PARKLAND walk, North London

Directions: From Finsbury Park station's main exit, turn left and cross Stroud Green Road into the green space of Finsbury Park. Bear left on the path that skirts the perimeter: you're now on the Capital Ring, a 78-mile trail that loops around London via a string of parks and other open spaces. Pass the tennis courts and, where this path meets another, turn left (signposted Highgate) and cross the footbridge over the railway tracks. Then turn right and parallel the railway on the tree-lined trail known as Parkland Walk. 

This stretch of the Capital Ring runs along a disused railway line that once connected Finsbury Park via Stroud Green, Crouch End, Highgate and Muswell Hill to Alexandra Palace. Built in the late 1860s, the line fell out of regular use some 80 years later before eventually being converted for recreation in 1984. With the tracks long since grubbed out and the route flanked with sycamore trees swathed in ivy, it's now a linear trail that's managed as London's longest nature reserve. 

One of the most appealing elements of strolling on the Parkland Walk is its post-apocalyptic sense of being reclaimed by nature. As you proceed along the path, you'll find reminders of railway heritage such as long-forgotten station platforms rising from the undergrowth. Bridges and underpasses tagged with graffiti and colourful street art are complemented by a leafy backdrop, softening their air of urban grit. And where steam trains would once have puffed past, you'll be serenaded by birdsong. It's an inescapable interplay between civilisation and nature. 

Where the track ends just before Highgate station, exit onto the street and continue to the top of the hill, whereupon turn right onto Archway Road. After Parkland Walk's tranquillity, the traffic here can feel quite affronting. There is an option to follow the signs for a car-free detour through Queen's Wood, but it's worth putting up with Archway Road's noise and fumes for a couple of blocks. At its junction with Muswell Hill Road, you'll find yourself outside The Woodman. It's the perfect spot for taking a break - especially if you can bag a table on its all-weather terrace, surrounded by trees. 

If after a couple of pints you've lost the enthusiasm to carry on, you've got the option of heading back down for the Northern Line from Highgate. Otherwise, press ahead by turning right down Muswell Hill Road, then left through a gate to enter Highgate Wood. Were it not for the sound of the traffic, this 70-acre ancient woodland feels a world away from suburbia. Take the path on the right that parallels the road, admiring the ages-old trees as you go. At the far end, exit back onto Muswell Hill Road and descend the slope to the left of the bus stop to rejoin Parkland Walk via an underpass.

This part of the former railway is much shorter than that between Finsbury and Highgate. Towards its end, you'll cross a viaduct with views across Muswell Hill's rooftops to the high-rise skylines of Stratford, Canary Wharf and the City of London. Then continue through a tunnel under the road to reach Alexandra Park. Stay on the winding path until it meets a road that winds up to the vast Victorian bulk of Alexandra Palace. This giant structure (fondly known as Ally Pally) opened in 1873 on Queen Victoria's birthday but had to be rebuilt two years later after a devastating fire. It's now an entertainment venue with a theatre, ice rink and event space, not to mention The Terrace - London's largest beer garden. 

It would be rude not to stop here for a while and soak up the cityscape from this excellent viewpoint (after all, it's one of London's best), so find a table and round off your walk with couple of well-earned drinks. When you're done, continue to the front of the building and take the path that descends the steep slope, turning left when it meets the paved track at the bottom. Follow this all the way till it exits the park, then take the footbridge across the railway tracks to reach Alexandra Palace station for trains to Kings Cross via Finsbury Park. Otherwise carry on down Station Road for another half mile to reach Wood Green station for onward journeys on the Piccadilly Line.