Dog walker in Islington.

Highbury Fields

Highbury Fields is the biggest open space in the borough and the obvious morning walk for N5. The tree-lined avenues are wide, the grass is busy but rarely crowded, and the walk up from Highbury Corner and back covers a satisfying half hour without crossing a main road.

The canal and the squares

Further south, the Regent's Canal towpath runs east from the Islington tunnel towards Hackney, a flat and traffic-free walk that suits dogs who pull towards anything on wheels less well, since cyclists share it. The garden squares of Canonbury and Barnsbury, and the smaller green spaces like Barnard Park, make good short loops for a 20-minute walk between meetings.

Why it suits Seekies

Islington is full of flats above shops and terraced houses without much outside space, and full of owners who work long days in the City. Dogs here need someone reliable in the middle of the day. A walker who knows the difference between a towpath walk and a Highbury Fields walk, and picks the right one for your dog, is the whole point.

A typical walk

A typical half hour from a flat off Highbury Grove: down to Highbury Fields, a full loop of the avenues under the plane trees, a pause by the tennis courts while your dog investigates the bins, then back up the quiet side of Highbury Place rather than the main road.