A stroll along the Dollis Valley Greenwalk | Brent Cross to Totteridge & Whetstone (4K)
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- Опубліковано 27 лис 2021
- A walk following the Dollis Brook which becomes the River Brent, in the North Borough of Barnet, starting at Brent Cross and ending at Totteridge and Whetstone.
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Footage of Nick Papadimitriou was shot in 2008 for my film The London Perambulator • The London Perambulato...
Our walk starts at Brent Cross Tube Station on the Northern Line and then briefly follows the North Circular Road to find the early stretches of the River Brent on Brent Street and also where we pick up the Dollis Valley Greenwalk. There were a cluster of grand houses around this point of the river - Brook Lodge, Decoy House and Bridge House. We walk along the Brent to the Decoy - a series of ponds in what was previously Decoy Wood, the we pick up the Dollis Brook.
The Dollis Brook rises on the border between Greater London and Hertfordshire with at least two sources - one of which is in Moat Mount Nature Reserve. It collects a number of tributaries along the way to forming the River Brent, including the Folly Brook and the Mutton Brook.
Our walk closely follows the Dollis Brook and takes us beneath the majestic Mill Hill Viaduct and then through Finchley ending at Totteridge and Whetstone.
Music:
A Quiet Storm - Lama House
Being with You - Sayuri Hayashi Egnell
The Silver Locket - August Wilhelmsson
Elusive Dream - At The End Of Times, Nothing
Kindred Spirits - Howard Harper-Barnes
All courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
Historic Maps 'Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland'
maps.nls.uk/index.html
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Shot in 4K on a Olympus OM-D EM-1 mark 2 with audio recorded with a Rode Wireless GO
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Having a rough patch in my life now. Your videos are soothing. Best relief ever for the stress. Thanks John.
All the best to you JP! Keep going!
I grew up playing in the silk stream in the 70's I knew every deep part it was my own personal kingdom , to me it was the Mississippi and I was huck Finn. 😁✌
I know silk stream veryy well
I lived in temple fortune NW11 a good part of my childhood and part of my adulthood. Dollis brook, mutton brook and the Brent used to be my backyard and when I was super young I used to paddle and walk in the middle of the mutton brook *when it was clean* before "polluted water" signs were put up ! Dollis brook - I once had to do cross-country running during a school games period just after a monsoon night and I couldn't tell the footpath from the stream ! That's how bad it can flood at times. Súper memories for me - thank you John !
i like how you gave nick a "shout-out" - very respectful of his "territory", as it were, john 😊 and you are correct - that was a wonderful walk - the waterside walks always are in particular - kindest regards again 😊
Lovely to watch this after watching the Brent River walk last night. Wonderful watching after a long day at work!
I lived in the Brent area for over 40 years and never knew this walk even existed. I wish your videos were around in this form 10 years ago: they're brilliant. This one is the most
magical by far
What a glorious walk, so picturesque and interesting, and what a majestic viaduct, thanks John, always a real pleasure and something I look forward to every Sunday
Cheers Lois - I can still feel the glow of this walk
These are my hunting grounds, where I was born and bred. We had a house in King's Close and the river flowed at the bottom of our garden. We'd walk through Brent Park and at the Decoy the parkeeper would always warn us not to go in as it was very deep. We'd walk the Dollis Brook to visit our cousins who lived near Woodside Park. Oh for those happy carefree days when we were kids!
We are still kids, just bigger 😜😜
I lived in temple fortune and this was my backyard as Mick Dundee once said. I wonder how deep the decoy actually is if it is indeed deep at all ? In temple fortune there is a road nearby the mutton brook called Decoy Avenue in NW11.
@@DeepMyst_Music We never found out about the Decoy, neither did we have any intention of going in - it didn't look very appetising!
Hi John, I am a Brit living in Los Angeles for the last 25 years. I wanted to tell you how much I am enjoying your walks. This time of year, my homesickness is always elevated - with missing the glorious, autumn and winter chill and those stunning colours. Your soothing voice and your walks bring me such a gift of home back to my heart. Thank you.
that's really wonderful to hear Jason - many thanks
Grey Wagtail, definitely. Beautiful bird.
The bird was a grey wagtail They are almost always seen near water. The other common wagtail is the pied (aka white) wagtail - almost always seen in towns, car parks, roofs etc. They are easily identifiable as they are always doing exactly what their name suggests!
