Welcome

This week we've got five local places to explore the geocaching trend.

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And we are excited to share the launch on Finchley Together, a new local community action group, built on the sucess of the Regents Park Road Bus Lane Win.

🔍 5 Finchley Geocaching Finds

When was the last time you did a real-life treasure hunt?

Geocaching is an outdoor activity loved globally. Finchley (and the surrounding area) residents can uncover hidden gems right in their backyard. Great intro article here.
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So, what’s the geocaching buzz?

Picture this:

• Over 3 million hidden treasures worldwide
• 5 million participants
• And a touch of adventure in the very spaces you frequent

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Geocachers squirrel away small, weatherproof containers with assorted knick-knacks, a logbook, and a writing instrument.

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Then, they mark its coordinates online.

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Your mission? Use the coordinates to discover the caches, leave a note in the logbook, swap a trinket, and continue the cycle.
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How do I start?

Starting is simple. Equip yourself with a geocaching app or GPS receiver. Sign up on platforms like Geocaching.com or Opencache UK, and you're all set. There's likely a cache closer than you think.

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Here are a few beginner suggestions for geocaches near Finchley. Or take a look at the map based around Finchley Central tube.

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1: Leeside Free Library (Difficulty 1.0, Terrain 1.0, Size Small, GC85TR5)

Just a hop away from Temple Fortune shops, this cache is an easy one to start. Nestled inside the Little Library, it’s a great find, especially for young explorers.

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2: Muggles Walk Past (Difficulty 1.5, Terrain 1.5, Size Small, GC5XFCX)

​Victoria Park is in Church End, covering 7 hectares. 1st Finchley Scout Group set this one up.

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3: Where Lovers Walk (Difficulty 2.5, Terrain 1.0, Size Small, GC5Z0HB)

Lovers Walk footpath runs from Ballards Lane, over the Northern Line, down to Nether Street and then onto the Dollis Valley Greenwalk.

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4: Battle Field (Difficulty 1.5, Terrain 1.5, Size Small, GC1E9X8)

Near the old trackbed of a railway from Finsbury Park to Alexandra Palace. Before the last war there were preparations to convert it to run underground trains. Closed in the 1950's, there have been several attempts to re-open it since.

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5: Church Micro 10158...Hampstead - St Jude (Difficulty 1.5, Terrain 1.0, Size Small, GC6VJBV)

Saint Jude-on-the-Hill is the Parish Church of Hampstead Garden Subur,b which was founded in 1907 by Henrietta Barnett to be a model community where all classes of people would live together in attractive surroundings and social harmony.

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So download an app and take the family out at the weekend to try these. Remember to keep your finds a secret from muggles. 🔍

Events

MUSIC

Monday 19th January

​Free Violin Skills Sessions With North London Sinfonia | Mon, Jan. 19 | 7:00 pm to 7:30 pm | Trinity Church Centre N12 | Free | This is a wonderful way for people who have played violin in the past to restart and enjoy playing wonderful music with expert coaching.

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Saturday 24th January

Tre Violini Xoncert | Sat, Jan. 24 | 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm | Golders Green Unitarian Chapel, Hoop Lane, London NW11 8BS | £10 - £25 | Early music specialist group Canzona will perform thrilling music for three violins and continuo, by a clutch of 17th-century composers. Email.

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COMMUNITY

Thursday 29th January

​Finchley Society Monthly meeting; ‘The White Lady’ by Helen Fry | Thu, Jan. 29 | 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm | Avenue House, 17 East End Road, N3 3QE | Free to members, £2.00 cash to non-members | Historian Helen Fry will reveal the astonishing story of the two most important MI6 networks behind the enemy lines in the two World Wars: the White Lady (‘La Dame Blanche’) and Clarence Service networks in Belgium.

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Sunday 1st February

Mill Hill Village: A Guided Walk | Sun, Feb. 1 | 11:00 am to 1:00 pm | Meet outside Mill Hill East tube station | £12, £5 under 12s | An entertaining and surprising roam along The Ridgeway and through green, tranquil Mill Hill Village. With Paul Baker, City of London guide. Email Paul.

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THEATRE

Monday 19th January

​Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles | Mon, Jan. 19 | 3:00 pm | The Bothy at Stephens House and Gardens, N3 3QE | £18.00, under 16 yrs £14.00 | Will detective duo Holmes and Watson discover the deadly secret of the Baskerville family curse before it strikes again? Or are they barking up the wrong tree? Find out in this delightfully inventive show that will have you yelping with excitement and howling with laughter.

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ARTS

Thursday 22nd January

​Welcome to Dr Johnson's House | Thu, Jan. 22 | 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm | Dr Johnson's House, EC4A 3DE | £10 | Dr Johnson’s 1690s townhouse is a hidden gem just waiting to be explored! Discover the famous Dr Samuel Johnson and his Dictionary of the English Language, published in 1755.

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Friday 30th January

​Fresh: Art Fair Alexandra Palace. No Ordinary Art Fair | Fri, Jan. 30 | 11:00 am to 8:00 pm | Alexandra Palace Way N22 7AY | Free | Fresh: Energy, Fresh: Art. This is London’s friendliest art fair and the easiest way to browse and buy art you love.

