Finchley in Fiction Walk

Part of the 

Finchley Literary Festival 

24^th-26^th June 2016     

Finchley in Fiction  – Guided Walk. 
Sunday 26th June, 12.00-3.30pm  

Meet Waterstones, N12 9QR

Mr Greenacres and Rosie Canning lead us on a literary walk with a lunch stop at Redwood Café (one of our sponsors) in Swan Lane Open Space, and a tea stop at Finchley Golf Club. Short readings will also be given from novels that feature Finchley - after all who can pass the site of Spike Milligan's former home without a recitation?

£3.00 pay on the day.

We are hoping that walkers will join us for the event below before the walk:

Meet the Author. Sunday, 26th June 11.00-12.00pm Waterstones, N12 9QR

Katharine Norbury presents her acclaimed book The Fish Ladder. Part travelogue, part memoir, Katharine Norbury’s moving and lyrical story of self-discovery – told through journeys on foot along the glittering rivers of Britain – is nature writing at its finest. The book follows the course of rivers and time, relationships and the inescapable attraction of family, meaning, and landscape. 

Katherine will be interviewed by Mr Greenacres. He is a founder member of the Greenacre Project and was a regular contributor to The Greenacre Times writing the popular Mr Greenacres column as well as articles under his own name. Mike has charted and photographed every green space in the area and gives regular talks and slides shows as well as leading walks, including the one following this event.

Free.
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Woods and Water - Walk this Sunday

Wellpoint Walk went well, a good turnout and perfect walking weather. A good trek from Finchley to Mill Hill with Tai Chi and breathing exercises along the way.Well done to all those who braved the mud at Rocklands, Burtonhole Lane and Oakfields Wood to get to the finish. Special thanks to the stewards and Angie and the staff at Finchley Golf Club, and Naomi and Raffi at the Summer House. We all appreciate both the food and how hard you worked.

WOODS and WATER - Sunday 1st May 2016 at 12pm.

This is a walk in a completely different direction - northeast from Finchley to Arnos Grove via connecting green spaces and footpaths. We will be going through nature reserves, woods, and along brooks and greenways. We will see several different water features and have very little contact with roads on this one - full details attached. We will be stopping for a packed lunch in the picnic area of Hollickwood Park and then a tea stop at Costa Coffee, which is 0.4 of a mile further on.

MEET AT THE BACK OF THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL 11.45 AM CLICK HERE FOR MAP

Finchley to Mill Hill Walk

Wellpoint Walk, Sunday 17th April. 

Spring is here and so is our first walk of 2016. This really is a lovely route from Lovers Walk Finchley to Mill Hill East. The theme of this walk is Health and Wellbeing and we are organizing it in conjunction with The Wellpoint Clinic which is a low cost acupuncture clinic. We meet outside Wellpoiint c which is on the corner of Ballards Lane and The Grove at 11-45 for a 12pm start. Anyone who wants to have a look at the clinic and learn a bit more about acupuncture please arrive a few minutes early. If anyone would like to be met at Finchley Central tube station, (300 yards from Wellpoint),please let me know and we can probably arrange that.

Of course walking in the greenery is the essence of health and wellbeing but we will have a few short stops along the way to do things such as Qi Gong breathing exercises, simple Tai Chi exercises and talks on health related topics. 

We set off down Lovers Walk and Head for Dollis Brook and a circuit of Rocklands Lake. We then head back to Lovers Walk for a lunch stop at the grand Nether Court clubhouse. After lunch we head along Frith Lane to Burtonhole Lane, which is a green footpath/bridleway, and on to Finchley Nurseries for a tea stop at The Summer House Cafe. After tea we head through Oakfields Wood, along The Ridgeway to Bittacy Park for a finish at Mill Hill East tube station. We will escort you back to Finchley on the 382 bus if required.

This route is the closest you can get to a walk in the country in or around Finchley and all the greenery will be nearly at its most lush and picturesque in mid-April. Total distance to the finish is 3.8 miles.  PLEASE NOTE: lunch and tea will have to be pre-booked with me at least 3 days before the walk.  

Lunch stop is Nether Court, the clubhouse of Finchley Golf Club. This is a very grand house with much history. Lunch is on a terrace overlooking the course. Food is excellent. Tea stop is at The Summer House at Finchley Nurseries where home made cakes are on offer.

If you are coming on the walk - please make your selection and pre-order with me by phone: 0208 346 5503 or email mikegee1968@gmail.com. 

It would help us if you could bring the exact money on the day. We will collect money at the start of the walk and issue you with vouchers. Present the appropriate voucher at the lunch and tea stops. Be sure to look after your voucher as staff have been instructed only to issue food in exchange for the appropriate voucher. Please try and turn up at 11-45am or slightly earlier if you want to look round the clinic.

Let's hope for favourable weather on the day.

FUTURE DATES FOR YOUR DIARY: 

Weds 27th April at 7-30pm, new slide show at North Middlesex Golf Club. 

Sunday 1st May at 12pm, Finchley to Friern Green Walk.
Sunday 26th Jun at 12pm, Literary walk part of Finchley Literary Festival

Full details will be sent out shortly.

Pymmes Brook Trail

Brand new slide show and walk entitled THE PYMMES BROOK TRAIL. The slide show is on Thu 13th August at St Mary's Church, Church Hill Road, EN4 8XD and the walk starts outside Osidge Library on Sunday 23rd August. We seem to have been off in all directions in the last few years and covered a lot of ground from Mill Hill to Finsbury Park as well as all over Finchley,Friern Barnet and Muswell Hill but I have managed to come up with something new and exciting for this summer. Wherever there's water one finds special places and features and Pymmes Brook is no exception. We start by exploring Brunswick Park, which has a surprising amount of unspoilt greenery, before we pick up Pymmes Brook and follow it to its source at Beech Hill Lake in Monken Hadley. Along the way we will see many wonderful sights and also uncover a few contentious issues.

Anyone who thinks Pymmes Brook may be boring - think again. This is a delightful walk taking in an awful lot in just 4.1 miles. Meadowland, parkland, open grassland, brookside woodland walks, garden village, parks, sports fields, nature reserve, heathland, recreation ground, open green brookside walks and a finish at the very beautiful Beech Hill Lake. The lunch stop will be at Oak Hill Park Cafe where they serve very tasty, freshly prepared food. I will send a menu out in due course for you to pre-order your luncheon. We will be joined by Greenacre Writer Rosie Canning who will be organising a mini literary performance at the bandstand after lunch. There will also be a chance to write some prose or peotry whilst on the walk. Hot tea and home made cakes will be served at the finish at Beech Hill Lake. What more could you want! Only good walking weather, keep your fingers crossed.