London is full of fascinating and picturesque places to see and visit. However, there are many secret places in London that tourists and even most Londoners are unaware of. This book reveals many of London’s secrets that are worth discovering and exploring.

The Islington Spur Walk

The fourth and easternmost spur, the Islington Spur, is aligned in a more southeastern direction than its neighbors. Fleeing Highgate along Dartmouth Park Road, it forms a saddle in the vicinity of Tufnell Park tube station. Here, the rail line runs through tunnels in the Cathcart Hill / Spencer Rise area. Then the spur rises again, its crest followed by Brecknock Road, up to Caledonian Park (48 meters / 158 feet).

Here, the old Caledonian market clock tower (1855-1939) forms a landmark visible for miles around. The headwaters of the rivers on either side of the spur once again intersect here, creating another saddle or narrow hill, and this time it is the main east coast line from King’s Cross that takes advantage of the tunneling opportunity. On the contrary, Caledonian Road rises valiantly above.

The spur turns east here for about 1 kilometer (half a mile) and then, in the Barnsbury Street area of ​​Islington, resumes its drift south for more than 1.6 kilometers (1 mile), dropping less than 6 meters (20 feet) over all this distance. The descent to the lower deck begins at Claremont Square on Pentonville Road. This is where we take the second of our spur rides.

This circular walk through some of London’s most elegant but lesser-known streets and squares explores both a prominent snout on the spur and the edge of the 100-foot (30-meter) terrace. It includes a spectacular view of the BT Tower and, at its furthest point, an excellent pub called Albion.

START / FINISH: Angel Underground (north line)

LENGTH: 3 km (2 miles)

WEATHER: 1 1⁄2 hours

REFRESHMENTS: The Albion pub; otherwise all kinds of places around Angel subway station at start / end point

MONUMENTS: The Camden Passage Antique Market (Wednesdays and Saturdays) is literally a stone’s throw from Angel Tube Station

NOTE: The views are mainly to the west, so it is best to do the hike in the morning with the sun behind you.

Turn left out of the Angel subway station and walk to the intersection. Turn right and stand on the corner in front of the Co-operative Bank. Here you are not quite on the nose of the spur (the ground rises to the right), but looking left you can see the drop to the east and further down St John Street you can see the ground level beginning to drop at the level of the terrace of 15 meters (50 feet) of the city.

By bike, you can ride freely from here practically to Smithfield Market, a distance of almost 1 mile (1.6 kilometers). Cross Pentonville Road and walk on the right side of St John Street. At Chadwell Street, turn right. At Myddelton Square, turn left around St. Mark’s Church and continue on River Street. All the time, the ground steadily slopes downhill to the left.