Hampstead Heath Extended Circular Walk
London
Hampstead Heath is the wildest 320 hectares of central London, a patchwork of meadow, ancient hedgerow, oak woodland and the famous bathing ponds, climbing to Parliament Hill for one of the city's best skylines. This dog friendly extended circular weaves up through the bathing ponds, summits Parliament Hill, drops to Kenwood House, then loops north and east via Highgate to add a few extra miles over the basic Heath circuit.
Dogs are very welcome and may run off lead across most open Heath but must stay out of the swimming ponds and the fenced sports pitches and gardens. The terrain is rolling rather than flat, with a couple of short steep pulls onto Parliament Hill and around Highgate. Driving is discouraged: street parking is scarce and costly, and the Heath is exceptionally well served by Hampstead, Belsize Park, Gospel Oak and Highgate stations.
At a Glance
- Distance
- 10.5 km (6.5 miles)
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Duration
- 3 hr
- Walk Type
- Park, Woodland
- Route Type
- Circular
- Off Lead Potential
- High
- Livestock Risk
- None
- Facilities
- Kenwood House cafe, Parliament Hill cafe, public toilets at multiple Heath gates and the lido (separate dog rules apply).
- Parking
- No on-site car park. Costly metered street parking around East Heath Road and Highgate. Public transport strongly recommended.
Dog Friendly Stays Nearby
Make a weekend of it. These are the closest dog friendly places to stay to Hampstead Heath Extended Circular Walk, each one checked for its dog policy before we listed it.
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