I recently learnt that London is the greenest major city in Europe and the third greenest city of its size in the world, initially I was surprised, but having spent yesterday with Mark in Hampstead Heath I am now not surprised at all! Hampstead Heath is truly beautiful and a glorious escape from London's, sometimes concrete ridden, central.
We started the day at highgate cemetery because online it looked like a great place to take photos, particularly the west side of the cemetery, and because I really quite like cemeteries, as you may know from my post on Brompton Cemetery.
(This is the entrance to the west side of the cemetery)
What they don't tell you online, however, is that to visit the east side of the cemetery it is £4 per person and that you can only visit the west side of the cemetery on a guided tour that costs £12. Needless to say we were bitterly disappointed as we could only visit the east side. The tour only runs once a day on week days and we thought £12 per person was very expensive, especially as the upkeep of the cemetery is very poor! You can find photos of the west side of the cemetery on their website as I sadly don't have any.
Here are a few of the east side of the cemetetery
The cemetery is an interesting, peaceful wilderness that is very overgrown in parts, with only the main walkway receiving upkeep. What is particularly interesting about the east cemetery is that Karl Marx is buried there.
He has, however, been moved from his original burial plot to this one since he became famous, which I personally find distasteful.
Once we had finished pottering around the cemetery, we headed over to Hampstead Heath to visit Kenwood House.
Unlike the cemetery, both Hampstead Heath and Kenwood House far exceeded our expectations and were magnificent!
The heath is lusciously green, the vibrant colours are one of the few perks of such damp weather. From the top of the hills there are also some beautiful views of the city skyline!
Honestly, whether you are a Londoner or a tourist, you should definitely take some time to visit, it's really lovely. Kenwood House can be found there too and is equally lovely!
In stark contrast to highgate cemetery, Kenwood House is completely free and a true delight. Its upkeep is phenomenal and the house is filled with brilliant paintings and decadent furnishings and interiors. And best of all, providing you turn off your flash, they are more than happy for you to take as many photographs as you please.
(I even took a selfie!)
I have some time off at the end of September, please give me some recommendations of where to visit in the comments!
See you next week,
