy Fawkes’ attempt to blowup the Houses of Parliament in1605? Some think that hissupporters lay in waiting hereto witness the deed being done.

This is a goodspot to watchmigrating birds. In the autumn,look for largenumbers ofswallows andhouse martins.

HampsteadPonds

Bandstand

Mil l f ie ld

Lane

HighgatePonds

ParliamentHill Fields

Parliament Hill(Kite Hill)

DukesField

P

DartmoPark95m

98m

Tumulus

Stone of FreeSpeech8

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The Tumulus

Parliament Hill

Trail 1 Parliament Hilland the Tumulus

kingfisher

The trail starts here atthe Parliament Hill Café.

Follow the trail, via theponds, to Millfield Lane.

This country lane is acontinuation of MillfieldLane, which borders the

area that was Millfield Farm. Itis also known as Poet’s Lanedue to associations withColeridge and Keats who wereknown to listen to thenightingales here.

The Goodison Fountainwas erected in memoryof Henry Goodison,

involved in the campaign tosave Kenwood House. In thesummer, meadow brown andorange tip butterflies as well asswifts can be found in themeadow beyond. In winter,flocks of fieldfares and redwingsfrom Scandinavia arrive.

In front of you isKenwood House. You

are looking at its south

face, which is from theGeorgian period. The Houseexhibits important collectionsof paintings. The adjacentancient woodlands areinhabited by jackdaws, a rarityso close to London, andbizarrely, ring-necked parakeets.The Kenwood Estate wasbequeathed to the nation bythe 1st Earl of Iveagh.

You are now on the Vale of Health estateroad. Sir Thomas Maryon

Wilson, who had manorialrights on this part of the Heath,built this in 1845. His grand planto build on the Heath waseventually scuppered by localprotestations. Keep an eye outfor treecreepers and nut-hatches, which can be seenmoving around the trunks oftrees. You will now walk via theVale of Health estate road toSandy Heath and onto theHampstead Heath Extension.

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HampsteadPonds

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Bandstand

North Wood

Gate

Hampstead Lane

th End Road

West Heath Road

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nchH

i l l

Wel

l Wal

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East Heath Road

Mil l f ie ld

Lane

Spa

nia

rds

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NorthEnd

Way

KenwoodNursery

ProspectHill

KitchenGarden

The Orchard

StoneBridge

ShamBridge

Gate

DuellingGround

FlowerGarden

HighgateGate

HighgatePonds

ParliamentHill Fields

Parliament Hill(Kite Hill)

DukesField

ThePryors

BirdBridge

East Heath

HampsteadGate

WestfieldGate

WestLodge

MountTyndal

TheElms

SpaniardsInn P.H.

g gRooms

IkinsCorner

BandstandHill Park

Deerclosure

Pergola

The HillGarden

InverforthHouseWest Heath

SandyHeath

North End

HeathHouse

Jack Straw'sCastle P.H.

Vale of Health

FairgroundSite

ThePound

Gate

Stables

Radio Mast

Bull &Bush P.H.

115m

130m

Highgate

DartmPar

112m

95m

98m

Gate

Gate

Gate

Gate

Gate

Gate

Gate

ConcertSite

West Heath Road

Hampste

a dW

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B rgh

SandyRoad

andy Road

KenwoodHouse

WestMeadow

Mansion CottageInformation Centre

Bog Tumulus

SouthMeadow

Pitt'sGarden

Stone of FreeSpeechLim

e Avenue

Viaduct

GoodisonFountain

IceHouse

Fitz

roy

Park

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Kenwood(English Heritage)

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JudgesWalk

SportsGround

Gate

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Trail 2 Heath Circuit

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The Goodison Fountain

Kenwood House from the south

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The hedgerow to the left of the path is aremnant of the ancient

woodland, Wylde Wood. Oaksand hornbeams are inter-spersed with hazel, hawthornand elder. To your right are theSeven Sisters Ponds thateventually feed into BrentReservoir. In the summer avariety of damselflies anddragonflies including the azureblue damselfly and thecommon darter dragonfly canbe seen patrolling the area.

