Walking with family and friends: Baker Street to The Regent's Park... and beyond

Wednesday August 12, 2026.
Sunny with a high of 33°C (91.4°F)

Another day and another adventure. 

The annual summer fête, at Croxley Business Park, was our first stop, today. Erin and Keilyn had both been before, but Emma, myself and Steve had never visited, so that had to be rectified. Erin, although up and ready for another adventure, was feeling a little under the weather from yesterday's epic walk and decided that she would go to Croxbury, as it had been named this year, but would not go to London after.

We left home and made the short walk towards Croxley Business Park, stopping at Greggs to buy some lunch which was eaten on the benches outside the store. As the girls tucked into their food Keilyn spotted Steve crossing the road and yelled out his name. Steve, ever the entertainer, covered his face and turned away at a pace, disappearing out of sight, but reappeared moments later. Keilyn's face went through a mixture of emotions in those few seconds. Steve purchased some food and before long we were heading towards the sports field, adjacent to Croxley Common Moor.

The drive was lined with flags and banners, with us being greeted at the entrance by four ladies on stilts, wearing rainbow-coloured wigs. Once on the sports field we headed for the shade of a tent and purchased some raffle tickets, while Keilyn bought some candy floss. We then had a wander around the field, where a stage had been set up with a band doing Oasis covers among others. A bouncy castle and bouncy slide along with face-painting stalls and a man making balloon shapes entertained the little ones. 

There were two fun fair rides set up along the other side. A Ferris wheel and another ride for older kids. It was about this time that Steve announced that he had never been on a Ferris wheel. This needed correcting. So, Keilyn and I joined the queue, with Steve and Erin behind us. Soon we were clambering aboard and once secured into our seats waited for everyone else to take their seats. As each seat filled our seat moved higher, until all of the seats were full. Then the ride began.

For a good few minutes we took in the sights and sounds offered by the ride. The massive expanse of Croxley Moor, to our right, and the business park to our left. When the ride finished we found ourselves at the top and so I was able to turn in my seat and take a photo of Erin and Steve, who were behind us, with Croxley spread out behind them.

On exiting the ride we found Emma, who had been watching us from a bench, and made a move towards the exit. After saying our "Goodbyes", Emma and Erin made their way back through the business park, while Steve, Keilyn and I went through a gate onto Croxley Moor. It turns out that Steve had never walked across the moor! We made our way along the dusty tracks, passing bushes and trees, while rabbits darted in and out of cover, until we reached the River Gade. Here we stopped to take in the view along the river, with small fish swimming just below the surface of the crystal clear water. 

Tower Hill Sundial

The Tower Hill Sundial is a unique, ground-level horizontal dial located just outside the Tower Hill Underground Station in London. Functioning as both a functional timekeeper and an intricate pictorial history book, the monument details nearly 2,000 years of the city's past.

Commissioned by London Underground Ltd, the site was unveiled on August 3, 1992, transforming an empty plaza space into a designated public garden and seating area. The space was envisioned by landscape architect John Chitty, who conceived the idea of a giant sundial at its centre, while the renowned English sculptor Edwin Russell was commissioned to bring the historical reliefs to life. Today, the gardens serve as a circular, raised viewing platform overlooking the Tower of London, where tour groups regularly convene to take in the history over the road.

Design and Historical Highlights

At the centre of the dial, just below the large gnomon, sits a prominent bronze anchor, a nod to the dial's close proximity to the River Thames and the historic Pool of London. Radiating outward from this centre is a 3.7 metre (12.14 feet) high bronze band circumscribed by detailed high-relief sculptures.

This outer ring winds chronologically through the history of London and its transport system, stretching from the founding of the Roman city of Londinium in AD 43 right through to the completion of the Thames Barrier in 1982. The reliefs depict iconic milestones, including the construction of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, the early omnibus services, and the devastating impacts of the Great Fire and the Blitz.

Walking with family and friends: St John's Wood to King's Cross... and beyond

Tuesday August 11, 2026

Sunny with a high of 26°C (78.8°F)

Yesterday my family, myself and our friend Steve should have been on a flight to Lanzarote, for a well deserved holiday. Unfortunately, due to issues at the hotel, and with no other options available, our holiday was cancelled. But, we will get the money back and we still have great weather here in the UK. With that in mind, Steve, Erin and myself decided to head off to London.

Erin and I met up with Steve at Watford underground station, where we boarded a Baker Street-bound train, that we took to Finchley Road. From here we crossed the platform and continued our journey to St John's Wood, via the Jubilee line.

On exiting the station we headed south along Finchley Road, before turning along Circus Road, where we stopped at the Tesco Express to grab some snacks and extra drinks. From here we travelled along St John's Wood High Street where I discovered well-kept rows of coal hole covers. Usually these have been removed or worn away. But here, there were rows of up to thirteen covers still in situ. St John's Wood High Street brought us to Prince Albert Road, where we joined the Regent's Canal at the North Gate.

The towpath was remarkably quiet as we made our way eastward, passing beneath the Macclesfield 'Blow Up' Bridge before passing by the Snowdon Aviary. The aviary, opened in 1965, was Britain's first walk-through aviary. housing many exotic birds. Today it has been reimagined, following a multi-million pound renovation, and is now called Monkey Valley, and is home to eastern black-and-white colobus monkeys. As we passed we could see the monkeys with their bushy white tails, munching on branches and clambering along ropes.

Mark Lane (former) Underground Station

Many of London's abandoned or 'ghost' stations can be seen all over the city. Although some have completely disappeared above ground, like Lord's station, they are usually easy to spot because most of them were housed in the tell-tale oxblood tiled buildings designed by Leslie Green.

Mark Lane, however, is different. It didn’t have those lovely tiles, instead being housed in a stately, stone-faced building. Because of this, many people walk right by this building, or sit inside with a drink, without ever noticing the clues to its previous life.

A Tangled Underground Timeline

The story begins in 1882, when the Metropolitan Railway opened an underground station called the 'Tower of London'. Between 1882 and 1884, Byward Street was laid out, cutting through the existing Great Tower Street toward Trinity Square in alignment with the railway line below.

London's Bandstands

Wandering through London's many parks you will discover that many of them still have bandstands. But, what brought about their construction and are they still as important today?

The story of London's bandstands is a fascinating look into Victorian social engineering, military history, and the evolution of public entertainment. They were far more than just pretty park ornaments, they were the focal points of working-class leisure.

Here is how they came to dominate not just London's green spaces, but the rest of the country, too.

The Victorian Boom

Before the mid-1800s, London’s royal parks were largely the playground of the wealthy. However, as the Industrial Revolution packed people into dense, smoky urban centres, Victorian reformers realised the working class desperately needed "rational recreation". Meaning wholesome, outdoor activities to keep them out of the gin palaces.

Music was the perfect answer, but early performances suffered because musicians had to play on the grass or temporary wooden stages where the sound simply drifted away.