Things to Do in Barnet in 2026: Free Museums, Farms & Walks

Barnet is better at days out than it gets credit for. One borough holds a national museum you can walk into for nothing, a working children’s farm, a Premiership rugby ground, one of the oldest cinemas in the country, a 170-acre reservoir full of grebes, and the only registered battlefield in Greater London. Every venue on this page was checked against its own website in August 2026, with hours and prices as the operators state them; the handful of places we could not verify are flagged rather than guessed at.

Barnet attractions at a glance

RAF Museum London: the free national museum

The best free day out in north London sits on the old Hendon Aerodrome in Colindale. The RAF Museum London fills six hangars with the story of the Royal Air Force, from the First World War in the Air in Hangar 2 through the Battle of Britain aircraft in the War in the Air hangars to the Age of Uncertainty in Hangar 6. Admission is free, open every day from 10am to 5pm, and the museum recommends booking a free ticket in advance. Parking is the only unavoidable cost: £5 for up to three hours, £7 for three to six hours.

If you want more than a wander, the paid extras running through 31 December 2026 include the Battle of Britain Cockpit Experience at £30 and themed guided tours (Battle of Britain, Bomber Command, Cold War, First World War) at £10 each. One thing not to plan around: the 4D Theatre is temporarily closed for refurbishment. Grahame Park Way, NW9; Colindale on the Northern line is the nearest station.

Belmont Children’s Farm, Mill Hill

A proper working farm on The Ridgeway with animals to feed, a soft play barn, a bakery and a café, and the reliable answer to a small child’s wet weekend. Belmont Children’s Farm opens daily 9.30am to 4.45pm, last entry 3.30pm. Farm entry: adults £8.50, children aged 4 to 16 £7, ages 1 to 3 £5, under-1s free, or a family ticket for two adults and two children at £28. Soft play is charged separately (£8.50 per child on weekdays, £10.50 at weekends), animal feed is £2 a bag, and note the farm is contactless only, no cash. Serving members of the armed forces get in free with ID.

Stephens House & Gardens, Finchley

The Victorian home of Henry “Inky” Stephens, the ink magnate, left to the people of Finchley and now run by a charity. The draw is the ten acres of gardens, free to enter and open daily from 8am to 6pm (8am to 4pm in winter), with the Inky’s Stables café open seven days a week from 9am on weekdays and 10am at weekends. The walled Bothy Gardens open Friday mornings, 10am to 1pm, weather permitting. Worth knowing before you go: the house itself is not open for general visits, only for the occasional public tours and events listed on stephenshouseandgardens.com. 17 East End Road, N3, ten minutes’ walk from Finchley Central.

Barnet Museum and the 1471 battlefield

Barnet Museum on Wood Street is a volunteer-run local history museum in a Victorian house, free to enter, open Tuesday to Thursday 2.30pm to 4.30pm, Saturday 10.30am to 4pm and Sunday 2.30pm to 4.30pm. The collection covers the town from market charter to Underground suburb, and the museum also opens the seventeenth-century Physic Well on the third Saturday of each month, 2pm to 4pm.

The bigger story is on the northern edge of town. The fields around Monken Hadley are the site of the Battle of Barnet of 14 April 1471, where Edward IV defeated and killed Warwick the Kingmaker; Historic England registers it as the only battlefield in Greater London. The Grade II listed Hadley Highstone, a 5.5-metre obelisk raised in 1740, marks the spot where the A1000 meets Kitts End Road, freely visible at any hour. The town marks the battle with the Barnet Medieval Festival, an annual June weekend of re-enactment at Fold Farm; the 2026 edition ran on 6 and 7 June for the battle’s 555th anniversary, and the festival site will carry the next date when it is announced.

Saracens at StoneX Stadium, Hendon

Barnet’s biggest regular event is Premiership rugby. Saracens play the 2026/27 season at StoneX Stadium off Greenlands Lane, with the men in the Gallagher Prem and Saracens Women opening their defence of the PWR title at home to Leicester Tigers. The club sells a combined men’s and women’s season ticket at £284 for 26 home matches, and runs stadium tours (changing rooms, media centre and the memorabilia collection, including World Cup winners’ shirts) at £25 for adults, £20 concessions, less for season ticket holders; tour dates are released in batches on the club site.

