Wood Green to Stoke Newington

26 August. The terrace at Alexandra Palace is a good place to sit and admire the views, and two of our members met some friends there to join our group on a walk arranged due to the train strikes causing a change in our programme. They will have been surprised by the number who approached them having completed the extra detour from Wood Green Tube station. In fact a total of 26 members and guests were present at one time or other. Thanks to Mary-Jane for trying to keep count and to our photographers, especially Christine.

Those not familiar with the walk were pleasantly surprised by the amount of woodland and the distance travelled with very little road walking from Alexandra Palace to our lunch stop at Finsbury Park cafe. We stopped brifly at another cafe in Highbury Woods, and a number of walkers chose to leave at various points before lunch and at Finsbury Park.

We gained some more for the afternoon walk which followed the New River to Woodbury Wetlands. The very dark clouds signalled a downpour which reached us as we left the reservoirs intending to cross Clissold Park and maybe reach Abney Park Cemetery. The spire of Stoke Newington Church can be seen on much of the afternoon walk, but that view was as close as the group got on the day.

The thunderstorm finally convinced members to get out of the torrential rain as soon as possible, but everyone had got out for the day on an otherwise interesting and enjoyable walk. Tony (thanks to Christine M and Howard for photos).