We wanted to spend today in relaxed fashion after the busy last few days.

Sunny and warm

The weather was sunny and warm, conducive to taking things easy.

Coffee and custard tarts

We started with coffee and Portuguese custard tarts (pastéis de nata) at Myddelton’s deli.

King’s Cross Station

Later we took a bus to King’s Cross Station and..

York Road Station

…from there, another bus to this notable fossil, the York Road Station. Opened in 1906 and situated between King’s Cross and Caledonian Road Stations, it was closed in 1936 as the number of passengers using it was considered too small to justify keeping it running. It lies awaiting an uncertain fate.

Is it art?

We started walking and passed this strange structure. The four dark rectangles contain fountains but, as for what the metal structure is, your guess is as good as mine.

Lewis Cubitt Park

We passed this pleasant green named in honour of civil engineer and architect Lewis Cubitt. The sunshine had tempted people out to play and stroll.

Gail’s

We had not had any lunch so when we encountered a branch of Gail’s, we went in to to see what they had to offer.

Coffee and quiche

We saw these intriguing objects which turned out to be mushroom and caramelised onion quiches and had one each with coffee.

Is it art?

Continuing our walk, we passed a window through which this object was visible. I assume it is intended to be a work of art though there was no information visible.

Gas holder garden

This area, which lies behind King’s Cross Station, used to be industrial. Still in place are some gas holders dating from the days of “town gas” (gas produced from coal brought here by rail). The actual drum containers which used to rise and fall as they filled and emptied of gas, have been removed but the iron supports have been retained as interesting historical artefacts. This one has a garden inside it.

Apartments inside old gas holders

These two gas-holder frames each have an apartment block built inside them.

Enjoying the sunshine

People were out in large numbers to enjoy the sunshine. Some were semi-baked sunbathing – a sight more typical of the seaside than the town!

The Regent’s Canal

We arrived at the Regent’s Canal. This is the St Pancras Basin where materials brought by rail would have been loaded onto barges for further distribution. Today, most of the barges are houseboats, some for hire.

Bridge over the canal

We crossed this bridge that spans the Regent’s Canal.

St Pancras Lock

From the bridge, we had a good view of the St Pancras Lock which moves barges between two sections of canal that are on different levels.

Camley Street Natural Park

We now entered Camley Road Natural Park. This area was previously a “coal drop”, where coal brought in by rail was stored. No longer required for that purpose, it was cleared and converted into a small but valuable wildlife park.

The lake

Despite its small size, the park has several different habitats, including wetland. The lake connects directly with the canal allowing waterfowl to pass from one to the other. Here we saw coots, moorhens, Canada geese and mallard ducks.

A moorhen hurries past
Photo by Tigger

We sat for a while on a bench and watched the various waterfowl about their activities. Tigger caught this moorhen hurrying past.

“Bug hotel”

Much of the park is left rough to provide attractive habitats including heaps of rotting wood as a refuge and living environment for insects.

Shady paths

There are winding paths to follow and sign boards with information on habitats and the creatures living in them.

Coots’ nest

Just as we were leaving, we spotted this nest built by a pair of coots. It’s a little difficult to see as it is screened by branches.

After this pleasant time spent in the wildlife park, was time for us to walk to the nearby bus stop and catch a bus for home. More relaxation will happen at home!