Epping Forest Circular Walk

The group by Connaught Water15 members of the group meet at Loughton Station on Saturday 3rd June for a circular walk in Epping Forest. We headed into the forest at The Stubbles, with some lucky Mandarin ducklings getting fed with duck food on Strawberry Hill Pond.  We walked on to Connaught Waters, which we skirted around the north side, and then cut through the forest to pick up the Green Ride.  Seeing longhorn cattle grazing around the Three Bridges area, we continued on up through Hill Wood.  At the start of the Ups and Downs Ride, two sensible members took the flatter route to High Beech, and the rest of us got our cardio workouts on the ups and downs.  Lunch was enjoyed at High Beech in the sunshine; unfortunately the Bike Hut cafe had run out of ‘pasties’ and some disappointed members had to opt for other offerings. 

After our lunch break we continued our circular route via Mount Pleasant, passing by Loughton Camp and down the big hill. At the bottom we cut into the forest to pick up the Loughton Brook and onto the Staples Pond/Loughton Reservoir - now full of reeds and with no water currently visible, although the outlet on the other side of Staples Road was very pongy.  We finished the walk down Forest Road and Station Road to Loughton Station.  An enjoyable 6.5 mile walk by my pedometer, the weather had been splendid throughout, with sunshine and scudding clouds and a nice cool breeze - very nice for walking.

Sue S.  3rd June 2023