Theydon Bois to Epping walk

15.5 km or a smidgen under 10 miles.

3 out of 10. Total ascent: 253 metres

This route was devised to be within easy reach of Central London and independent of Network Rail. Those of you who knew Stephen Backes may be interested to know the walk passes near to his final resting place in the GreenAcres woodland. There’s a spur track on the GPS files that will guide you to his grave if you wish to visit. A visit will add about 2.2km to the walk length.

Allow 4 to 5 hours to do the full walk or about 3 hours if you intend to leave the walk at North Weald. Add an hour or so for lunch and another 40 minutes if stopping for a late afternoon thirst quencher at the 📍 Theydon Oak

Please note this walk route is GPS led so you will need to follow the GPX or KML routes provided. I can recommend GPX Viewer Pro (£6.50 for all your devices forever) ThIs App has a good choice of maps including Google (Normal, Terrain and Satellite), OpenStreetMap and others.

In addition there are guidance notes below to complement the GPS files and keep you on track - enjoy the walk!

Some advisory notes

• There are three motorway crossings (two underpasses and one bridge). These crossings are at right-angles to the motorway direction and noise is fairly minimal but will depend on wind direction.

• The first section of the walk crosses some marshland so boots are recommended.

• Some of the boardwalks at the beginning of the walk are a little rotten in places

• About 3km of the walk is on quiet tarmac roads, but there are grassy verges alongside.

Getting there : Catch a Central Tube eastbound to Epping from a Central Line Station most convenient to you. Journey time from Liverpool Street is about 40 minutes, Stratford, about 30 minutes. Alight at Theydon Bois

Meeting point : Theydon Bois underground station or the nearby 📍 Brick Lane Bagel Co. Cafe

Tickets : Oyster, Travelcard, Freedom pass (Zone 6, plus any other zones you need to travel through)

Getting back : Catch a Central Line Tube from Epping

You may find the history of Theydon Bois at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theydon_Bois and that of Theydon Garnon at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theydon_Garnon

The Roman Road the walk takes after Theydon Garnon is part of a route between Dunmow and London. It is initially just a track bounded by hedgerows, ditches and trees - almost tunnel like - imagine the stories it could tell.

Tawney Common or Woodhatch further along is a delightful hamlet with a population circa 40 and has been exclusively devoted to farming, apart from the Moletrap Pub and Restaurant. The Epping Ongar Railway was used by London Transport (Central Line) up to 1994. It is now managed by the Epping Ongar Enthusiasts and you may find the full history at https://www.eorailway.co.uk/the-railway/history/

After the walk, please leave a comment, it really helps. Thanks!

You can also upload photos to the SWC Group on Flickr (upload your photos) and videos to Youtube. This walk's tags are:

National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Traveline (bus times): 0871 200 22 33 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234

Feb-24 Mike Atkinson