Blow away your Christmas cobwebs

8:58am Thursday 22nd December 2005

Walk 100 - Earl's Path Pond - Epping Forest 3 or 5 miles.

Len Banister's 100th is a real Christmas cracker
For the landmark 100th walk published in this paper, I have chosen a walk which can be accessed by public transport and which, although it contains a little excitement, is relatively easy to follow.

In fact the whole walk is based on a leaflet produced by Epping Forest Information Centre so it seems only right that I should include a visit to this wonderful resource.

You can arrive at the start of the walk by bus, train or car. The walk begins by Earl's Path Pond, one of several which resulted from gravel removal in the late 19th century.

We immediately start off along a ride' these are wide surfaced paths which are specially designed to reduce the damage that horse riding can do to forest tracks.

Following rides is a good way of becoming acquainted with the Forest but it is much more interesting, when you have the confidence to follow the network of narrow paths which literally take you off the beaten track.

Early on in the walk we take one of these paths and follow the edge of a stream. It is quite astonishing how beautiful and peaceful the forest seems from here.

Unfortunately we, all too soon, have to cross a rather noisy road before eventually visiting the Epping Forest Information Centre.

Don't miss the chance to visit this interesting and well resourced centre.

You can buy its series of walks leaflets, including this one. Why not enjoy this walk over the Christmas break?

1. If you start from the Station.
Walk away from the station and take the right fork in the road just before Sainsbury's to walk along Station Road to the High Road. Cross over and continue along Forest Road, with the police station on your left.

Keep walking up the road (now Earl's Path), ignoring side roads until you reach Earl's Path Pond on the left. If you were coming by car you could start from the small car park here.

2. 1 mile/ 1.6km
Cross the road opposite the pond with care and pass the barrier to start walking along Green Ride. (Apparently this ride was originally called Victoria's Ride because it was constructed to commemorate the Queen's visit in 1882 when she formally declared the Forest open).

Go steeply downhill, at the bottom you will see the fascinatingly twisting course of the Loughton Brook on your right.

The ride rises slightly, then descends to a second dip at the bottom of which, on the right, is a semi-circular brick bridge.

3. 1.2 miles/1.9km
Immediately past the bridge turn left on a narrow, and what can be a muddy, path which runs to the right of a stream. Continue ahead, slightly left to a clearing called Debden Slade.

As you cross this grassy glade you will be joined by a path coming in from the left.

You will rejoin the edge of the stream which you cross at a plank bridge on the left. Now walk uphill on a quite delightful section keeping the stream in a small valley to your right.

Just before the stream swings to the left you will see a bridge, ignore this but cross the one ahead a few metres later. Walk uphill towards the noise of traffic.

4. 2.2 miles/3.5km
If you have emerged in the correct place you will be able to cross the road, with care, to enter the woodland again and walk forward a few meters to reach a ride on which you go right.

As you will quickly discover, this is appropriately called the Up and Down Ride'.

Follow this rollercoaster for about a quarter of a mile, ignoring all other paths, until you come to a cross roads with notices prohibiting horse riders from using the paths on right and left. Go left here on an access route designed specifically for wheel chairs.

When you reach T-junction go left. At the end of the path you will emerge at the car park for the Epping Forest Information Centre the centre itself is over to the left.

Hopefully, by the time you read this, the toilets at the far end of the large car park will have reopened.

5. 2.5 miles/4.1km
Once you have visited the information centre it is necessary for you to retrace your steps.

Rejoin the access path and go right at the first junction and right again when you reach the ride. Eventually you come to a junction of paths with five or six trees in the middle. Here you turn left to follow the ride to the road.

6. 2.8 miles/4.4km
Cross over going on a ride to the right of the car park.

Follow this sandy path through Little Monk Wood (so called because monks from Waltham Abbey started collecting wood there in 11C).

After about a quarter of a mile you will reach Green Ride on which you go right. Eventually you will come to the brick bridge where you turned off earlier this time carry straight on climbing up to Earl's Path Road to return to your car or go left to walk downhill to Loughton and the station.

Walker's notebook
Starting Point/Parking:
It is assumed that you will start from Loughton Station but, if you come by car, you could shorten the walk by two miles by starting from the Earle's Path Pond car park. This is a small path on the Earl's Path road which runs between the Robin Hood roundabout and Loughton High Road.

Distance:
5.3 miles/8.4km if you start from the station or 3.3 miles/5.3km if you start from the Earl's Path Pond.

Time:
2 to 3 hours (depending on how long you spend at the information centre.

Terrain:
muddy in places but mainly good paths with some fairly steep (for Essex) climbs.

Stiles:
none.

Near:
Loughton.

Refreshments:
pubs, cafes and restaurants in Loughton. A pub and tea hut at High Beach.

Public Toilets:
Loughton Station and (hopefully) at High Beech.

Public Transport:
The walk starts from Loughton Station which is on the Central line, there are also regular bus services from Walthamstow to the High Road.

Map and Grid Reference:
As it has a larger scale, 1:20000, The Epping Forest map published by the Corporation of London is by far the best map to use for forest outings.

Otherwise use Explorer 174. The grid reference for the station is 423957 that for the Earl's Path Pond car park is 415967.

More Information:
This walk is based on a series of walks leaflets produced by the Epping Forest Information Centre. For more information call 020 8508 0028