Introduction
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Highgate West Cemetery |
When I moved to London, I got charmed by the organic growth of Highgate Cemetery. I only know cemeteries organised in dam patterns where there is no room for old graves or natural development. Walking past the old graves, you wonder about the stories behind them and what London life in the 19th century must have been like. As walking is my passion, I got inspired to create a walk connecting the Magnificent Seven Cemeteries.
The Magnificent Seven are seven beautiful Victorian landscaped cemeteries built between 1832 and 1840 to respond to the overcrowding of local parish cemeteries. The cemeteries are not only burial grounds but also beautiful hidden gardens, some of them are classified nature reserves.
The seven walks span a total of 82 kilometres or 51 miles and partially follow other trails such as the Capital Ring Walk and the New River Path. The walks are available via the MapMyRun tool on my blog or you can download the PDF on your phone, so you can access the routes even when offline.