Films and theatre: the Phoenix and artsdepot

The Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley has been showing films since 1912, which makes it one of the oldest continuously operating cinemas in Britain, and it remains a single-building independent with a full daily programme, parent-and-baby screenings, accessible showings and regular seasons. Check ticket prices on the cinema’s own booking pages or on 020 8444 6789.

artsdepot at Tally Ho Corner, North Finchley, is the borough’s arts centre: two theatres, a gallery and a café, with a programme that leans family-friendly (autumn 2026 includes Shechter II dance and a run of children’s shows). The box office is open daily, 9am to 5pm on weekdays and 10am to 4pm at weekends.

Water, walks and green space

The Welsh Harp (Brent Reservoir) at West Hendon is a Site of Special Scientific Interest run by the Canal & River Trust, free to visit, with great crested grebes on the open water and floating nesting islands viewable from Cool Oak Bridge. Limited free parking off the North Circular at Edward Road and Woodfield Park; no toilets on site, so plan accordingly.

The Dollis Valley Greenwalk is the borough’s spine walk, a waymarked route of roughly ten miles following the Dollis Brook from Moat Mount in Mill Hill down through Finchley toward Hampstead Heath, mostly flat and hard-surfaced; the Long Distance Walkers Association holds the route details, and Barnet Council signs it on the ground with white arrows on a green disc. Pick it up almost anywhere along the brook and walk as much as suits.

On the Golders Green edge of the borough, Golders Hill Park, run by the City of London Corporation as part of the Hampstead Heath estate, is a free formal park with a small animal enclosure, and joins straight onto the Heath Extension for longer walks.

Markets, shopping and a swim

High Barnet still has its market: Barnet Market runs every Wednesday and Saturday, 8am to 3pm, at The Spires, the open-air centre built on the old brewery site off the High Street. At the other end of the borough, Brent Cross opens Monday to Saturday 10am to 8pm and Sunday 11am to 6pm, with most restaurants open later. And for a rainy-day swim, Barnet Copthall Leisure Centre in Hendon, run by GLL under the Better brand, charges £8.45 for an adult casual swim (£5.30 for juniors), with the pool open from 6.30am on weekdays.

Getting there

Almost everything on this page sits within a short walk of the Northern line (Colindale for the RAF Museum, High Barnet for the museum, market and battlefield, East Finchley for the Phoenix) or a Thameslink or Great Northern station. If you are driving, check parking rules in Barnet first, since most town-centre streets are controlled and the borough is strict about it.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best free things to do in Barnet?

The RAF Museum London in Colindale is free every day, 10am to 5pm. Barnet Museum, the gardens at Stephens House, the Welsh Harp reservoir, the Dollis Valley Greenwalk and the Battle of Barnet obelisk at Monken Hadley are all free too.

What can I do in Barnet with kids?

Belmont Children’s Farm in Mill Hill (from £7 a child, contactless only), the RAF Museum’s six free hangars, artsdepot’s children’s shows, and swimming at Barnet Copthall. On a fine day, the Welsh Harp and Golders Hill Park cost nothing.

What is there to do in Barnet when it rains?

The RAF Museum is the obvious wet-day winner: free, indoors and vast. The Phoenix Cinema, artsdepot, Brent Cross and a swim at Copthall cover the rest.

Is the RAF Museum in Barnet really free?

Yes. Admission is free of charge, with booking recommended; you only pay for parking (£5 up to three hours) and optional extras such as the £30 Battle of Britain Cockpit Experience or £10 guided tours.

Where was the Battle of Barnet fought?

On the fields around Monken Hadley, just north of High Barnet, on 14 April 1471. It is the only registered battlefield in Greater London, marked by the Hadley Highstone obelisk, and Barnet Museum covers the story.

Sources

• RAF Museum London, visit pages for hours, free entry, parking and experience prices
• Belmont Children’s Farm for hours and prices
• Stephens House & Gardens for garden and café hours
• Barnet Museum for opening days and the Physic Well
• Saracens for tours, season tickets and the 2026/27 season
• Phoenix Cinema and artsdepot for programmes
• Canal & River Trust, Brent Reservoir and the LDWA, Dollis Valley Greenwalk
• The Spires and Barnet Market, Brent Cross and Better, Barnet Copthall
• Historic England, Battle of Barnet registered battlefield and the Barnet Medieval Festival

Every venue checked against its own website on 7 August 2026. Hours and prices change, and leisure-centre timetables roll weekly, so confirm with the venue before a special trip. Related: Barnet train times to London, parking in Barnet and Barnet bin collection days.