Next step: the hike up Upper Street. This part of the walk, particularly depends a lot on the time and day that you’re walking: if you’re through here on a Friday night or a Saturday, prepare to be considerably delayed by the vast, heaving mass of folk. Prepare also to be herded into one of the roughly million and one Starbucks’ on Upper Street: surely they’re reaching saturation point by now? If you do want some sustenance however, I’d suggest Cuba Libre, or (outside of the busier section) one of the three Gallipolis at 102, 107 and 120.
By this stage, you’ve passed the cinema and Islington Green, you’ve passed the antiques market, and Camden Passage, the extra restaurants of Theberton Street, and so on. Continuing, you’ll also pass the Almeida, the old-school theatre pub of the Kings Head, the Islington Town Hall and the Union Chapel, before reaching the vast, life-draining Highbury Corner. This gyratory system has at least a couple of things going for it, i.e. that all the roads lead away from it, and that there’s a Wetherspoons. It’s also the home of the Highbury & Islington station (vic line), the Garage, and the start of the spectacularly gross Holloway Road.
However! Not for the intrepid walker the delights of many and varied fried chicken – we’ll take an altogether daintier route up Highbury Place. This scenic avenue borders Highbury Fields on the one side, so it’s not only a lovely place for a mooch, but it’s also usually good for an ice-cream van or two. At the top of the road you’ll need to continue straight on, past the playgrounds (look out for the solo kung fu/fast tai chi man) until you reach the clocktower and Highbury Park. Disappointingly (or pleasingly, depending on your point of view) this walk doesn’t talk you past either the old Highbury stadium or the new – it’s pretty easy to find though, and considerably less annoying than picking your way around a football match in Tottenham. So, walk up HIghbury Park past the restful delights of fancy cafes, delis and butchers. You’ll walk up the hill before beginning to descend.
As you come downhill, you’ll be on Blackstock Road, a road which really documents the split between communities in North London. From the almost bucolic splendour of Highbury village, the road gradually slopes into football pubs, greasy spoons, yet more chicken shops and finally to the horror and delight that is Finsbury Park.
There’s nothing wrong with the park itself, really. It’s a bit bland and there’s not all that much reason for going, but the community that’s established itself at the lower corner, around the train station, has become on of the most notorious in the area. While still in the borough of Islington, this is a very different beast to Upper Street: the main drag, Seven Sisters Road is positively nasty in comparison. Finsbury Park is probably most famous, however, for its mosque: standing by the corner of Rock Street and St Thomas St, this is a notorious Breeding Ground For Evil (I should be in newspapers), home as it was to hook hand Hamza and a bunch of the most radical clerics in the country.
However! It’s not all bad. Check out the fascinatingly hideous architecture of the Sobell centre, the actually-quite-pleasant surroundings of nearby Stroud Green, the discount clothing stores of Fonthill Road, and the quite frankly awesomely-named The Happening Beigel Bakery.
