A Loughton Circular Walk

I'd never been to Loughton and when the opportunity for a walk through Epping Forest with some of my good walking buddies came up I couldn't refuse. We estimated that it would be about ten miles and with the weather looking good, if a little hot, we arranged to meet at Loughton Station. I'd been through part of the forest before on the LOOP when it passed through Chingford and Buckhurst Hill.

The Route - More or Less

Heading from Loughton Station, which is the third of the name to be built - it seems to have moved about quite a bit, though only the latest, built in 1940 was built for the London Underground. It has particularly attractive gull-wing platform awnings but other than that it isn't anything to write a blog about. Head up Station Road past Lopping Hall (the site of the original station) which was built by the Corporation of London to compensate villagers for the loss of lopping rights in Epping Forest. It is an attractive building with a terracotta frieze showing people lopping branches above the door. Turn left down the high street, then right up Upper Park to Nursery Road, cross this and road and pass beside the nursery and enter the edge of Epping Forest. Turn right on a path heading towards Strawberry Hill ponds. It has to be said the route here is not clear until you find a gravel path leading through the forest.

We were surprised to see lots of small frogs or toads hopping across the gravel path - no more than a few centimetres long - a long journey for them across hostile terrain.

Odd Truncated Branches

Past the ponds you continue north eastwards until you meet and cross the A121 near a small car park. Continuing along the path on the other side of the road you head towards the earthworks at Ambresbury Banks but turn off sharp left before you reach them. The were several odd looking trees in this part of the forest, but as none of us had thought to bring an identification book with us - here is a picture instead.

Bracken Uncurling

There was a lot of bracken in the areas where the tree canopy was broken and the sunlight could stream down.

Heading north after crossing the B1393 you head up a quiet lane to the tall wrought iron gates and a pair of lodges. At first it wasn't clear how to get through till we spotted a small finger sign pointing to a sign gate that wasn't locked just stiff. The next section was a contrast to the earlier part of the walk as this was obviously a managed woodland with specimen trees laid out in an organised fashion. Carrying along the main path you start to notice the M25 for the first time, a constant drown of traffic noise which grows louder and louder until you cross it via a high level bridge.

The landscape changes instantly you cross the M25, becoming open rolling countryside and farmland on both sides of the track and before long you see the run down and ramshackle buildings of Copped Hall ahead on the right. They hold regular events, fund raising for repairs, but it appears to be almost impossible to get there other than by a bus that stops back at the lodge gates. That's fine in the summer but in the winter it might be harder to get people to turn up.

Borage Fields

Passing some rather nice cottages with well tended gardens you turn right past a pond then take a path diagonally across a field at the junction of two tracks (not easy to spot at first). This goes across a field of borage that was being ploughed in as a green manure. The drooping purple flowers and fluffy silver edged green leaves were a mass of fat bumble bees and the air was heavy with their buzzing.

The path, which is not clearly marked on the ground but aim at the yellow topped post on the far side leads into a track that climbs through a glorious meadow filled with wild flowers, bees and butterflies. 

Butterfly on Wild Flower

Bee on Wild Flower

The trail becomes a track that leads into the village of Copthall (note the change of spelling) Green and Upshire which has a fine village sign. Turning south along the Forest Way you recross the M25 by another high level bridge and you can just about see the one you came across earlier in the distance to your left.
You follow this clear path all the way to the High Beech Conservation Centre. Before you reach it there is a large car park where there is a large pub and a little bothy selling cold drinks and ice cream. We paused for a while to recharge our batteries before heading south back towards Loughton.It was a bit of a strain getting going again after sitting on a rather rickety wooden bollard but the pain in my hamstrings distracted me from my stiff knee.

Passing a finger post with a dispiriting "3 Miles to Loughton" indicator and plunging downhill past a pond and then up hill again we reached the outskirts of civilisation once more. This end of Loughton was very hilly and full of rather attractive properties. None too soon we reached the high street and our final destination, a slap up meal in Loch Fyne.

All in all a very pleasing walk with lots of variety and plenty to enjoy which probably turned out to be closer to twelve than ten miles. Well worth the effort.