Essex, Gtr London
24 km / 15 miles
(click to enlarge)
This route is a variant route of the Epping Forest Centenary Walk and dubbed the Epping Forest Traverse Walk here on the LDWA website. The two routes are very similar. The options on the mapping panel below allow the routes to be compared.
The Centenary Walk itself is an old route dating from 1978 not previously covered in Strider or the LDWA website but included in an earlier LDWA LDPs Handbook. It has always been shown on OS Explorer mapping. It marked the centenary in 1978 of the Epping Forest Act of 1878, which preserved this remnant of the Great Forest of Waltham from development.
From Manor Park on the urban fringes, the Centenary Walk heads north through a narrow strip of forest to Leytonstone, Highams Park, and the outskirts of Chingford. From here the route becomes more undulating and tree-covered as it passes Connaught Water and High Beach Conservation Centre to reach Epping. From Epping the Centenary Walk first provides a link to the Forest Way and then heads into suburban east London, mostly on green corridors.
The original Centenary Walk route was developed by Fred Matthews and Harry Bitten and published in 1978, with an updated edition in 1992. Matthews and Bitten, then members of West Essex Ramblers, between them created much of the LDP network in Essex. While its original publication may be obtainable as a download and is interesting historically, walkers may prefer to follow an up-to-date description, albeit with some variations.
This Traverse Walk is an up-to-date (2019) description of a very similar walk included in the Essex Cicerone guidebook by Peter Aylmer listed below. This Traverse Walk route includes variations by Peter Aylmer on the original Centenary Walk, some reflecting changes to the Forest itself.
Details:
Path Type: |
Other Paths |
Attributes: |
Average Gradients Forest/Woodland Urban |
Start: |
TQ420857 -
Manor Park Station, Gtr London
|
Finish: |
TL462016 -
Epping Station, Essex
|
Open Date: |
2019 |
Web Sites: |
Trailman - Epping Forest [blog]
|