Seven genuinely free days out around Crouch End, plus the new rooftop climb at Alexandra Palace, ice rink prices and the two cinemas on Tottenham Lane.
Crouch End’s problem, if it has one, is that its best things are within a twenty-minute walk and most people never leave the Broadway. Between the two ancient woodlands, the disused railway that is now a nature reserve, the palace on the hill and a town hall that has just reopened after a decade of scaffolding, there is a surprising amount here that costs nothing at all.
Everything below was checked against the venue’s own website in August 2026, including the bits that are currently shut.
The seven free ones
The Parkland Walk
The best-known thing in Crouch End and still the best. It follows the old railway line between Finsbury Park and Alexandra Palace, and Haringey Council calls it London’s longest local nature reserve. It is open 24 hours a day, with level access points at Muswell Hill, Muswell Hill Road, Blythwood Road, Oxford Road and Holmesdale Road.
The council’s own warning is worth heeding: “There is uneven terrain throughout the reserve” and “after rain, it can be muddy.” There are no facilities along it; the nearest café is at the Finsbury Park end.
The line closed to passengers in 1954 and the platforms of the old Crouch End station are still there in the cutting, which is the closest thing this neighbourhood has to a ruin.
Highgate Wood
70 acres of ancient woodland, run as a registered charity (No. 232986) and funded by the City of London Corporation, with a Green Flag and Green Heritage Site designation. There is a café with a terrace, a large playground, a sports field, a drinking fountain and two wheelchair-accessible toilets. Cycling is not permitted anywhere in the wood, under its byelaws, to protect the ancient woodland.
Three things to know before you go:
- Gypsy Gate on Muswell Hill Road is closed for roughly nine months from 24 November while work takes place on a property in the wood. Use New Gate, a minute down Muswell Hill Road, or Archway Gate, three minutes along Archway Road.
- The Information Hut is closed while its roof is replaced and is expected to reopen in September.
- The wood may close at short notice if wind speeds are forecast at 37mph or above.
There is no car park, only two blue badge bays near the café. Highgate station on the Northern line is a five-minute walk, and the 43, 134 and 234 buses stop nearby.
Queen’s Wood
The quieter of the two, directly across Muswell Hill Road from Highgate Wood. Haringey describes it as an ancient woodland dating from at least 1600, possibly from prehistoric times, and it became a local nature reserve in 1990. It is one of four ancient woodlands in the borough, mostly oak and hornbeam.
The wildlife list is genuinely impressive for somewhere this close to central London: all three British woodpecker species, over 100 species of spider recorded, and a nationally rare jewel beetle that is widespread here. There is a café and a toilet, and it is open 24 hours.
Priory Park
Crouch End’s own park, and the one that does the heavy lifting for families. It has held a Green Flag Award every year since 2003 and takes more than 25,000 visits a year. Facilities are a café, a playground, a disability play area, a basketball court, a petanque court, table tennis, tennis courts for adults and children, toilets, and a dog-free philosopher’s garden. It is wheelchair accessible and open 24 hours.
One caveat from the council’s page: the paddling pool is currently undergoing repairs, which matters if you were planning a hot-weather afternoon around it.
Alexandra Park
You do not have to buy anything to get a good day out of Ally Pally. The park has a skatepark with ramps, two fun boxes and two grinds, a children’s play area near the boating lake, pétanque courts, gardens and a garden centre. The skatepark and the play area are open every day and locked at dusk.
The park is also the reason the views work: the terrace in front of the palace is the best free view in north London, and the Boathouse, Grove and East Court cafés are all on site.
Hornsey Town Hall
The Art Deco town hall on the Broadway reopened on Saturday 6 December 2025 after almost a decade of building works, and Haringey says entry is free, though individual events may charge or need tickets. It now houses an arts centre with a programme of comedy, music, theatre, dance and visual arts, creative workspaces and studios, hireable rooms including the Assembly Hall, Council Chamber and Mayor’s Parlour, food and drink, and a hotel, Dao by Dorsett North London.
The council negotiated a community use and access agreement with the site owners as part of the deal, which is why the building is open to walk into rather than being a private members’ venue. It is at Crouch End, London N8 9JJ.
Bruce Castle Museum
Worth the trip east. Haringey’s local museum and archive sits in a 16th-century manor house in 20 acres of park at Lordship Lane, Tottenham N17 8NU. Admission is free and it opens Wednesday to Sunday, 1pm to 5pm. Booking is essential only for the Archive Search Room. The park is open all year and the gates are not locked.
The paid ones
Summit, the rooftop climb at Alexandra Palace
The newest thing in the borough by a distance. Summit is a fully guided climb across the palace roof to the Angel of Plenty statue, 130 metres above sea level, which Alexandra Palace describes as the highest roof walk in the UK, with 360-degree views stretching 25 miles. It was created in partnership with Wire & Sky, and runs as daytime, sunset or London Lights climbs, with private, group and educational options.
Prices are currently reduced: from £24.50 for adults and £19.25 for children under a summer VAT reduction that runs to 1 September, applied automatically at booking. After that date the standard price applies, so if this is on your list, this month is the month.
The ice rink
Open all year, not just at Christmas, which many people locally still do not realise.
| Ticket | Off peak | Peak |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | £11.75 | £12.75 |
| Under 12 | £10.50 | £11.50 |
| Under 5 | £7.75 | £8.75 |
| Over 65 | £10.50 | £11.50 |
| Spectator | £2.50 | £3.00 |
Public session times are Monday 11:00 to 17:30, Tuesday 13:15 to 17:00, Wednesday and Thursday 11:00 to 17:00, Friday 13:15 to 17:00, and Saturday and Sunday 11:00 to 16:30. The same summer VAT reduction applies to children’s tickets until 1 September, from £6.80.
