Behold, intrepid explorer…you have uncovered our secret map into the unknown. Now you’ve enjoyed every drop of that Neck Oil and have stepped outside, you’re ready to explore some extraordinary hidden destinations. By following the guided route below, you’ll unearth wonders that are out of this world.

TBC – London

First - head to Clissold Park where your journey begins. The park features a late-eighteenth-century mansion, built for the Quaker Jonathan Hoare. Walk on down Stoke Newington Church Street to number 172, where a plaque and bust commemorates Edgar Allen Poe, who attended a school on this site between 1817 and 1820. 

Further east, at number 95, is a corner with Defoe Road. Daniel Defoe lived and wrote Robinson Crusoe here. A plaque commemorates him. Another writer associated with Stokey is Arthur Machen, whose remarkable psychogeographic story ‘N’ is set here. 

From Church Street take a left into Abney Park Cemetery, a possible inspiration for the otherworldly location described in Machen’s tale. Full of rough edges and hidden gems, Abney Park is home to a fantastic gothic chapel and more flora and fauna than you might expect. Just don’t pick the berries – it’s thought that lead from so many Victorian coffins and arsenic from the embalmed bodies within has affected the land and its edible plants. 

Emerge from the cemetery, and follow Northwold Road and then Rectory Road south to Amhurst Road. Follow Amhurst Road south and eventually turn onto Mare Street to find St Augustine’s Tower. The lone church tower is the oldest building in Hackney and houses an amazing sixteenth-century turret clock. The tower is usually open to the public on the last Sunday of each month from 2 to 4.30 pm.

Approximately 5km