Walks and Walking: Epping Forest Walk in High Beach
Another hot day for a walking route around Epping Forest today so we drove back out to the forest to Connaught Water. As always, I was straight into the walking shorts, t-shirt and a good pair of walking shoes with Tedi in his child carrier.
This walk takes us from Connaught Water in Chingford at the top of the hill by Queen Elizabeths Hunting Lodge, Epping Forest. We then head north through the forest until we reach High Beach and The Kings Oak public house, a newly refurbished pub with a large garden area, where there is a good view of London the other side of the car park.
For all our photographs from this walk please click this link: High Beach Walking Route
Epping Forest typical pathway
The Walking Route
From Connaught Water car park we turned left and walked around the lake until we reached the top left by an overgrown footbridge. We then turned left on to the wide pathway and headed straight upwards where there is only really one way to go before joining a concrete track up until we reached the Bikers Cafe (Tea Hut). Essentially we headed North alongside the Epping New Road but on the parallel path.
Reaching the road we turned left until forking right and taking the first right back in to the forest a few minutes later. We then found the main path on our left and continued up and down some steep areas of the forest path and start to loop round to our left until we see posts in the ground and a break in the forest on our left. On our left we spotted the remains of an old wooden bivouac which has been there for years. Here we turned left and headed past it until we reached a fence where we turned left and followed round to the garden of The Royal Oak.
The pub had a refurb a year or so ago and went a bit more upmarket so muddy boots and walkers aren’t made to feel that welcome. However, next door is the Epping Forest Conservation Centre who offer refreshments and a tea hut opposite the green where you find the views of London.
Walking back past the pub, now on our left we found a break in the forest by Pauls Nursery and walked through the winding path to the road by the church. Turning left we walked down a little further before re-entering the forest on our right, before the fork in the road which leads back down to the Bikers Cafe, which is known as Centenary Walk.
We then walked down this main pathway in a southern direction which leads in to Green Ride and down to the Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge.Turning left on to a pathway running parallel to the road (A1069) we rejoined the car park some 2 hours and 7 miles later.
About Epping Forest
Epping Forest is an area of ancient woodland in south-east England and is a former royal forest containing areas of woodland, grassland, heath, rivers, bogs and ponds. Epping Forest stretches between Forest Gate in East London and Epping in Essex measuring 12 miles in length but only ever just under 3 miles in width at its widest point and follows the valleys of the Lea and Roding rivers.Queen Victoira opened the forest to Londoners and it was also a favourite hide out of Dick “Stand and deliver” Turpin.
UK Walking Routes 