Pedalos on the boating lake
Thirty-minute sessions, up to four people a boat with at least one adult over 18, and no under-twos. Children’s tickets are from £4.80 under the summer offer until 1 September. Book online, but note that Alexandra Palace keeps half of its boats back for walk-ins, so if the website says full it is still worth going to the boathouse. Arrive fifteen minutes early; more than ten minutes late and you may lose the slot.
Go Ape
Three treetop courses in Alexandra Park: Treetop Challenge, the hardest, Treetop Adventure Plus for more adventurous children of 1.2m and over, and Treetop Adventure for younger families. Booking is through the Go Ape website rather than Alexandra Palace.
The two cinemas on Tottenham Lane
Crouch End has two, a few doors apart, which for a district centre of this size is unusual.
Crouch End Picturehouse is the five-screen one, with all child tickets at £3, under-25 tickets at £5.99 Monday to Thursday, and Kids’ Club from £4.
ArtHouse Crouch End at 159A Tottenham Lane, N8 9BT is the independent one, a cinema and live performance space with a bar and café, open 11am to late Monday to Friday and 11:30am to late at weekends. It screens films alongside streamed theatre and live events.
Downstairs at the King’s Head
A comedy club that has been running since 1981, which makes it one of London’s oldest. Thursday is the try-out night at £6 in advance, £8 on the door; Saturday is the Comedy Cabaret at £16 in advance, £19 on the door; and Sunday afternoon jazz is free. Doors at 8pm, shows at 8.30pm. Tickets are only sold in advance through WeGotTickets, and the club warns explicitly against buying from anywhere else.
Highgate Cemetery
Just over the Camden boundary on Swain’s Lane, N6 6PJ, and the one place on this list where a visit needs planning. It is open daily 10am to 5pm from March to October with last entry at 4.30pm, and 10am to 4pm from November to February with last entry at 3.30pm, closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Admission is charged and booked online, and guided tours last about 75 minutes.
There is no visitor parking and the cemetery asks people to come on foot, by bike or by public transport. Paths are steep and can be muddy, tripods and filming are not allowed, and it remains an active burial ground.
Two dates for next year’s diary
Both of Crouch End’s big annual events have been and gone for 2026, but they happen every year and both are worth planning around.
- Crouch End Open Studios, in its 21st year in 2026, ran on 9 and 10 May, noon to 6pm, with 59 artists across around 40 venues opening their homes and studios, plus a group show at The Original Gallery in Hornsey Library.
- Crouch End Festival, in its 15th year in 2026, ran from 12 to 18 June across Hornsey Town Hall, Hornsey Library and venues around the neighbourhood, with music stages, craft and food markets and pop-ups.
Frequently asked questions
What is there to do in Crouch End for free?
Seven things, all open now: the Parkland Walk, Highgate Wood, Queen’s Wood, Priory Park, Alexandra Park including its skatepark and play area, Hornsey Town Hall, which has free entry, and Bruce Castle Museum in Tottenham, which is free and opens Wednesday to Sunday.
What is the new rooftop attraction at Alexandra Palace?
Summit, a guided climb across the palace roof to the Angel of Plenty statue at 130 metres above sea level, which Alexandra Palace calls the highest roof walk in the UK. Adult tickets are from £24.50 and children from £19.25 until 1 September, when the summer VAT reduction ends.
Is Hornsey Town Hall open to the public?
Yes. It reopened on 6 December 2025 after nearly ten years of restoration. Entry is free, though individual events may charge. It houses an arts centre, creative workspaces, event spaces, food and drink and a hotel.
Is the Alexandra Palace ice rink open in summer?
Yes, it runs all year. Adult public skating is £11.75 off peak and £12.75 peak, with sessions most days from 11:00 and Tuesday and Friday from 13:15.
What can you do in Crouch End when it rains?
The two cinemas on Tottenham Lane, Crouch End Picturehouse and ArtHouse, the arts programme and cafés at Hornsey Town Hall, Hornsey Library, and comedy at Downstairs at the King’s Head. The Alexandra Palace ice rink is indoors.
Which is better, Highgate Wood or Queen’s Wood?
Highgate Wood if you want facilities: 70 acres with a café, a large playground and a sports field. Queen’s Wood if you want quiet: older, wilder, less managed, and with three woodpecker species and over a hundred recorded spider species. They are opposite each other across Muswell Hill Road, so most people do both.
Related
- Crouch End trains to London: how to reach Alexandra Palace, Highgate Wood and Bruce Castle without a car.
- Crouch End roadworks, parking and travel: where to leave the car if you do drive.
- Crouch End house prices and planning, which explains why the draft Local Plan calls Crouch End short of public green space despite everything on this page.
Sources
- Haringey Council, Parkland Walk nature reserve, Queen’s Wood local nature reserve and Priory Park for hours, facilities, status and current repairs.
- City of London Corporation, Visit Highgate Wood for the acreage, charity status, facilities, gate closure and information hut closure.
- Alexandra Palace: Summit, the ice rink, the boating lake, Go Ape, the skatepark and the children’s play area for prices, session times and opening.
- Haringey Council: community access safeguarded at Hornsey Town Hall and Hornsey Town Hall for the reopening date, free entry and what is inside.
- Bruce Castle Museum opening hours for days, times and free admission.
- Crouch End Picturehouse, ArtHouse Crouch End and Downstairs at the King’s Head for prices, addresses and opening.
- Highgate Cemetery visitor information for opening times, address and visiting rules.
- Haringey Council on Crouch End Open Studios 2026 and the Crouch End Festival for the annual dates.
- Crouch End railway station for the 1954 closure and the surviving platforms.
Prices and opening hours change, and summer offers end on 1 September. Check the venue before you set off.
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