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Published: October 29th 2008
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Hampstead Heath
A reflection in one of the many ponds in Hampstead Heath Another cold clear day in London as my brother and I undertook our latest adventure in London. The destination was Hampstead and its adjoining Heath.
We caught the tube from Borough Station directly to Hampstead. Hampstead is located about 6km north-west of Charing Cross. It is part of the London Borough of Camden. It is also home to some of the most expensive housing in the London area with large houses regularly listed for sale at over twenty million pounds sterling (about AUS$50 million ).
Apparently the village of Hampstead has more millionaires within its boundaries than any other area of Britain. It is also the hub of intellectual, artistic, musical and literary life.
Using Paul's
London City Walks card we followed the directions of its map from Hampstead High Street to the Heath. We passed the modernist home of architect Erno Goldfinger. James Bond author Ian Fleming hated Goldfinger's designs so much that he named of of his most famous Bond villains after him.
We started our march through Hampstead Heath at Parliament Hill which provides great views of the City of London.The Heath is very popular with dog walkers, joggers, families and tourists who
Not such a midas touch
The Erno Goldfinger-designed home in Hampstead. James Bond author Ian Fleming was not a fan and I'm not sure it does a great deal for me either! ramble along its picturesque pathways. Hamstead Heath also has some bathing ponds which are popular in summer.
The walk through is quite easy and despite the fact that the sole of my foot was sore from the walk the previous day, we traipsed our way around the Heath in good time. We had worked up a good appetite by the time we made it to the former stately home of Kenwood House on the northern boundary.
Kenwood House is managed by English Heritage. There are number of interesting works of art inside and they have a very good CCTV security system (as one intrepid tourist found out when trying to take a photo!)
After wandering around the grounds of the house and within, it was out to the Spaniards Inn for lunch. The pub has a great literary heritage and has been mentioned in Dickens's The Pickwick Papers and Bram Stoker's Dracula.
I'm not sure what Dickens thought of the lunch at The Spaniards Inn but I had a fantastic fish and chips and Paul had a ploughman's lunch with chutney to die for.
After eating our lunch, (accompanied by pints of Guinness and Stella
Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill, formerly known as Traitor's Hill, is the first stop before making your way through Hampstead Heath. It offers great views back towards the city. Artois) we completed our tour and then made our way back to the High Street for the tube ride to Borough.
A great day spent in one of the gems of London.
The weather turned quite nasty last night with sleet, snow and rain reported across London. Thankfully this morning (Wednesday) the sun is shining again.
Today I'm having lunch with Mick Allsopp (of Maidstone), starting to plan for Spain, probably getting a hair cut at a local Borough establishment and relaxing in preparation for another tour of greater London tomorrow.
The newspapers here are dominated by the story of Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand- two D.J.'s on the BBC who made an obscene call (which made it on air) to former Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sach's home.
I certainly didnt think it was funny and neither have thousands who have made complaints. Even PM Gordon Brown described it as "...inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour.." Basically they left a message on Sach's answering machine stating that Brand had "f#cked your granddaughter" Charming!
By the way I have purchased a London Visitor's Oyster Card - indispensible in London. Every visitor to London should buy one The Colours of Autumn
The glorious colours of an autumn in London prior to coming here , particularly if you are staying for a few days. Not only does it make train and bus journeys quicker, you also make great savings on individual fares. You can buy the Vistor Oyster Card from Heathrow and Gatwick and from National Express Ticket Offices.
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