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Sunday 1st February

​This is Us - Love Through The Seasons Poetry And Dance Performance | Sun, Feb. 1 | 2:00 pm to 3:15 pm | Arts Depot North Finchley | £9.50 | This is a first-time performance by the Arts Depot Creative Writing Circle and Dance company. Created and performed entirely by participants, they will share stories that surprise and songs and dance to lift the spirits as they explore love in all its forms.

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NATURE

Thursday 22nd January

​Nature In Your Neighbourhood | Thu, Jan. 22 | 7:00 pm | Online | Free | Join to find out how to use the free iNaturalist app to explore and record the incredible nature near you. Whether you’re curious about the plants in your local park or the wildlife in your garden, this webinar will show you how simple photos can make you a citizen scientist and deepen your connection with nature.

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Saturday 31st January

​Nature Walk - Hedges And Winter Habitats For Birds | Sat, Jan. 31 | 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm | Parliament Hill Viewpoint, Heath Lodge, NW5 1QR | Free | Join for a guided walk to find out more about hedges, and how the Heath’s habitats support wildlife like birds in Winter. Also find out more about conservation work, including what our volunteers help with.

Events - Book Ahead

Saturday 14th February

​Highgate Repair Cafe | Sat, Feb. 14 | 10:00 am to 1:00 pm | St Michael's Church, South Grove N6 6BJ | Free | Book a slot online to get matched with a fixer for your technology or get spares for your equipment.

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​Candlelight Concert | Sat, Feb. 14 | 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm | The Old Palace, Hertfordshire, AL9 5HX | £60 per ticket | Enjoy a romantic evening of love songs by candlelight in a beautiful Tudor palace. In the stunning setting of the Old Palace, where Queen Elizabeth I once held court, enjoy elegant renditions of classic love songs throughout the decades, performed live by our magnificent string quartet, The London String Trio, in the opulent glow of golden candlelight.

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Wednesday 18th February

​The Height of the Storm | Wed, Feb. 18 | 7:30 pm to 9:15 pm | Incognito Theatre, N11 | £11 | André and Madeleine have been in love for over fifty years. This weekend, as their daughters visit, something feels unusual. A bunch of flowers arrives, but who sent them? A woman from the past turns up, but who is she? And why does André feel like he isn’t there at all?

Local Lowdown

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Tagging

• Finchley’s own mystery artist, Fansky, is back at it. Fresh pieces of their elusive street art have popped up across Finchley (see above), leaving residents guessing who’s behind the spray cans. Keep your eyes peeled on your next walk - you might just spot the newest masterpiece before it disappears.

Relocating

• Page turners rejoice. Barnet’s beloved free book shop is back in action at The Spires Shopping Centre after a festive break and yet another move. Sharing space with ADHD charity ADDISS, the shop is open again for browsing. But donations are limited to one carrier bag while they get settled in.

Redeveloping

• Big plans, bold heights. The proposed makeover for Great North Leisure Park could see 1,485 new homes, a leisure centre, shops, and green spaces rising up to 25 storeys. Locals can still have their say before decisions are made - so don’t miss your chance to shape Finchley’s future skyline.

Staying free

• Older Londoners can breathe easy - the Freedom Pass lives on. Labour Council leaders have scrapped plans for a review that could have limited free travel for over a million residents. Backed by Sadiq Khan, they’ve vowed to defend the pass, calling it a “lifeline” that keeps people connected across the capital.

Gridlocking

• January in Camden continues dicey for drivers, with rolling closures and lane restrictions across the borough. HS2 works keep squeezing Finchley Road into 2026, while gas, power and water upgrades add to the fun. Near Highgate Cemetery, St Alban’s Road shuts for broadband works from 19–21 January.

The Finchleyite: Finchley Together

Key organisers from the successful Regents Park Road Bus Lane group have now launched Finchley Together, unveiling a new name and logo while pledging to campaign on “achievable” local priorities in Church End/N3.

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The volunteers say community action helped secure the removal of the Regents Park Road bus lane, and they plan to stay in dialogue with Barnet Council to seek answers on unresolved questions — including who will fund work on the road, whether Barnet, Jacobs or TfL.

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Finchley Together says it will focus on carefully chosen issues, split into two strands: “Enhance” (such as safer crossings and more outdoor café seating) and “Resolve” (including transparency, pavements and calls to remove the Tillingbourne Gardens yellow box junction).

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Organisers David Breskin, Mike Eder, Pat Hirschovits, Simon Rockman, Patrick Salisbury and Nyla Shiers are keeping the Finchley Community spirit going.

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If you want to join the group, WhatsApp link is here https://chat.whatsapp.com/KVpQTx1VVBhKwz85G1GeDl​

Editors' Note - From Tessa

This week I have been to Johannesburg for the wedding of a friend's son.

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Fabulous connecting with special friends from all over the world. Managed to spend a day in Soweto too.

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Highly recommend a trip if you ever get the chance.

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Also, let us know about local events or local news. We curate our content to keep it a 5-minute read, so can't include everything we're sent.

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You can now get a guaranteed (paid) listing for local events or local lowdown/news items.

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​And email us with any projects or ideas you'd like us to write about.

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Tessa Davis Sasha Frieze