Highgate Cemetery (East Side), London

 Highgate East Cemetery, London

Visited May 2013

The east side of Highgate Cemetery is separated from its older sibling, the west cemetery, by a road. The eastern half was opened in 1860 due to the popularity of the west side, and is now open to the public. Like the west side, there's an admission charge although you don't have to go on a guided tour of this side, instead you can wander freely around it.

The graves in this side date from the Victorian period to the modern day - the most famous resident is of course Karl Marx, but others buried here include Patrick Caulfield, George Eliot, Jeremy Beadle and Douglas Adams. A most eclectic mix!

As with the west side, there's a lot of trees and overgrown areas here, although other parts, with the more modern burials, are better tended in terms of mown lawns etc. As you'd expect from somewhere so famous, and with an entrance charge, there are leaflets and maps available and the paths are in good condition. It may seem busy when you go in, but get away from the main path and Marx and there's still solitude to be found here. Beautiful in springtime with the flowers growing among the gravestones.

Douglas Adams, author of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Karl Marx

This chap invented Hovis bread!