Great walk, John. Brought back some memories for me when I attended Finchley Grammar school in the late 60s. We used to do the dreaded Cross Country running around some of that area around Totteridge and whetstone. We didn't get too much time to enjoy the Brook as we were too busy trying to catch our breath whilst running 😂
John,Found this info on various sites,Regards,Sean
Brent Bridge was ‘Broynt Bridge’ in 1662. Old iron railings border the park on Brent Street over the stream, which then flows into a culvert the other side of the road, south of Brent Park.
Brook Lodge. This stood south of the river Brent and was an 18th farm-house converted by Charles Whishaw into a gentleman's residence shortly before 1828 and demolished in 1935, after serving as an annexe to the hotel.
Brent Park
The park is on the site of Brent Bridge House and there are some mature evergreen trees close to the site of the house, which was demolished in 1935. Barnet Council purchased 25 acres of what was Fox Hole Wood, in 1930 and Brent Park opened to the public in 1934
Pavilions remain from the hotel - circular, they are hidden among the trees.
An Ordnance Survey map of 1875 shows the park as part of Decoy Wood, the grounds of Brent Bridge House, which stood at the southern end, while it was surrounded by Decoy Farm. The park was opened in 1934, and the house was demolished the following year.
Lived in bell lane for over 44 years 3 generations of playing In the decoy it’s a lot cleaner today then it was in the 70s✌🏻
Brilliant! I grew-up in Whetstone during the 1970s/80s. And remember the open spaces spanning Whetstone and High Barnet. I used to walk between the two places going to school in High Barnet during the summer months. Earlier this year I caught a train to New Barnet (I live near Peterborough now) and walked around Monken Hadley and a complete round circuit of Trent Park nearby in Cockfosters.
For a number of years in the 1970's, I belonged to a wonderful west London cycling club the Marlboro A C which was based around South Harrow but its members were scattered far and wide. Often the Sunday club runs riders, would wend their way out of London into Hertfordshire and Essex, via the Dollis Brook which they named "The Bootlace". On those occasions the Sunday morning tea stop conversation would revolve around the careful navigation of the Dollis Brook, to emerge in side roads before they ascended the hill to Barnet. The lunch stop would probably be "The Cozy Cafe" at Sawbridgeworth, or deep into Essex where copious amounts of tea was consumed, before the return ride to all parts west London. Being a member already domiciled in Hertfordshire I never got to ride the Dollis Brook, maybe I'll now have to walk it. Yes please, more Nick Papadimitriou!
Hello John, thank you for another beautiful walk - I adore the London rivers! The bird mentioned at 12:40 looks like a grey wagtail.
it is 1 point to you lol
Never knew about the Dollis brook until now, thanks for enlightening us.
A beautiful walk in the glorious winter light thanks
This was one of the best walks I’ve done in Greater London. Done the walk last April, from High Barnet to Hendon Central (link between the London Loop and Capital Ring walks). It didn’t disappoint. Virtually a green ribbon throughout the entire walk. Plus the viaduct was the obvious highlight.
Thanks John,always love a river walk, I think the bird may have been a grey or yellow wagtail. Herons are big and grey, egrets are smaller and white, hope that helps. Great video
Grey Wagtail. (Yellows are yellow all over.) Beautiful bird.
We did this walk today, the weather was like your was a year ago. We enjoy watching your UA-cam and it always nice if we done the walk too. Carry on the good work.
Always loves johns walks
,u lern so much
cheers Ray
Hi John. Keep the walking up Love watching
thanks Ricci
Cool
You do give us interesting walks mate. Difference between an egret and a heron, is one begins with an E, the other with a H [ouch]. Those pipes sticking out of the bank, as long as they are for storm water, it is ok, no difference to rain falling on the brook. It is quite common practice to do this as it relieves pressure on the main drains when there is a lot of rain.
Wonderful walk as always. I lived for many years in the Deco apartment blocks by the viaduct over the river at Brent Cross. Such an unassuming body of water but 's sacred nature lives on to this day. We'd see each year local Hindus marking the birthday of Ganesh and local orthodox Jewish community marking Rosh Hashanah at the footbridge there. If you take the first footbridge over the north circular by the viaduct and use the parallel road you can avoid the walk the north circular. You'll also see a house plaque marking the home of music hall legend 'little titch
Thanks Robin - it truly is a magical area
Beautiful.
