The meeting
We met Helen and Matt Jones on the train at Pinner Station. They were sitting towards the back and hadn’t made any attempt to check whether we would be there. I later discovered that Helen had expected to meet us at Finchley Road Station instead, despite my having arranged the rendezvous at Pinner—another example of how the two of them don’t always communicate when it might help.
Planned route
I had planned a route of around two hours from our proposed 11:30 meeting with Mark and Fiona, but they both cried off at the last minute for different reasons. The intended walk would have taken us from Finchley Road to Primrose Hill, then through Regent’s Park along the Broad Walk, passing the Griffin Tazza (Lion Vase), with the option of extending the route through the southern end of the park depending on time.
Views from the hill
As it turned out, we spent quite a while at the top of Primrose Hill, admiring the panoramic view across London and trying to pick out landmarks in the distance. Matt claimed he could see the Crystal Palace Transmitter, which I couldn’t quite make out with my more limited eyesight. The bright, clear day made the view particularly spectacular.
Through the Park
From the hill we continued into the park, walking behind ZSL London Zoo and catching the occasional glimpse of the rather grim camel enclosures, before joining the Broad Walk. I was keen to show the others the gardens towards the end of the walk, where the gardeners display their skill in combining vibrant flowers into striking arrangements. We paused there for a while, sitting in a somewhat untidy shelter, taking a breather and enjoying the surroundings.
Food in Marylebone
By the time we got up to continue, we no longer had time to extend our tour of the park, so we made our way out to Marylebone Road. After crossing the busy thoroughfare, we weaved along Harley Street and into Marylebone Lane for our 1:30 pm lunch booking at The Golden Hind. The fish, chips, and mushy peas were decent enough, though not especially memorable.
From there, we walked along Chiltern Street to Baker Street Station, stopping for coffee at Avobar. The snacks and open sandwiches on display caught our attention, and we agreed it might be worth a return visit to try them properly.
Football frustration
While sitting there, I realised I needed to get home in time to watch Manchester City v Arsenal—probably the most crucial match of the season for both sides. However, when I sat down to set up the Fire Stick, nothing worked. We later discovered that Keir and Finn were already using it in France, and as we only have one login, it wouldn’t connect. After a frustrating spell fiddling with the thing, I headed to the nearby pub instead. Arsenal unfortunately lost, despite playing quite well and creating a number of chances. That may well be the end of their hopes of winning the title for the first time since 2004.