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Parkland Walk is a 4.5 mile linear green walkway, in north London , England , which follows the course of the railway which used to run between Finsbury Park through Highgate to Alexandra Palace . Its low incline makes it an easy walk or cycle ride along an otherwise hilly part of London. The Finsbury Park to Highgate section takes about 45 minutes to walk from end to end, and 15 minutes to cycle. It is one of 3 statutory Local Nature Reserve s (LNRs) in Haringey (the others being Queen's Wood and Railway Fields). It was declared a Local Nature Reserve in 1990 and is London's longest LNR. The path passes through both Islington and Haringey following the bridges and cuttings of the line and often providing excellent views of London. The route of the railway passed through tunnels on each side of the closed surface section of Highgate Station , but this section is closed to walkers for safety reasons.The route Between the northern end of the Highgate Tunnels to The Northern line depot at Wellington Junction is used by trains entering the depot, while the rest of the cutting round Highgate Wood - from Wellington Junction to Cranley Gardens is outside the wood’s fence, not officially part of Parkland walk, and so is allowed to stay overgrown, and unwalkable. An alternative footpath to Carnley Gardens via Highgate Wood can be rejoined at Muswell Hill road from where it can be followed without much difficulty to Carnley Gardens and through the Muswell Hill section of the route to Alexandra Palace park, and along an alternative footpath to end of the railway at Alexandra Palace. HISTORY .]] This path was once the route of part of the London And North Eastern Railway's (LNER's) line from Finsbury Park to Edgware constructed in 1867 by the Edgware, Highgate And London Railway , with the branch to Muswell Hill and Alexandra Palace added in 1874. Plans were published by London Underground in the 1930s for its incorporation as part of the Northern Line ( The Northern Heights Plan ) but the outbreak of World War II stopped the work at an advanced stage. After the war the development plan was abandoned but passenger trains continued to run on this line until 1954. The service was reduced to freight haulage and tube traffic, until its final closure in 1971. Tracks and infrastructure were removed and most of the platforms and station buildings demolished. The Parkland Walk was officially opened in 1984 following extensive re-surfacing and improvements to access. FLORA No trees were permitted to grow close to the track when the railway was operational. The range of trees found today have grown up in the last fifty years. Most arrived naturally ( Oak , Ash , Birch , Hawthorn , Cherry , Apple , Holly , Rowan , Sycamore and Yew ), but a few additional species have been planted ( Field Maple , Hazel , Black Italian Poplar and White Poplar ). More than three hundred species of wild flowers have been recorded on the Parkland Walk. They range from commonplace to the exotic. Orchid s rub shoulders with Dandelions , and Ivy clambers up Fig Tree s. Michaelmas Daisies and Golden Rod s from North America colour the embankments with blue and yellow in the late summer. Buddleia (from China) and Guernsey Fleabane (from South America) add to the cosmopolitan mix of flora. WILDLIFE The great variety of plantlife sustains a wide range of animals. Twenty two species of Butterfly have been recorded. Hedgehog s benefit from the proximity of adjacent homes with sympathetic owners. Fox es are plentiful and Muntjac (a small species of deer) are seen occasionally. A colony of Slow-worms thrive along the grassy embankment. More than sixty species of bird have been seen along the walk and many breed here. Parkland Walk is known to be an important site for bats in the London context, providing important foraging habitat and an excellent dark commuting route. A significant bat roost is known to exist in the vicinity. URBAN LEGENDS Along the walk just before the disused platforms at Crouch End, a man sized green Spriggan sculpture by Marilyn Collins had been placed in one of the alcoves of the wall on the right at the footbridge before the former Crouch End station. This was thought to be a tribute to a ghostly 'goat-man' who haunted that particular area in the mid 1980s . Local kids playing out in the evenings would 'dare' each other to walk the parkland walk from the Crouch End Hill bridge to the Crouch Hill bridge in the darkness. The walk along that stretch is indeed very deathly still, but no more so than any other part of the route at night. The sculpture, and Parkland Walk generally, provided the inspiration for Stephen King 's short story " Crouch End ". There is also a myth that trains could still be heard rumbling along the route close to the Highgate tunnels, even after tracks had been lifted. This is unfounded, as is the ghost of a workman who threw himself in front of a train near the tunnels at Highgate station. Another rumour regarding the failure of the route cited that the whole area had been cursed by gypsies who were evicted from the pre- Alexandra Palace site. They cursed the Palace construction project and "all connected proposals". CONTROVERSY There are proposals - to be funded by Transport for London - to improve access to the lower half of the path, improve the drainage and change the surface to make it easier for cyclists to use. However there is a an anti-cyclist campaign group which is of opinion that the path would lose its unique character and would not serve other users such as walkers and joggers and have enlisted local MP Lynne Featherstone to this campaign. The path is a metre wide at parts, which creates the conflict. The debate is yet to be resolved. EXTERNAL LINKS
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