On entering Golders HillPark you can see thecontrast with the wilder

parts of the Heath. A largemansion, known as Golders HillHouse, once stood here until itwas bombed during the SecondWorld War. The park has astunning walled garden and avariety of exotic tree species.

Congratulations! Youhave reached theSummit of Hampstead

Heath, the highest naturalpoint in London. To the right isthe Flagstaff, which marks thesite of the fire beacon thatprovided warning of theSpanish Armada in 1588. Forcenturies it was lit to celebratejubilees and other nationalevents.

Pryors Field is anacidic grassland of great

conservation value. It hasa diversity of grass andinvertebrate species. Thenumerous anthills are visitedregularly by green wood-peckers. The greater and lesser-spotted woodpeckers are alsoresident on theHeath.

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Golders Hill Park

Looking south, theHampsteadHeathExtensionshowing thehedgerowsystems

Roesels bush cricket

Red admiral

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North End Road

Spa

nia

rds

Ro

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NorthEnd

Way

MountTyndal

TheElms

SpaniardsInn P.H.

IkinsCorner

BandstandGolders Hill Park

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st H

eath

Av

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AnimalEnclosure

DeerEnclosure

WaterGarden

Pergola

The HillGarden

InverforthHouseWest Heath

SandyHeath

North End

ChildsHill

HeathHouse

FairgroundSite

Radio Mast

Bull &Bush P.H.

115m

Gate

GateGate

Gate

Gate

Gate

Gate

Gate

GateHam

pstea d

Way

SandyRoad

Sandy Road

Pitt'sGarden

IceHo se

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Gate

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The trail starts here atGolders Hill Café. Thetrail takes you through

Golders Hill Park and WestHeath before bringing you tothe Hill Garden.

The beautiful and restfulHill Garden is one of

London’s best-kept secrets.The adjacent Pergola was thebrainchild of Lord Leverhulme,a resident of Inverforth House,in the early 1900s. This coveredwalkway is as long as theCanary Wharf Tower is tall. TheCorporation of London carefullyrestored it in the early 1990s.Recently, brown long-earedbats have been discoveredroosting here.

Behave yourself! Theinfamous ‘Gibbet Elms’

once stood close to here.The bodies of highwaymen were hung in a suspended iron framework as a warning

to potential troublemakers.According to local legend, DickTurpin was also associated withthe Heath and is thought tohave used the Spaniards Inn,further to the East.

Just off the beaten track isPitt’s Garden. This large

walled garden is part ofthe Heath and is now a spec-tacular wilderness with a ruinedclassical archway. It containsareas of recently planted heather,

the Heath’s signature plant.

You are now on SandyHeath, which is a

dramatically altered,lunar-like landscape. The steepslopes, sudden hollows andundulations show the placeswhere sand has been dug overmany years. Large areas ofgorse can be found here andprovide a good habitat fornesting birds such as long-tailed tits.

Trail 3 Sandy Heath and the Pergola

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The classical arch in Pitt’s Garden

3The Pergola overlooking West Heath

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Hampstead Heath is one of a number of open spaces, parks andgardens in and around London owned and managed by theCorporation of London as part of its commitment to sustaining aworld class city. Each open space is a unique resource managedfor the use and enjoyment of the public and for the conservationof wildlife and historic landscape.

A full list of sites and visitor information can be found on ourwebsite at www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/openspaces or bycontacting the Open Spaces Directorate on 020 7606 3030.

SOME IMPORTANT CONTACTS

HampsteadHeath Trails

PRINTED ON PAPER FROM SUSTAINABLY MANAGED FORESTS

Picture credits: Kingfisher/red admiral butterfly, Mike Read. Roesels bush cricketLondon Wildlife Trust.

Emergency Heath Constabulary 020 8340 5260

General enquiries Parliament Hill Office 020 7485 4491Golders Hill Park Office 020 8455 5183

Information on Wildlife, History Education Centre 020 7482 7073and Guided Walks

Superintendent’s office 020 8348 9908

Website www.cityoflondon.gov.uk