Wimbledon, Queens Park and Finsbury Park/Clissold/Arsenal

I've never walked the whole length, but the Parkland Walk starts in Finsbury Park and is a nice nature reserve / green space.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkland_Walk

You mention Clissold in your title. Clissold Park is a nice Victorian era park in Stoke Newington, not far from Finsbury Park. I've got a lot of time for "Stokey" as a neighbourhood. Abney Park Cemetery is an atmospheric old cemetery, one of the "Magnificent Seven".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnificent_Seven_cemeteries

Finsbury Park itself is a decent neighbourhood. A little grimy, but not too bad. Lots going on on Seven Sisters Road, and Stroud Green Road is another main drag worth a walk. Just the other side of Finsbury Park is Green Lanes, with many good Turkish places for eating.

Finsbury Park station is a good hub. You're only ten minutes or so to Oxford Circus or Green Park on the Victoria Line. There's the Piccadilly Line, lots of bus routes and National Rail services too.

Thank you! And I’d love to hear about “Stokey”!

I was going to write a long reply, but I found this article which is a guide to the nice things about Stokey.

If you are to visit Clissold Park, Stoke Newington Church Street (the longest street name in London I believe) is worth a wander. Lots of lovely little shops and cafes. Stoke Newington High Street is bustling and vibrant. It's got a bit posher over the last decade or so. Many aging hipsters have moved to Stoke Newington to raise a family, still in an urban setting. Definitely an area I'd consider "proper London" with a big mix of people all living their lives.

Further down the high street from Stoke Newington is Dalston, a slightly edgier, hipper area. I'm guessing you're a bit older, but Dalston is where a lot of young people from all around here spend their Saturday nights.

Here's the article -

https://www.tatacheers.com/travel/a-guide-to-stoke-newington/

These are all very nice areas!

For green spaces to walk, I recommend looking at the Capital Ring Walk, which goes thru both Wimbledon Common and Finsbury Park: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/capital-ring
It's a well-signposted walk which joins up green spaces around the edge of inner London.
Gerry has already given you a lot of good advice about Finsbury Park and I don't have much to add.

For Wimbledon, of course you have Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park. You're not super far from Tooting which has an interesting high street tho the main reason, for me, to go would be Tooting Market. In terms of museums, there aren't a whole lot I'm aware of beyond the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum. For transport you have the Wimbledon branch of the District line.

For Queens Park, you have of course Queens Park itself plus the nearby Paddington Old Cemetery, where, very appropriately, the author of Paddington (Michael Bond) is buried. You also have another magnificent seven cemetery, Kensal Green, very close by. Salusbury Road and Chamberlayne Road are both good high streets with places to eat, pubs, etc. I particularly like Paradise by Way of Kensal Green. There's also Kilburn High Road which is a little rougher but also has good food. For transport links you have the Bakerloo line at Queen's Park, the Jubilee line at Kilburn, and several stops on the Overground (Kensal Rise, Queen's Park, Kilburn). If you have more specific questions on this area I'd be happy to answer!

it is rutting season in Richmond Park and the autumn colour is at its peak (until the next big blow) in the Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park.

A few interesting shops around Highbury Barn which is the area about halfway between Finsbury Park and Highbury Corner. Includes La Fromagerie which is one of the best specialist cheese shops in London.

is that the La Fromagerie which used to be in Marylebone?

Thank you so much everyone! And as for Wimbledon, we are based nearer Morden Park.

In that case, you should definitely visit Morden Hall Park, which is a National Trust site: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/london/morden-hall-park

OP curious when you say near Santa Cruz are you saying Aptos, Capitola, Felton? I gre up over the hill in LG.

Anyway Gerry M has provided excellent intel. Very knowledgeable guy.

Be sure to include a visit to the Wimbledon museum. Quite well done.

Putney Common is large and green. I enjoyed the Parkland walk mentioned by GerryM. I started in Finsbury Park and strolled to the Crouch End neighborhood.

FYI very good breakfast in the Crouch Hill neighborhood at the Blue Owl Cafe.