26/02/17: Whetstone and Totteridge

Up, past the Orange Tree pub, into Totteridge village, there was evidence of Storm Doris with some branches and fences down. The wet roads roared as the cars went past: I tried to imagine how peaceful and idyllic Totteridge might be with no traffic. After passing St. Andrews Church (1), the war memorial (2) and a few joggers, we joined Barnet Lane (3).
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We followed the road down past the Totteridge Academy ("The best in everyone™") (4) and the Barnet Table Tennis Centre (very tempted to join) (5) to the closed-down Underhill Stadium (former home to Barnet Football Club) (6).
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From there it was a slightly uneventful walk back along the grey roads past a couple of attractive, rusting old cars (7) to the edge of Brook Farm Open Space, and over the railway bridge (8) into Whetstone.
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The suburban streets we explored offered little of interest, although a few notes of a saxophone could be heard drifting on the wind. After a visit to the cashpoint on the High Road, it was a weary trudge down the hill, past the tube, past the village notice board advertising a Dame Vera Lynn "tea party" (9), past a "7" birthday balloon flapping in a tree, and home.
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Miles walked: 5.
Cats spotted: 1.

18/02/17: Whetstone

We strolled up past Totteridge & Whetstone tube station to Whetstone High Road. We took Chandos Avenue to Oakleigh Park railway station, past an ancient car with its wing mirror left on the bonnet, reflecting back a grey sky (1), and a sad "lost cat" sign pleading for news of Benji, missing since 24th November ("...he is totally black and quite scared of people. Has big round eyes.").

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Oakleigh Park North/South took us up to the impressive All Saints Church (2) and beyond to North Middlesex Golf Course on Friern Barnet Lane. 

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We passed St Katherine's Church and another "lost cat" sign (Gogo: "neutered black and white male") to Friary Park. I detoured briefly to the public toilets then exited via the busy skatepark. Friary Road and a few nondescript Whetstone streets led us back to the A1000. We walked down through Swan Lane Open Space, past the tiny duck pond, past a grubby car (3) and into "Murder Alley" (4), which runs alongside the Northern Line (High Barnet branch). 

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Between the fence and the rails were an abandoned scooter, a hard hat, several footballs and – most alarmingly – a saw sticking out of the ground. There was also an upside-down cross painted on the wall (5). Back to the safety of the tube (6), it was a short (and now sunny) walk home. We were just under the planned distance, so extended the walk slightly with a brief meander around a muddy Totteridge footpath to hit that satisfying dual round number of 5 miles/8 km (7).

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