Thanks for another lovely trip around London loved it
Another great video, thanks John. Viaduct was incredible, pleased to hear you can't recall all you write either! Stay safe 😊🙏🏻 ❤
I've just found your videos here. I used to live in London 10 years ago but now I live in Rome. Thank you very much for bringing me back there with the mind and the heart. Amazing.
Always good to see an old Nick clip - hope he’s doing okay.
He's doing well by all accounts Ben
This makes one realise the sheer noise of the North Circular Road, the A406. Specially when compared to the tranquillity of the walk along the river(s).
Thank you for another interesting walk. I was hoping you'd done Dollis Brook walk after seeing the potter Keith Brymer Jones recently and he talked about when he was a young boy and the Dollis Brook ran along the bottom of their garden in Finchley. He'd get clay from the banks and make rudimentary pots in his back garden
Ahh, you're doing the Brent! Now I look, I see the Wandle walk. Ok ok ok!
Lovely rural walk John and I am amazed how much countryside there is within the area of London,and you probably know most of it.Sunset with a backdrop of Autumnal colours,beautiful!!!
An enchanting walk John. Thanks for another joyous half an hour for a Sunday evening.
glad you enjoyed it Mark - I'm still thinking about it
Thank you.
thanks for watching John
The winter light is certainly lower at the moment. Such a joy to watch this from the comfort of a warm room on the sofa without having to put up with that 3pm winter nip engulfing the body.
That looked so peaceful it's great to see places like this still exist in the UK. Great video John thank you for the entertainment 👍
Many thanks Michael
The lovely bird was a Grey Wagtail in its Winter Plumage... really enjoy all your walks especially the Essex Thames ones... thankyou.
Evening John. Il watch this by the fire 🔥👍🏻
A very peaceful walk today. I have always called the time, as the light begins to fade, the tingly time. 🙂.
There is just something about it that always brings that peaceful feeling when I am enjoying the outdoors as it is getting dark.
Lovely walk!
I lived in Whetstone for about a year, back in the 1970s. There were some interesting areas nearby, like Totteridge and New Barnet, but Whetstone itself was the most boring place I've ever lived in. Of course, I didn't have John's videos to help me find the best bits.
What a magical vignette with perfect incidental music. One of my favourites, John. 🇯🇪
"taking pleasure of any amount of walk you can get really", yes
A man for all seasons. Thanks John.
Wonderful as always
Ahh, Sunday evening bliss, again. Thanks so much John.
my pleasure Steve
The Mill Hill Viaduct is the highest point of the London tube network.I have done this walk many many times 👍🏼
Grandparents lived on dollis valley estate, the greenwalk there was mine and my cousin's playing ground. Also until recently worked for the London borough of Barnet's parks and open spaces department. Now living in Finchley and walk through Totteridge to mill hill via darlands nature reserve often, so nice to see a positive film of the local area 👍
what a wonderful area to grow up and live in Sam - looking forward to doing more walks in the area
@@JohnRogersWalks look forward to watching them 👍
you are an amazing guy! Thank you for this channel. I love it and so does my dog.
Excellent thanks for the video, I used to play in that brook when I was a kid
Absolutely John, any chance to see beauty and nature, blessing our brain with gentleness, should be taken! Thank u for taking us along🙏 if you ever feel like doing in depth history on Greenwich I for one would really appreciate it.
Love your videos. Thank you for sharing
As always a lovely video John. I don't know how you come up with these videos every week. How do you manage to gather so much information every time. Each one is a pleasure in its own right. It brightend up my evening. Bob.
Autumn is one of my favourite times of year, i feel its a time to reflect, and preparation for the fresh year ahead. The walks are truly fascinating with the way the pale light shines on the surfaces. truly magical time of year for me. loved the video!
Wonderful John, I just love your river walks I'm so fascinated with small rivers and the spiritual connections with them that was fantastic.
Reminiscent your walk to me of The Wharncliffe Viaduct at Hanwell which I like to walk under that carries the Great Western Main Line railway across the Brent Valley, between Hanwell and Southall/Ealing. Aren't they magnificent. I shall do your walk. And Like you I love these late autumn days wrapped up with clear skies.
