Connect Epping with Slow Ways

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Epping

Essex


Slow Ways linking Epping and Cheshunt, Chipping Ongar, Harlow, Hoddesdon, Loughton, Stapleford Abbots, Waltham Abbey

England / Essex / Epping

Epping’s seven Slow Ways are 50% checked

Drawn: 7/7
reviewed: 7/7
verified: 2/7
and surveyed: 0/7

Help connect Epping

Many Slow Ways have several route options. Some will be better than others, or good for different reasons.

Our goal is for each Slow Way to have at least one route that is verified and surveyed. To be verified – and get its snail badge – a route needs at least three positive reviews.

Give a hike and help get a for every one of Epping’s Slow Ways.

Walk to Epping from further afield

Slow Way Route To do
Cheshunt—Epping
Cheepp one Pioneer me Distance 14km/9mi Ascent 154m Descent 210m
Cheshunt—Epping
Cheepp two

Double check Distance 13km/8mi Ascent 133m Descent 189m
Epping—Chipping Ongar
Eppchi one Survey me Distance 12km/8mi Ascent 118m Descent 145m
Epping—Stapleford Abbots
Eppstap one Pioneer me Distance 9km/6mi Ascent - Descent -
Epping—Stapleford Abbots
Eppstap two Review me Distance 9km/6mi Ascent - Descent -
Harlow—Epping
Harepp one

Double check Distance 13km/8mi Ascent 138m Descent 178m
Harlow—Epping
Harepp two Verify me Distance 14km/8mi Ascent - Descent -
Hoddesdon—Epping
Hodepp two

Double check Distance 16km/10mi Ascent 242m Descent 207m
Hoddesdon—Epping
Hodepp three Review me Distance 17km/11mi Ascent - Descent -
Loughton—Epping
Louepp one Review me Distance 9km/5mi Ascent 82m Descent 135m
Loughton—Epping
Louepp two

Survey me Distance 9km/6mi Ascent - Descent -
Loughton—Epping
Louepp three Survey me Distance 9km/6mi Ascent - Descent -
Waltham Abbey—Epping
Walepp one

Double check Distance 10km/6mi Ascent 100m Descent 160m
Waltham Abbey—Epping
Walepp two

Review me Distance 10km/6mi Ascent - Descent -

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Collective progress

55% of Epping’s seven route options are drawn, reviewed, surveyed and/or verified

14/14

drawn

12/14

reviewed

2/14

surveyed

3/14

verified

14 people have contributed to Epping’s Slow Ways

3 people have pledged to walk and review a route

2 people have surveyed a route in Epping

143km out of 166km have been walked and reviewed

265km of reviews have been shared in Epping

Latest Updates

Strider surveyed Hodepp three

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From Epping station there's a path around the car park to suburban streets then onto the common. The highest point at Harold's Park Farm has great views, but there are many along this route. A small path behind some containers leads once again to a mix of roads, farm paths and tracks to the Lea Valley wetlands with good paths and tow paths. This is a very varied walk, great hill top views on good farm tracks, to wet wooded valley bottoms....

Strider

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Hoddesdon—Epping

Strider added Hodepp three, a new walk from Hoddesdon to Epping

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Many of the paths are blocked by; floods, trees, earthworks, overgrowth, ploughing. But it is essentially a good walk. I have created Hodepp Three to over come these problems....

Strider

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Then over fields and around field edges and past the end of an aerodrome. An invisible path across a field (bearing 310) takes you to Patch Park, a small industrial estate, then past Mayhem paintball with a yellow tank. There is a tunnel under the M11 after which the path becomes indistinct, head uphill and slightly right to a gap where a track takes you down to another tunnel under the M25....

Strider

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Epping—Stapleford Abbots

Strider added Eppstap two, a new walk from Epping to Stapleford Abbots

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Epping—Stapleford Abbots

Slow Ways Cristie added Eppstap one, a new walk from Epping to Stapleford Abbots

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It's almost the same, but the line is only a rough match to the paths so it's harder to follow and also goes along a path that is blocked, east of Horseshoe Hill....

Daisy C

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I'm flagging the route for Access issues, see below, but hopefully it will be cleared by Essex County Council fairly soon. Difficult to see as A turn in the path means it's camouflaged plus no light though hedge. I've let the county council know about the blockage and the lack of sign on Sergeant's Green Lane....

Daisy C

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porcovolente took this photo on Harepp two

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The first half of the route runs through Harlow but, apart from the short stretch around the bus station, is not at all urban being mostly through green areas and some low rise suburban residential streets. You are walking into oncoming traffic on a nominal pavement which is a white line painted on the road about a foot from a wall in places and it is hard to see traffic coming as it is obscured by the wall. When you reach the High Street in Epping there are plenty of places to get food and drink but not when you get to the underground station at the end of the route (there is sometimes a kiosk open)....

porcovolente

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After crossing the motorway you can turn immediately left or go straight ahead but whichever path you take gps will show you drifting off the route. As remarked by another reviewer it is definitely a long trousers route as parts can be quite overgrown (very thistley when I walked) and although most parts of the route were dry and firm there were many indications that after wet weather they could be very muddy so I would recommend good boots in wet conditions....

porcovolente

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Run this route 2 or 3 times a week, its part of the essex way, very well sign posted, little over grown at the moment in parts so would recommend trousers rather than shorts, very quiet, hardly ever see other walkers on parts of the route and a few good pubs on the route if your taking it slow Nice mixture of forests and farmers fields There is a bus that will take you back to the start but can be unreliable, only comes once an hour and very rarely on time...

