Walk Islington

Nicola Baird
An environmental journalist who works for Friends of the
Earth and is co-author of Save Cash & Save the Planet,
Nicola lives in Finsbury Park with her two daughters.
What do you love most about the borough?
Finsbury Park is a brilliant part of Islington –
it’s a friendly neighbourhood with traffic
calmed streets and loads of local shops,
and within ten minutes there’s the whole
world: a reservoir, castle, city farm, skating
rink and numerous parks.
Who sells the best cup of coffee?
It’s a treat to go to the Oasis on Highbury
Fields – you get a real china cup and the
best almond pastries.
What’s your favourite shop?
Any place that sells secondhand items,
with Past Times on Essex Road the star.
62 63
What do you think is Islington’s best-kept secret?
The Parkland Walk. It’s such an enjoyable
walking route any time of the year – and
a great place to play spot-the-dog.
What would you do if you were Mayor of
Islington for a day?
Go around to everyone’s house and do an
energy efficiency audit. We could make
everyone’s homes more comfortable to live
in and cut our household carbon dioxide
emissions – it’d make a huge difference
to tackling climate change.
What are your favourite places to walk to?
Just about every journey I make is done
on foot – it’s so nice to be outside if you
can wave hello to friends and know you’re
keeping yourself a bit fitter.
Which area would you most like to explore on foot?
The girls and I like getting to know the parks
better – mapping out where the best apple
trees and blackberry bushes are.
What advice would you give to someone who has
just moved or likes visiting the borough?
Get the milkman to deliver organic milk to
your door, use the recycling bins and be
friendly to your neighbours. And if you want
to get rid of something useful try Islington’s
swapXchange or www.freecycle.com.