Ridge Walk North: Parliament Hill to Alexandra Palace in One Clear Day

Most London walks are about the river. This one is about the ridge. From Parliament Hill to Alexandra Palace, north London lifts you up and down in a long, uneven line, and on a clear day the skyline keeps reappearing like a reward for the next climb. It is not a formal trail. It is a day out with a shape: start high, drop into villages, climb again, finish on the terrace at Ally Pally with the whole city spread out below.

The shape of the day

Do it west to east. Start at Parliament Hill, finish at Alexandra Palace, and let the transport work in your favour: Hampstead Heath Overground or Belsize Park at the start, Alexandra Palace rail or Wood Green tube at the end. The full route is roughly seven to nine miles depending on how much you zigzag across the Heath and whether you take the Highgate Wood detour. There are proper climbs — Parliament Hill, the pull up to Highgate Village, Muswell Hill — but nothing that requires boots or a bear crawl. Trainers are fine in dry weather; in winter, something with grip is better.

Parliament Hill: the opening skyline

Start early. Parliament Hill is not a secret, and by mid-morning on a weekend it belongs to dogs, runners and people taking the same photograph of St Paul’s and the Shard. Get there before 9am and you get the view almost to yourself.

Stand at the top of the hill, near the bandstand side, and look south. The skyline is laid out like a diagram: the City cluster, the Shard, the London Eye, and on a very clear day the ridge of the South Downs somewhere beyond. This is the view that sets up the day. It is also the easiest one to leave, because the Heath is waiting behind you.

Cross the Heath towards Kenwood. The path is obvious enough, but take a moment at the ponds and the edges of the woods. In spring the Heath is all blossom and mud; in autumn it is chestnuts and low gold light. Kenwood House is the first proper stop. The café does coffee, cake and toilets, and the house itself is worth a quick look if you have not been before.

Across the Heath to Highgate

From Kenwood, head for Whitestone Pond at the top of Hampstead. This is the highest point of the old village, and the walk up from the ponds gives you one last Hampstead view before you cross into Highgate. Cross Hampstead Lane carefully — it is a proper road, not a park path — and make for Highgate Village.

Highgate is the mid-morning pause. The village is all pubs, bookshops and steep streets, and it has the feel of a place that knows it is higher than the rest of London. If you want a proper stop, the pubs around Pond Square and Highgate High Street are the obvious choices. If you want to keep moving, grab a coffee and push on.

The climb to Highgate Village is short but sharp. From there, the route to Muswell Hill is a mix of residential streets and the long pull up Muswell Hill Road. This is the least scenic section — accept it. You are walking through the northern suburbs, not the Alps. The reward comes when the road bends and the trees open up.

Muswell Hill: the middle of the ridge

Muswell Hill Broadway is a good place to reset. There are cafés, bakeries and pubs, and the view down the hill towards the City is one of those accidental London panoramas that nobody puts on a postcard. Stand on the Broadway near the cinema and look south: the towers are there, tiny and sharp, with the whole city in between.

This is also the point where the walk changes character. Up to now you have been on the Heath and in the villages. From Muswell Hill to Alexandra Palace, you are on the final ridge, and the path becomes more urban. Keep an eye on the map. The route is not waymarked as a single trail, so use a phone or a printed map and do not rely on instinct alone.

Alexandra Palace: the finish

Alexandra Palace is the big finish, and it earns it. The terrace in front of the palace looks south over the whole city, and on a clear day you can pick out the Shard, the City, the London Eye and the ridge of the South Downs. It is one of the best free views in London, and it is even better when you have walked to it.

The terrace can be busy. In 2026, check the Alexandra Palace events calendar before you go — a show or a market can fill the forecourt and change the atmosphere. If it is quiet, stay for the last of the light. If it is not, walk a little further into the park and find a bench on the eastern side.

Transport, cafés and timing

For the return, Alexandra Palace station is a short walk downhill from the palace, with trains to Moorgate and connections across north London. Wood Green on the Piccadilly line is a longer walk but gives you more options. If your legs are done, the W3 bus runs between Alexandra Palace and Wood Green, and it is a perfectly respectable way to finish.

Café stops along the way: Kenwood House for the first break, Highgate Village for a pub or coffee, Muswell Hill for a bakery stop, and Alexandra Palace for the final reward. Do not over-plan the food. North London is good at casual cafés, and the walk works best when you leave room for a spontaneous stop.

When to go

Late autumn and winter are the best seasons for the skyline. The air is clearer, the low sun makes the City look sharp, and the views from Parliament Hill and Alexandra Palace are at their most dramatic. Spring is better for the Heath itself — blossom, longer days, more colour — but the skyline can be hazier. Summer is lovely for a picnic, but the Heath and Ally Pally are busier, and the view is often softer.

If you want the ridge without the crowds, go on a weekday, start early, and accept that the middle section will be ordinary. That is the deal with this walk: the highs are high, and the in-between is just north London doing its thing. Finish on the terrace, look south, and you will remember the climbs, not the road sections.