Copthall Railway Walk and Copthall Old Common, Nature reserve with abandoned railway in Mill Hill, London Borough of Barnet, England.
Copthall Railway Walk and Copthall Old Common is a 9-hectare nature reserve in Mill Hill featuring woodland paths, grassland, and an abandoned railway line. The former track runs for nearly one mile through natural settings and forms the main spine connecting different sections of the site.
The Mill Hill East to Edgware railway line served this section until closing in 1964. Following closure, the abandoned track was gradually converted into a public walking route for local use.
The reserve carries traces of its industrial past that shape how visitors experience the landscape today. Walking through, you see how nature has gradually reclaimed a space once built for human transport.
Access to the walking path is at Sanders Lane near Bittacy Hill, with the route passing through several bridges before ending at Page Street. The relatively flat terrain with gentle slopes makes it easy to walk throughout the year.
The reserve supports a glow worm population, representing one of London's few known colonies of these luminescent insects. These rare creatures can be spotted during twilight hours in the summer months.
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