Explore the capital during Spring into Summer Walking Weekend

An event taking place this weekend is offering a series of free guided walks throughout the capital, giving you the chance to discover some cultural, historical and environmental treasures on your doorstep, or further afield.

Spring into Summer Walking Weekend features more than 50 professionally-led walks, designed to be away from traffic, and connecting some of London’s finest attractions, parks, woodland, rivers, canals and open spaces.

Walks include:

High Barnet to Cockfosters: a walk which crosses Hadley Manor Field and Monken Hadley Common, taking in sights including a beautiful lake and some spectacular views of Canary Wharf in the distance. You’ll also learn about the Battle of Barnet, which took place in 1471. (Saturday, May 28, 2pm; 3.5 miles/2 hours 15 mins).

Priory Gardens, Highgate to Stoke Newington station: a stroll along one of the greenest parts of the Capital Ring walking route. The walk follows an old railway line to Finsbury Park and then the 17th Century New River, passing reservoirs and several lakes en route to Stoke Newington. (Sunday, May 29, 1pm; 4.5 miles/2 hours 45 mins).

Circular route from Warwick Avenue station: this takes in Little Venice’s unique combination of white stucco, greenery, and water. The area boasts some of the finest early Victorian domestic architecture in London, and the who’s who of famous residents includes Robert Browning, Edward Fox, Joan Collins, and Sigmund Freud to name but a few. Part of the walk follows the canal towpath. (Saturday, May 28, 2pm; 5 miles/2 hours).

Tottenham Hale to Mile End: this walk heads along the River Lea, offering the chance to see water birds and narrow boats, before heading to Victoria Park and Mile End station, with views of the Olympic Park as another highlight. (Saturday, May 28, 11am; 6.5 miles/3 hours 30 mins).

Chingford station to Manor Park: This walk follows the Epping Forest Centenary Walk, which was created to celebrate the centenary of the 1878 Act of Parliament that saved the Forest for public enjoyment. (Saturday, May 28, 11am; 8.3 miles/4 hours 30 mins).

From Chingford station through the heart of Epping Forest: from Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge to the River Roding at Debden. (Sunday, May 29, 11am; 4.8 miles / 3 hours).

The walks are organised by Walk London, a Transport for London-funded (TfL) initiative that has worked with local authorities to develop a network of walking routes in the capital.

Ben Plowden, director of Better Routes and Places at TfL, says: “London is full of exciting places to see and what better way to discover the city than on foot. Spring into Summer weekend gives people the chance to unearth gems in the capital.

“Around a quarter of all trips in the capital are now made by foot and we are making extensive improvements to the walking environment."

All walks are accompanied by a walk leader and back marker.

To find out more about the walks, visit www.walklondon.org.uk, email info@walklondon.org.uk or call 0870 240 6094