Family days out

Muswell Hill is a great destination for a family trip offering entertainment for kids of all ages. We’ve picked some of the most popular family-friendly things to do and sorted them into a handy list.

Highgate Wood

Highgate Wood is a quiet haven for walkers and runners but also has spaces for cricket, football, and other sports - as well as a café and children’s playground. Highgate Wood is an ancient woodland with many old and beautiful trees, mainly Oaks and Hornbeams, but also some Beech and many other species. Traditionally, hornbeam were coppiced to provide smaller timber for fuel while the oaks around them were left to mature into trees intended to provide larger pieces of timber for building.

Muswell Hill Rd, London N10 3JN. 020 8444 6129 www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/ green-spaces/highgate-wood

Alexandra Palace

The Park is home to 694 different types of plants, animals, and fungi, including 212 different types of insects and 26 types of arachnids! Big and small, all these species play a role in balancing our delicate ecosystem. While many plants and animals found in the park are common to London, 38 species in Alexandra Park are classed as rare or protected by legislation. Alexandra Park is alive with activity. From high-octane zipwires and fitness classes to more sedate pedalos and pitch & putt – there’s something for everyone. Why not make a day of it?

Alexandra Palace, Alexandra Palace Way, London N22 7AY. 020 8365 2121 www.alexandrapalace.com/t

Little Dinosaurs indoor play centre, along with our lovely garden enclosure and activities makes us a great place to bring the kids all year round. You can get together with friends for a delicious breakfast or lunch, meet other new mums if you’ve just had your first baby, or just enjoy a coffee. The kids can play leaving you free to chat and enjoy. Whether you sit inside, on the shaded veranda or in the sunshine, this wonderful location has something for all the family to enjoy. The Grove, Alexandra Palace Way, London N22 7BA. 020 8444 1338 www.little-dinosaurs.appointedd.com/

The Parkland Walk is the longest linear nature reserve in London at 4km in length, and follows the former railway line connecting Finsbury Park to Alexandra Palace which opened in 1873. Its fame is now global as it often features on ‘must do’ lists for visitors from oversees. At times it can be quite busy and weekends bring walkers, dog walkers, runners and cyclists all out to take advantage of the weather and escape from the urban hullabaloo.

Florence Road, London N4 3EY. 020 7527 4374 www.parkland-walk.org.uk/

One of Hackney’s best loved traditional parks, Clissold Park was opened in 1889 and has held a Green Flag award since 2006. Green Flags are awarded yearly to the best green spaces in the country. Clissold Park and House were renovated in 2011 as part of an £8.9 million Heritage Lottery Fund restoration project. Where we also home to a collection of animals is one of the most popular features of Clissold Park. There are birds, goats, and a small herd of fallow deer to enjoy too.

Green Lanes, London N16 9HJ. 020 8356 3000 www.hackney.gov.uk/clissold-park

The Castle is run by climbers for climbers and as the premier indoor climbing centre in South East England, we receive more annual visits than any other climbing centre in the U.K. It is constructed within a magnificent Victorian building, formerly a water pumping station (and yes it really does look like a Castle!)

Green Lanes, London N4 2HA. 020 8211 7000 www.castle-climbing.co.uk/

Waterlow Park

Waterlow Park is a 26-acre park on a steep hillside in Highgate, North London, with spectacular views over the city. The land was the gift of Sir Sydney Waterlow as a ‘garden for the gardenless’ and the Park opened in 1891. The historic Lauderdale House and its gardens lie within the Park which is landscaped with ponds, a wide variety of trees, colourful borders and grassy slopes.

Highgate Hl, London N6 5HG. 020 7974 4444 www.waterlowpark.org.uk/

Hampstead Heath

Hampstead Heath is an ancient heath in London, spanning 320 hectares. This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band of London Clay. 432 Archway Road N6 4JH. 020 7332 3322 www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/ green-spaces/hampstead-heath