Gavin P

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porcovolente took this photo on Cheepp two

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When you turn off the lane the path becomes confusing, you have to walk down what looks like a dead-end between buildings and then through back gardens, waste ground and around the edge of greenhouses before finding a public footpath sign at the edge of a field. Around the B1393 High Road the route becomes unclear again and where it suggests a crossing we didn’t think was safe so walked along until oppsite the cricket club before attempting to cross what is a very busy road – you might want to continue further and cross at traffic lights since the walk then follows a path alongside the road for a while before cutting down through woodland towards Epping. The footpath leading to Epping station has a flight of uneven concrete steps so if you want to avoid those you would need to continue a bit further along the road and double back along Station Road....

porcovolente

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Slow Ways Darren took this photo on Louepp three

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Fred and Dougs cafe in Epping had amazing cakes, great coffee and a warm welcome....

Slow Ways Darren

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I walked this from Loughton to Epping in the snow on 17/12/2022, it was a really lovely walk and still easy enough to follow through the forest especially once you reached the bridleway. The roads at either end were icy in places though. Easy access to the Central Line at each end as well as shops to get some supplies for the walk....

Dan Barron

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Excellent route, making the most of Epping Forest and a fantastic way to approach London if walking from Epping towards Loughton....

Jane Taylor

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From Epping station there is a little uphill, and after walking along some residential streets for a little, the route takes you through a lovely wood, some open fields, and then along a foot path well away set from a road. On the other side of some woods, the route then continues along a road (with annoying pavement parked cars near the church), before going through a lovely wood....

Derick Rethans

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Derick Rethans took this photo on Walepp two

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Waltham Abbey—Epping

Derick Rethans added Walepp two, a new walk from Waltham Abbey to Epping

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This is a good route, but in places hard to follow and inaccurate. I'm therefore uploading Walepp Two, which has these fixed....

Derick Rethans

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Finding the correct path both when you enter and leave Epping Forest isn’t completely obvious but not really enough warrant a remapping of the route....

LondonIn360

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LondonIn360 took this photo on Louepp two

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This route is good, but the ways in and out of Epping Forest aren't quite plotted accurately. I would agree it's not worth adding another route option to fix, except one already exists! Definitely recommend following Louepp three, which is accurately plotted in the places where this one is not....

mtormey

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The route itself is easy to follow - almost all of it is along the main broad walkway through the forest - and straightforward....

mtormey

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I wandered off the route on one or two occasions but easily found my way back - in places, there are intersecting paths. A very enjoyable route on a summer's day, large parts of which are on a wide and shaded forest path....

John Scott

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Loughton—Epping

Liz R added Louepp three, a new walk from Loughton to Epping

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Harlow—Epping

Derick Rethans added Harepp two, a new walk from Harlow to Epping

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I've therefore uploaded a new route (Harepp 2) which fixes these issues....

Derick Rethans

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There is then a section through the town, with some parks in between that were rather busy on my sunny day....

Derick Rethans

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It mostly follows the "Green Ride" in Epping Forest, and it was not muddy at all....

Derick Rethans

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Derick Rethans took this photo on Louepp two

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I had difficulty getting the route file to open and so have created a new GPS file on LOUEPP3 and added more information about the route there, as I walk it frequently....

Liz R

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Loughton—Epping

Strider added Louepp two, a new walk from Loughton to Epping

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Loughton to Theydon Bois is easy to follow, mainly pavements along often busy suburban roads....

Harriet

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Tested route from North Weald to Ongar and that is footpath almost all the way across fields and through woodland, except for Toot Hill where you walk a little way through the village. Need to keep an eye on the route in a few places as there are a few areas where the footpath is not well signposted (e.g. Toot Hill towards Ongar turn right at the house on the corner over a little metal bridge). Easy, accessible route with only one large uphill section....

Partas

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Hoddesdon—Epping

Tony Parsons added Hodepp two, a new walk from Hoddesdon to Epping

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Cheshunt—Epping

Slow Ways added Cheepp one, a new walk from Cheshunt to Epping

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Cheshunt—Epping

Slow Ways added Cheepp two, a new walk from Cheshunt to Epping

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Epping—Chipping Ongar

Slow Ways added Eppchi one, a new walk from Epping to Chipping Ongar

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Harlow—Epping

Slow Ways added Harepp one, a new walk from Harlow to Epping

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Loughton—Epping

Slow Ways added Louepp one, a new walk from Loughton to Epping

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Waltham Abbey—Epping

Slow Ways added Walepp one, a new walk from Waltham Abbey to Epping

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1

Epping, Thu 28 March

10°

Light rain

Epping’s Slow Ways starting point

Grid ref

TL4619301556

Lat / Lon

51.69373° / 0.11380°

Easting / Northing

546,193E / 201,556N

Fancy stretching your legs a bit more?

If you’ve polished off all of the routes between Epping and its neighbours, how about walking its whole web?

This includes the great ring of routes that join its neighbours to each other!

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