Chingford Epping Forest Walk
This area of East London is a nice place to start a few walks with the train station the terminus of a line from Liverpool Street station. Epping Forest is right next to the town and there's also some nice walks along the River Lea to the west.
This walk from Chingford uses part of the Epping Forest Centenary Walk to explore some of the walking highlights of the area. On the route you'll visit Connaught Water, Highhams Park and Wanstead Flats.
The walk starts from Chingford train station and heads east past Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge. This Grade II listed former hunting lodge, is now a museum, on the edge of Epping Forest. It was built in 1543 for King Henry VIII and now provides an insight into Tudor history in the area.
From the lodge you head north west to visit Magpie Hill and Connaught Water. This pretty lake has a nice trail to follow around the perimeter where you can look out for a variety of wildlife on the water.
After rounding the little lake you head south to Warren Pond with views of the River Ching on the way. It is notable as the river that gives Chingford its name. After a couple of miles you will come to The Highams Park where there is a boating lake surrounded by trees. It's another peaceful and pleasant spot on the trail.
The trail continues south passing the Rodney Smith memorial and Hollow Pond before coming to Wanstead Flats. The Flats are a lovely place for a stroll with open grassland, wildflowers and a lovely pond to enjoy. After exploring the Flats you can return to Chingford on the same paths.
Chingford Ordnance Survey Map 
- view and print off detailed OS map
Chingford Open Street Map 
- view and print off detailed map
Chingford OS Map 
- Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking
Chingford Open Street Map 
- Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking
Further Information and Other Local Ideas
Chingford is on the London Loop so you can extend your walking on this long distance waymarked trail. If you were to follow it east it would take you to Chigwell and Hainault Forest Country Park. This park has miles of woodland trails for walkers and cyclists.
Head west and you can pick up the Lea Valley Walk and enjoy a riverside walk along the Tottenham Marshes and the
Walthamstow Reservoirs.
The circular Theydon Bois Oak Trail can be picked up on the eastern side of the forest at Theydon Bois underground station. The challenging trail visits Ambresbury Banks Iron Age Fort and a Deer Sanctuary near the village.
The circular walk from Loughton explores the area from the nearby town's London Underground station. It's an attractive place worthy of exploration with dozens of historic listed buildings and three conservation areas. The route also visits the Roding Valley Meadows nature reserve on the River Roding.
For more walking ideas in the area see the Greater London Walks page.
Cycle Routes and Walking Routes Nearby
Photos
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A view looking north up Chingford Mount (Old Church Road). At the top of the picture on the left can be seen the tower of All Saints Church known locally as the "Old Church" from which the road gets its name.
Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge. Actually built for Henry VIII. This is the view from the north, taken from the route of the London Loop.
Butler's Retreat. This was originally a farm building, but it began providing refreshments for visitors to Epping Forest at the end of the 19th century - run by the Butler family who continued to do this until the 1970s. It was still a restaurant until recently but the business folded and now refreshments are served from the adjacent kiosk.
The View from Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge, looking north across Chingford Plain. Taken from inside the hunting lodge. There would have been stag hunting happening on Chingford Plain when the hunting lodge was in use 400 odd years ago.
Waterlilies and Coots on Connaught Water
Highams Park Boating Lake
Gipsy Rodney Smith memorial. Carved lump of granite - about 1 metre tall, commemorating the birthplace in a tent of the evangelist Gipsy Rodney Smith MBE. He died on board the Queen Mary in 1947 and his funeral was in New York. Text reads... who preached the Gospel of Christ to thousands on five continents for seventy years was born here on 31 March 1860 and called home journeying to America on 4 August 1947.
