Hampstead Heath and Parliament Hill

Starting at Hampstead Underground Station, this walk takes you from the cluster of elegant Georgian and Victorian streets that form London's highest urban village of Hampstead across the heath to the pleasing neoclassical proportions of Kenwood House. The walk then continues on its circular route through the Heath, taking in Parliament Hill and Keat's House before returning to the starting point.

Before the Industrial Revolution and the railways brought floods of immigrants to London from the rest of the country, Hampstead was a village on top of a hill surrounded by fields, several miles to the north of the capital. It first became popular in the early 18th century as a health resort. Those of London's citizens who wanted a break from the city's grimy streets headed for the cleaner air and iron rich springs and wells of Hampstead. It is from this period of prosperity that some of the villages most beautiful buildings date. However, not all of Hampstead's visitors came in search of health and tranquility. Many desired a livelier holiday village and ale houses, cover shops, gambling dens and the like were soon provided to cater for their tastes.

One of Hampstead's most elegant streets from this period is Church Row; the beautiful Georgian houses on the south side were built in the 1720s. The Church of St Johns is the parish Church of Hampstead and was built in 1745. Within the churchyard is the grave of John Constable, who painted many of his landscapes in and around Hampstead Village. Opposite the church the walk goes down Holly Walk where refugees from the Terror of the French Revolution settled and built the Roman Catholic Church of St Mary's in 1816, At the corner of Hollyberry Lane there is the first Hampstead police station. It was from here in the 1830's that Hampstead Police Force set out to patrol the village's streets. At the end of Holly Walk, on the corner of Mount Vernon, stands Abernethy House where the writer of Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson, lived. From Mount Vernon the walk enters Holly Bush Hill. It was at the Holly Bush pub in 1829 that James Fenton inspired other Hampstead residents to take up their cudgels to preserve the heath as common land open for all.

From Holly Bush Hill the walk soon enters Hampstead Grove. This has several fine houses, including Romney's House, a charming cottage built in 1797 for the artist George Romney. Another is New Grove House, which was inhabited by the 19th century cartoonist and novelist George du Maurier.

The most beautiful house in Hampstead Grove, if not the whole of Hampstead, is Fenton House. A William and Mary mansion of about 1693 with a pretty walled garden and a pair of superb wrought iron gates. The house now belongs to the National Trust and is open to the public from much of the year. The house contains the Benton Fletcher collection of early keyboard instruments; a superb selection including a harpsichord that was played by Handel. There is also the Benning collection of porcelain and furniture donated with the house.

The walk continues along Admiral Walk, where John Galsworthy lived and wrote his epic The Forsyth Saga, continuing into Windmill Hill and Judges Walk to which London's judges fled to escape the Great Plague of 1665. Shortly after Whitestone Pond the walk enters Hampstead Heath near the War Memorial, that at 442 feet, marks London's highest point. From here there is a good view across the heath and city.

The wooded sandy Heath has many varieties of trees and wild flowers, and over 80 species of birds. The walk first passes along the Vale of Health, which, until the 18th century, was an unhealthy swamp called Hatches Bottom. It was then drained, houses were built on it, and the area was renamed.

From the Vale of Health, the walk heads towards Kenwood House, passing through the Kenwood woodland area. This wood, which was once part of the ancient and extensive Forest of Middlesex, gives an indication of how the heath must originally have looked. The wood is now protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the path through it fenced off from the trees that grow on either side to afford them protection.

In contrast to this unkempt woodland is the landscaped garden of Kenwood House. This includes a beautiful rose garden, some superb mature beech trees, a sculpture by Henry Moore and Dr Johnson's summerhouse. The gardens were laid out by the first Earl of Mansfield, who was George III's Lord Chief Justice. The house, with its stucco facade, was rebuilt for Mansfield around its 17th century original by Robert Adam in the 1760's. It was bequeathed to the nation in 1927 and contains a superb collection of paintings and furniture. It is open to the public daily.

From Kenwood, the walk descends to the Highgate Ponds. These six ponds all have different characters and purposes. The first is the Stock Pond, the second the Ladies Bathing Pond and the third a wildlife reserve. The next pond buzzes with the motors of model boats. The next is the Men's Bathing Pond and the final is elegantly framed by willow trees. The two bathing ponds are open to swimmers throughout the year, whatever the weather.

Close to the last two ponds is Parliament Hill, which at 319 feet gives a good view over London and usually provides plenty of breeze for the flying of kites. It's name comes from the Gunpowder Plot as it was here that Guy Fawkes and his fellow traitors met on 5th November 1605, in anticipation of watching the destruction of the Houses of Parliament.

On the other side of Parliament Hill are Hampstead Ponds, the source of the underground Fleet River that flows into the River Thames. After the Hampstead Ponds the walk leaves the heath, going first to Keats House in Keats Grove, then down Downshire Hill where St John's Chapel still has box pews. Further on, Gainsborough Gardens is a circle of attractive Victorian villas around a garden. Next to Gainsborough Gardens is Well Walk where, just to the right as you enter, a plaque on the wall of a house marks the site of the wells that made Hampstead popular 250 years ago. Further on is Flask Walk where the water was bottled for sale. From here it is a short walk back to the start at Hampstead Tube Station.