Saturday 26 July Club walk - Epping Forest

About the walk

Jane and Greg Leary invite Club members for a walk of about 8 miles entirely within the ancient Epping Forest boundaries in Essex.  It will be a moderately paced walk starting at 10:30am from an outdoor cafe.

We’ll be going gently downhill initially, via Connaught Water to the Chingford Epping Forest Visitor Centre. There we’ll stop to eat our packed lunches and have the chance to buy ice creams.

We’ll stop for around an hour to give you time to look around the Visitor Centre’s excellent displays about the history and current conservation strategies being used within the forest. Queen Elizabeth 1's timber and wattle Hunting Lodge is next door to the Centre and is free to visit although it closes for lunch between 1 - 2pm.

After our lunch stop we’ll walk with some gentle climbs to get back to our original starting point at the outdoor cafe and its adjacent pub.

Shorter walk option 5.5 miles:

There’ll be an opportunity before Connaught Water and the lunch stop for anyone who wants a shorter walk to self navigate with a simple route-marked map [we’ll provide] on a very easy route back to the start with a small cafe, The Original Tea Hut,  part way back for a rest.

NB We will cross several of the roads in the forest. Please be careful when crossing as some roads have fast traffic. Although the speed limit is 40mph, the roads are long and straight so some car drivers drive fast, and as the forest trees go right up to the roads they may not see you. Crossing the roads safely is your responsibility.

Free to use toilets are available at the starting point and the Visitor Centre where we’ll stop to eat our packed lunches.

Who the trip is for

Anyone who has enough fitness to ski and likes walking regularly should easily manage this 8 mile walk that will be at a moderate pace. However, there are some ups and downs, and the second half of the walk climbs back up to High Beach, where we’ll start.

You need to be a current LRNSC member, or to join the Club before the walk.

Starting point

Meeting placeWe will meet on the green outside the Kings Oak gastro pub at High Beach ( What3Words living.share.laser ).

You should aim to arrive around 10am so that we can make a prompt start at 10:30am.  The Kings Oak outdoor cafe opens at 10am on Saturdays and there are toilets available in the Kings Oak car park or the nicer ones in the nearby Visitor Centre.

Our meeting point showing from left to right the public toilets, recommended car park entrance, outdoor cafe and gastropub/hotel,  We’ll meet on the green you see in the foreground outside the Kings Oak pub.

If you put Kings Oak Hotel, Paul's Nursery Rd, Waltham Abbey, Loughton IG10 4AE into the Google Maps app it will take you to the right place. Beware there are many other nearby car parks in the forest, and you definitely don’t want the High Beech Car Park in Loughton.

Click for a larger view.I strongly recommend parking in the Kings Oak car park next to the Kings Oak pub and cafe. It has about 40 spaces and is next to the public toilets. I suggest paying £6 to park for up to 24 hours, as once we start our walk it may take around 6 hours.

All other car parks in the forest limit parking to not more than 6 hours, so you risk a parking ticket after our walk if you park elsewhere. Parking in the road and the other side of the green across the road from the Kings Oak is limited to 6 hours maximum, which may not be long enough.

Travel by public transport

The nearest underground stations are Loughton or Debden, both about 2.5 miles walk from our starting point. Please note that roads through the forest do not generally have pavements or footpaths alongside them, so walking is not easy and can be hazardous.

Refreshments

Please bring a packed lunch.

After the walk there are 2 options if anyone is interested:

• The Kings Oak public bar/restaurant has big gardens to sit in but it is a functions venue for weddings, etc and both the bar and restaurant may be closed for a private function.
• The Owl Public House, Lippetts Hill, High Beach, Loughton IG10 4AL. This has a pleasant garden and reasonable food, is a short drive away and has two large free car parks.

Equipment

Please wear stout footwear.  Check the weather forecast & bring waterproofs if necessary.

What to do next

Please register your interest by completing this form.

If you’re not already a Club member  please join before the walk. Only £20pp per annum.

Any questions?

Please contact the organiser Greg Leary.