Sunday Hike High Barnet - Highwood Hill - Arkley - Hadley Common Circular 9.5 ml

Join like-minded outdoor enthusiasts to discover some little-known scenic trails and woodland in the Green Belt countryside near Barnet. Stop for lunch in the midst of a little known Rhodendron wood that should be in flower. This Sunday getaway is perfect for nature enthusiasts and hikers looking to explore new trails and embrace the great outdoors. It starts right at the end of the Northern Line tube line.

Meet 10:15 for 10:30 start outside the ticket office at High Barnet Underground Station (by the Coffee@Cal's kiosk) Barnet Hill, Barnet EN5 5RP. See photo in photo album for this event. Look for our Meetup sign.

HIKE DESCRIPTION:

From the start towards Underhill then west along the Dollis Valley Green Walk/London Loop - Whitings Hill Open Space - Whitings Wood - Totteridge Fields Nature Reserve - Highwood Hill - Barnet Gate Wood (outdoor lunch stop) - The Gate Pub (indoor lunch stop). After lunch Arkley Windmill - Galley Lane - St Albans Road - Monken Hadley Common - King George's Field - and back up Meadway to the start.

Approx 80% of this route is on footpaths and 20% on roads with pavements. Footpaths may be muddy in places if the weather has been wet.

PLACES OF INTEREST:
Totteridge Fields Nature Reserve, London Wildlife Trust http://www.wildlondon.org.uk/reserves/totteridge-fields
Barnet Gate Wood, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnet_Gate_Wood
Arkley Windmill http://www.windmillworld.com/millid/2594.htm
Whitings Wood (Woodland Trust) https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/wood/4629/whitings-wood/
The Gate pub: http://thegatearkley.co.uk/

HIKING MAP:
Ordnance Survey 'Explorer' 1:25,000 scale, Sheet 173, London North

ONLINE MAP:
This route was devised by South Herts Hikers. There is a static map in the event photo above and we have also uploaded it to Wikiloc. See: https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/high-barnet-tube-station-highwood-hill-arkley-monken-hadley-common-loop-v1-36229215

You can select map or aerial view (OpenStreetmap recommended) and you can zoom in. Navigating the trail outdoors using the Wikiloc app needs the premium version but you can also set up a free Wikiloc login then use a web browser such as Chrome (not the app) to download a .GPX or .kml file to a mobile device to use with a GPS app such as OSMand, Komoot, All Trails, Outdoor Active, Organic Maps or Google Maps.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT TO MEETING LOCATION:
London Underground Northern Line, TfL buses 34, 107, 234, 263, 307, 326, 384.

CAR PARKING NEAR MEETING LOCATION:
Station car park (£3.00 Sundays). https://www.sabaparking.co.uk/car-park/high-barnet-station-car-park-tfl

Parking restrictions in nearby streets such as Vale Drive EN5 2ED do not apply on Sundays, please park considerately.

• What to bring
Most of the route is on public footpaths in the countryside. Some of these may be slippery, muddy or stony in places. We recommend:

• adequate footwear, preferably hiking boots, with thick soles and good grip
• waterproof jacket or umbrella for rain
• sun hat if sunny
• drink essential (1 - 2 litres)
• packed lunch (optional).

Important to know

There will be a mid morning stop 4.2 km from the start in Whitings Wood. Outdoor lunch stop is 7.3 km from the start in Barnet Gate Wood where you can eat your packed lunch. Indoor lunch stop is 7.7 km from start at The Gate pub, Barnet Road, Arkley, EN5 3LA. Before going into the pub, please remove or cover your boots and please do not consume your own food or drink on their premises.

We can spend up to 60 minutes at the pub lunch stop and this should allow time to order food, if available.
We plan to finish by 16:30 - 17:00.

We suggest a voluntary annual membership donation of £1 (50p if you join July onwards) at your first event of 2024 plus a voluntary donation of £2 for each hike for every participant. That's £2.50 for your first hike with us in 2024 or £2.00 per event after that. This contributes towards the running costs of this Meetup Group. Cash is preferred or you can use Paypal https://paypal.me/SouthHertsHikers

Please note our membership criteria and guidelines for etiquette. From this Meetup Group's home page https://www.meetup.com/southhertshikers/ see What we're about > Read More

For our policy on dogs on our hikes, please see our FAQ page, http://southhertshikers.uk/faq/