Length: 13.4km (8.4miles) Allow 4 hours for the walk
This walk takes you on tracks and paths through the ancient woodland of Epping Forest (“the peoples forest”). After lunch you go through open countryside and farmland passing close to Copped Hall a ruined country house currently being renovated. The walk ends in the bustling town of Epping at the end of the Central Underground Line.
"This short walk is ideal for winter or early spring when there is no leaf canopy and views and vistas open up."
Trains: Loughton station is on the Central Line in zone 6. Arrive for a 1035 start. 0929 from Ealing Broadway, 0954 Oxford Circus arrives 1031.Lunch: The Horseshoes a friendly pub with a good range of reasonably priced food.
Horseshoes. 80m before the Horseshoes pub there is the entrance gate to St Thomas’ Church, where just beyond the church building there is a pleasant grassy area with wooden benches which is nice for a picnic despite the noise from the nearby M25.
Tea: The recommended tea stop is the Verde Café at 88 High Street, Epping
1 comment:
n=16, an excellent turn out for our first regular Wednesday walk of the New Year. The weather was w=overcast-but-dry-and-very-mild-all-day, and the rain threatened for the afternoon did not materialise: we were lucky.
I showed up today partly because during my forty plus years living in central London I had never previously visited Epping Forest. What an unexpected treat was in store for me - and what a pleasant SWC walk this turned out to be through the heart of this vast forest. Its main tracks were mostly dry underfoot today and mud levels on minor paths elsewhere were manageable.
The group stayed together through the Forest up until the lunchtime pub, the Horseshoes, which coped very well with the 13 of us who showed up without pre-booking, hoping to dine there. A suitable number of adjacent tables were found for us, orders were taken efficiently and tasty meals arrived soon after, in generous sized portions and served with a smile. Merlins Cave in Chalfont St Doodah - take note how it should be done ! (see the walk report for the New Year's Day Walk North).
Most of the sandwichers joined us for a drink whilst the diners fed, before they set off alone on the afternoon leg. The rest of us followed in two waves: I was with the last group of 9. The afternoon section of the walk was outside the boundaries of the Forest and took us through varied, mostly open countryside - on tracks and along field edges, passing by Copthall Green and Copped Hall, which we did not visit. Some head scratching followed as we were now briefly off-piste (our trail blazer had blazed ahead, never to be seen again on the walk - hopefully his wife was reacquainted with him at the underground station). But in good SWC fashion we figured out an alternative way forward , and were soon back on the route proper. On reaching the outskirts of Epping, all but three of us headed for the tube, and two of us enjoyed an excellent tea with cakes in a small cafe at the top of Station Road-Cafe Dada by name. Recommended.
The Central Line was behaving itself today - and we were soon on our way back into Central London, just missing the rush hour.
An enjoyable day out in good company, and a promising start to the mid-week walk programme for 2020.
Post a Comment