Journeys What I Make #1

Kings Cross to New Southgate

With an idea basically nicked wholesale from Diamond Geezer, I'm going down the local interest route. With soundtrack!

Caribou - Yeti

From dropping my brother off at the station on Saturday one hangs a left, as is the parlance of our times, down York Way. This has been redone just recently: no longer is the sole highlight of the road the Walkabout, but now it's a fancily remade road built to cater for the Kings Cross Channel Tunnel link scheduled sometime in the next three hundred years. I've been up here whilst it was still in the process of being made, and found myself conveniently in a middle-of-nowhere cul de sac, so the second highlight is now that that doesn't happen. You just get introduced to the beautiful Clocktower Estate instead.

From the end of York Way, you cross over Camden Road (past the old Jews Free School, now expensive townhouses) onto Torriano Avenue. The area is notable for being Spaced territory (23 Meteor Avenue was in fact on Carleton Road), and for being the home of the diddy Torriano pub, Jon Snow's local (he's made himself unpopular in the vicinity for opposing late licensing, cheerfully having a separate standard for himself). I hear there's also some sort of a commune close by as well.

Caribou - A Final Warning

Torriano Avenue bears onto BreakneckBrecknock Road which terminates at the distinctly unremarkable Tufnell Park tube station. From there it's a left over the hump on Junction Road, and up to Archway, past the Quasar. Go round Archway itself, past the "indie rockin'" Archway Tavern (part-owned by one Shane MacGowan). Be careful if it's raining, as you get a slough of water on you when navigating underneath the legendary Suicide Bridge, then progress up Archway Road into Highgate. There's Cholmely Church on the right hand side (I know it well, I've been broken down outside it for an hour at 3am before now), then the Boogaloo (the local beverage dispensary for the aforementioned MacGowan) - formerly The Shepherds, this is the home of both the highest regarded jukebox in North London, and the highest regarded pub quiz, or so they'll you. The legend that is Simon Pegg has a plan on ice to base a sitcom around a "north London pub quiz," it's blatantly based on here: La Triviata...

Caribou - Hello Hammerheads

Whack a right at the Woodsman and you face Muswell Hill, although not before traversing some fake speed bumps round about Cranley Gardens (former home of Dennis Nilsen), and passing a blue plaque proudly declaring the former home of Peter Sellers. Which would you rather have as a neighbour?
Through the glitz and glamour of Muswell Hill, which is actually fairly unremarkable save the giant church/O'Neills and Crocodile Antiques. Up through Colney Hatch, over the North Circular by the big Tesco's to Friern Barnet. There's sadly little of interest until you pass Samuel Whitfield Daulkes' grand Princess Park Manor, luxury apartments cum health spa. Of course, the brochure/website won't mention the former usage of the property: full-on padded cell, escaped loony mental asylum. But, it's a beautiful building all the same.

And home.