Welcome to Capital Walkers, the friendly London Ramblers group for people aged 40+. We walk every weekend and usually at least once during the week.
Karen H.
A brisk and varied walk through forest, farmlands and parks.
The Crown gifted Epping Forest to the City of London Corporation in 1878 with the requirement that it was to preserve the forest in its natural state, maintaining it as an open space for the "use and enjoyment of my people for all time," and protecting its ancient wood-pasture. It was also required to acquire "Buffer Lands" to act as a buffer against urban development. There are now over 1800 acres of Buffer Lands, mostly farms, but including some estates and parks.
We will start from Theydon Bois underground station and walk through Epping Forest to the Copped Hall Estate which was acquired by The City of London Corporation in 1992. The main house still stands as a shell following a fire in 1917 and further destruction as part of an army training exercise in the 1960's. The House is slowly being restored and there are events and tours, which are well worth attending https://www.coppedhalltrust.org.uk/services?view=article&id=261&catid=29.
We will then loop up through farmland and back down through Warlies Park Estate, which was acquired by The City of London Corporation in 1986, arriving in Upshire at the Horseshoe Pub for a late lunch.
The postprandial section of the walk will be shorter as we walk back through the forest to Theydon Bois station.
There are few drop out points on this walk. There is a bus from Upshire where we will be stopping for lunch, but it only runs once an hour.
Toilets are available at Theydon Bois station. The men's is on the southbound platform and the women's is on the left after you go through the gates. Other than that there are toilets at the lunch stop and lots of bushes.
There is one stile.
The finishing time is an estimate only and will be dependent on a number of factors such as weather, the speed at which the group walks and the number of breaks taken or unforeseen diversion due to paths closure.
No booking required.
Theydon Bois underground station is on the Central Line in Zone 6. Be careful to get the train that is going to Epping rather than the branch that goes to Hainault. Meet by the ticket barriers at Theydon Bois station.
