Highgate’s West Cemetery is the famous one with the ornate architecture, and winter can be an excellent time for a wander around with the mists and damp leaves creating a very atmospheric visit.
The cemetery is also open for the interregnum between Christmas and New Year if you want to walk off the turkey and port.
The West Cemetery is home to the impressive architectural features of Highgate Cemetery — the Chapel, Colonnade, Egyptian Avenue, Circle of Lebanon, Terrace Catacombs and the mausoleum of Julius Beer. So if you fancy a wander around a mix of architecture wrapped up in nature, then winter is, to my mind, one of the best times to visit, with the depths revealed by the barren trees and the soft squelch of mud underfoot.
This is still an operational cemetery, and they ask that visitors respect the privacy of those visiting graves by moving away from the area and keeping noise to a minimum. They also ask that you don’t take photographs of recent graves or of anyone visiting them, which is perfectly sensible advice when visiting any cemetery.
Tickets cost £10 for adults, and £6 for children (8-17) or free for children aged 7 and under — and need to be booked in advance from here. The price also includes entry into the East Cemetery — that’s the one with Karl Marx in it.
(their website lets you book tickets for Christmas Day and Boxing Day – but don’t as the cemetery is closed)
Tips for visitors
The cemetery entrance is about a 15-20 minute walk from Archway or Highgate tube stations on the Northern line.
They hand out a map and guide if you’re dead-celeb hunting, but otherwise amble around getting delightfully lost in the winding paths.
Wear decent shoes for walking in the countryside with decent tread on the sole (no smooth soles) as some of the slopes can be slippery when wet.
There’s a toilet in the East Cemetery if needed, and entry to the East Cemetery is part of the ticket price.
When leaving, head south down Swain’s lane to see the oddest housing estate ever, looking more like a council estate built in mock-Tudor blocks.
Well worth a visit – I’ve been several times. There is also a toilet in the West Cemetery if needed; bear left immediately inside the main entrance gateway.