Definitely worth doing, and I'm glad you did it! Love that winter light. Thanks, John!
So glad that you included shots of the viaduct in the park off Waterfall Road, John. A little known green gem, where I used to walk my recently deceased Jack Russell terrier. Fond memories, and Nick is correct in his summation.
Always a pleasure this channel - like walking itself - is a little haven of tranquility amid all the stress and frustration of modern life. Thank you John.
Hi John in watching now. Cool
Cheers for another video John, look forward to watching this evening. 👍
Hope you enjoy it Jamie
magical and mystical indeed, thank you John for this autumnal outing
Thanks for video John!
my pleasure thanks for watching Tom
Another great episode on a cold Sunday evening.
Glad you enjoyed it Hiking Den
Another super interesting and soothing video John. You are an antidote to a very strange world right now. Thanks as always for sharing your passion.
A glorious walk indeed! Thankyou
I thank you for this John, I really loved it. It filled an empty spot for ponds and streams and silence that I didn't know I had. Cheers.
Just lovely. Thank you for taking us along.
Another great video John reminded me back in the day when I used to walk and photograph the disused canals. Always nice to see a kingfisher on country walks. Cheers buddy
Great walk indeed Thanks John
Fantastic! For one reason and another it's been a few months since I've watched your films and to come back on this one has been a delight. Beautiful photography, beautiful colours ... and Nick! Cheers 👍🏼
Thank you John for another interesting , informativeand wonderfully shot video. As per usual I always look forward with anticipation to your next video
One of my favourite walks, Mt Moat to Hampstead Extension
Thanks John, Keep safe and well ! .
Cheers Dave
Thanks John,Great walk as always.
Wonderful John, thanks & best wishes sent.
I adore your river walks, super relaxing.
Thanks for another great video, have a great week.
Many thanks indeed
As always John, a joy to view. thank you
Many thanks SmileVideo
That was a beautiful walk. Would like to see this in the autumn sunshine myself . Thank you John.
Grew up in Whetstone near the High Road. Brook Farm and Dollis Valley. Whetstone Stray is a more recent term
A lovely walk John. An amazing amount of greenery in suburbia. A company I worked for used to own a few dozen properties in Whetstone.
A magical walk, John. Such urban beauty (excluding the North Circular)! Bravo!
thanks Ashley
I just love your videos. So interesting. Great work and knowledge of the areas you are filming in. Keep it going my friend. Brilliant 👏
Thank you John wonderful stuff as ever.
Many thanks John
Loved the walk.
Thanks John. Another great video.
great walk John, never heard of this walk, another one to add to my list of walks.
What a beautiful walk
Great stuff as ever sir! I'm re-reading 'Scarp' at the moment so good to hear the mention of Nick...that's an area of London I'm unfamiliar with so most enjoyable...
Thanks very much for yet again another great walk,all the best from kernow.
Lovely autumnal scenes on this walk John. Quite lovely 😊
Thanks john enjoyed very much , 👍
Don't know this area well so a nice interesting walk.
John another fantastic and magestic walk it has been indeed. I absolutely loved it too bits. It was amazing to see the gorgeous autumn colours and learning about the rivers and I look forward to seeing you on the next walk wherever that maybe. It was fantastic to see Brent Cross and the rivers too. Love you John.
many thanks Grandmaster Beats - so glad you enjoyed this slide of London
When I see these giant brick viaducts in my walks around London, you showed 2 different ones in this video, I think of the massive human undertaking, hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of bricks to be made, carted to the site probably on carts drawn by animals without today’s massive lorries, then thousands of men (probably no women but??) laying brick after brick, day after day standing on scaffolding far less safe than today’s standards, hundreds of feet up in the air. Undoubtedly horrible accidents happened. It reminds of POWAQQATSI the Godfrey Reggio film. Mind boggling.
another cracking walk john.cheers.
Cheers Ron
What a wonderful wonderful walk John Rogers the bird was a grey wagtail some beautiful wildlife on your travels John thanks for sharing the video stunning mate .
many thanks Brian - I really want to improve my bird and plant identification
I think you do more than enough on you walks John with all the research you do you can’t be an expert on everything ?