Deer Sanctuary – UK Walking Routes

Walks And Walking – Essex Walks Oak Trail Epping Forest Walking Route

The Oak Trail offers an opportunity to enjoy a beautiful area of Epping Forest and some of its surrounding Buffer Lands. The route passes some magnificent veteran beech pollards, areas of wood pasture, Ambresbury Banks and the Deer Sanctuary covering just under 7 miles taking me exactly 2 hours to complete.

When I left the house for the short drive up to Theydon Bois it was a chilly day with clear blue skies. I was hoping to see some deer and capture some really good Autumn photographs of Epping Forest but it soon turned grey and started to rain.

Walks And Walking – Essex Walks The Oak Trail Epping Forest Walking Route – Autumn Path

Walks And Walking – Essex Walks The Oak Trail Epping Forest Walking Route – Autumn Trees

The walk starts at Theydon Bois tube station and quickly takes you onto Great Gregories, one of the City of London’s Buffer Land areas currently used for in-house grazing of our conservation cattle. A lot of the trail will follow defined paths, surfaced rides, fields and Forest with directional posts as guides. When I walked The Oak Trail today there were no sign of any of the green arrow signposts so I was glad I had my OS map with me.

Walks And Walking – Essex Walks The Oak Trail Epping Forest Walking Route

AMBRESBURY BANKS

The remains of an Iron Age Hill Fort and, according to legend, it is the site of the last stand by Boudicca against the Romans in AD61. The fort covers an area of approximately 11 acres and was once surrounded by a 6ft single bank and a ditch.

DEER SANCTUARY

Founded in 1959, it is home to a herd of black fallow deer. The Sanctuary covers approximately 140 acres. Forest Keepers lead Guided Walks around the Sanctuary: please see the Epping Forest Events Diary. For further details telephone 020 7332 1911.

BUFFER LANDS

Some 1778 acres of Buffer Land has been acquired to protect the Forest from encroaching development and to maintain the links between the Forest and the wider countryside. Regular inhabitants include fallow and muntjac deer, hares and skylarks.

Walks And Walking – Essex Walks Oak Trail Epping Forest Walking Route Map

Walks And Walking – Essex Walks Epping Forest Jacks Hill Walking Route

This Essex walk in Epping Forest started in Jacks Hill car park near Theydon Bois walking down to Great Monk Wood before heading back up to Debden Green and the Deer Sanctuary finishing off at Ambresbury Banks Fort then back to Jacks Hill car park.

When I was planning this walking route I didn’t expect it to be quite so demanding but there was a lot of up and down climbs through Epping Forest and with Tedi in the child carrier it felt a lot tougher than it should have been. There was heavy rain the previous day and I should have worn my Scarpa walking boots but with the recent prolonged spell of dry weather I thought my Salomon walking boots would have been OK but there were a few slippery patches, especially off the main path tracks through the forest.

Walks And Walking – Essex Walks Epping Forest Jacks Hill Walking Route Map

Walks And Walking – Essex Walks Epping Forest Jacks Hill Walking Route – Jacks Hill Car Park

From Jacks Hill car park I walked southwards in to Epping Forest on the wide gravel track turning right down to Furze Ground and Tippa Brook. I then walked down to the A121 at Goldings Hill and Broadstrood car park crossing over the road to walk along the wide grassy path down to Great Monk Wood walking right and left along the Green Ride to a junction of tracks where I turned left on to Clay Ride down to Blackweir Hill. I then continued my walk down to Baldwins Pond and Loughton Brook to then walk up to the track running along the outskirts of Loughton by house no. 2 turning left along Baldwins Hill road passed the houses back to the field with the Forester Arms ahead to the left hand side.

I then walked up a path to a seat and down to the edge of the forest keeping right along the track back to Baldwins Hill and house no. 47 opposite turning left along Baldwins Hill to the A121 road where I then walked left passed Goldings Hill Pond on my left hand side where I saw a turtle enjoying the sunshine.

Walks And Walking – Essex Walks Epping Forest Jacks Hill Walking Route – Turtle At Goldings Hill Ponds

I then walked right at house no. 2 on to a Gregsons Ride along the edge of the forest turning left to the road at Debden Green turning right passed The Mount keeping left just after Debden Green Road turning left at the end to Debden Lane turning left at Red Acres on to the bridleway in to Birch Wood. I continued to follow this track through the right hand side of the woodland to the Deer Sanctuary fence where I saw some Bucks fairly close by with the Does further away.

Walks And Walking – Essex Walks Epping Forest Jacks Hill Walking Route – Bucks At The Deer Sanctuary

I walked along this track to Birch Hall Farm following the track as it turns in to a drive to West Lodge and the B172 road turning right in to Theydon Bois passing Birch Hall on my right hand side and Sixteen String Jack Inn on my left hand side. I walked along this road passed the last house to an open space taking the middle path back in to the forest across the field to the edge of the forest walking right and then left to cross a footbridge over Genesis Slade keeping to the feint path to the right hand side of the forest with the boundaries of the house gardens on my right hand side climbing up to a fence on my right.

I then continued my walk straight ahead passed the edge of the golf course on my right hand side crossing a bridge and continuing along the wide path turning left at the next junction along the wide gravel track that undulated before passing Ambresbury Banks Fort on my right hand side keeping straight ahead back to the B172 and Jacks Hill opposite taking me 2.5 hours to cover 7 miles.

Walks And Walking – Essex Walks Epping Forest Jacks Hill Walking Route – Dad, You’re Going The Wrong Way Again!