One of the big attractions of Chipping Barnet is the extraordinary selection of local green spaces. At High Living we have been covering them individually, but here is a handy summary of local options. Click on the links for more detailed information and precise locations.
In Chipping Barnet town centre there are the Old Courthouse Gardens with tennis courts, play area and café and along Wood Street handsome Ravenscroft Park. At the northern end of the High Street is Hadley Green and St George’s Fields (part of a spectacular circular walk) and, of course, you can continue towards Monken Hadley Common and Hadley Woods. South of Hadley Woods near New Barnet is Tudor Park with its large playing area, tennis courts and neigbouring Footgolf.
Going down Barnet Hill, tucked behind Leicester Road, near the Everyman Cinema is Highlands Gardens – an intimate little park, previously the grounds of a large house. Further down the A1000 is beautifully wooded Greenhill Gardens with a lake often teeming with wildlife. In contrast to these is the vast expanse of Barnet Playing Fields near Underhill and from here you can take the Dollis Valley Greenway south towards Finchley (great for running and stretches are cyclable) or the other direction west to Moat Mount via Arkley (generally unpaved and not suitable for bikes).
East Barnet has majestic Oak Hill Park which ticks many boxes with sports facilities, playground and café and is home to the weekly parkrun. From here you can pick up the Pymmes Brook Trail either by bike or on foot and continue to Arnos Grove and beyond.
Easily reached by tube or bus are Stephens House and Gardens in Finchley and Cherry Tree Wood, Highgate Woods and Queens Wood featuring ancient woodland, along with the disused railway Parkland Walk to Finsbury Park (which ties into the fascinating history of the Barnet Branch of the Northern Line).
A short drive away there are lots more options. Near South Mimms Services is Wash Lane Common and footpath along the old coaching route. Cockfosters has Trent Park, once part of the Enfield Chase which dominated the area. Continuing towards Enfield the selection intensifies with Whitewebbs, Myddelton House Gardens and Forty Hall, all located near historic Forty Hill.
Between Potters Bar and Northaw is another atmospheric remnant of the Enfield Chase, Fir and Pond Woods and a few miles further north in Brookmans Park is Gobions Wood, especially good for bluebells. Another springtime favourite is Shenley Park near Borehamwood, with its beautiful apple orchard among other great features.
If you have a bike rack there are several easy cycle routes within easy reach of Barnet by car. The Ayot Greenway and Nickey Line disused railways are good options for families and the River Lee towpath from Dobbs Weir to Ware is a wonderfully varied ride, especially in warm weather alongside the water.
This isn’t fully comprehensive and more will be added in due course. However, you can see we have plenty of easy ways to enjoy the great outdoors.
