Today I want to share my guide to walking the Oak Trail in Epping Forest. This country walk in Essex is so close to London you can get there on the tube. But once you’ve reached Theydon Bois, you feel like you’re a million miles from the UK capital. With pretty villages, enchanting woodland, scenic views, and a deer sanctuary, this circular route is one of the best walks in Epping Forest. I’ve included a map, too.
Oak Trail in Epping Forest
Epping Forest is a former royal forest on the border of Essex and Greater London. This ancient woodland is home to everything from grassland to heath, rivers, ponds, and wildlife.
Epping forest offers 176 miles (284 kilometers) of walking paths and nature trails across its 8,000 acres (3,237 hectares) of land.
Among them are nine Essex circular walks near London that feature waymarked trails with signposts that make it easy to follow the routes.
From the Beech Trail to the Chestnut Trail, they range from short walks to longer country rambles. They’re some of the best Essex walks near London.
Today I’m off to walk the Oak Trail in Epping Forest with a friend and her dog. At 6.6 miles (10.6 kilometers), it’s the longest of the nine walks.
The route covers an undulating trail that includes farm tracks, roads, and wide footpaths in the north of the forest and its surrounding buffer land. It goes around the ancient earthworks of Ambresbury Banks and past the Epping Forest Deer Sanctuary.
The Oak Trail walk takes around 3 to 4 hours, and there are pubs and cafes in places like Bell Common in Epping that make for perfect rest stops and lunch places.
How to Get to the Oak Trail
It’s easy to get from London to Epping Forest. You can take the Central line of the London Underground to Theydon Bois tube station, which is in Zone 6. Depending where you leave the city, the trip can take less than 30 minutes.
Once at Theydon Bois, it’s a quick walk to the start of the Oak Trail in Epping Forest. Leaving the station, turn right onto Station Approach, walk past the local pubs and restaurants, and take a right on Forest Drive.
At the end of Forest Drive you’ll find a path marked “Public Footpath” to the left of a big metal gate. The Oak Trail walk starts here, and from this point there are wooden posts with yellow arrows marking the way.
Oak Trail in Epping Forest Walking Route
The route of the Oak Trail walk starts as you leave the residential area and walk between a fence and a stream to get to a sloping hill with an eye-catching dead tree at the top.
Once at the tree, it’s worth turning around to take in the views of Theydon Bois below.
From the tree, the route continues down a dirt road with tractor tracks. It then turns right in a pasture alongside horses and kissing gates before it curves and crosses a footbridge over the M25 motorway.
The bridge will take you to a path through a field that leads to Ivy Chimneys Road on the edge of Epping.
After turning left and taking a short walk along the road, you’ll turn right at the end of a playground to get to another field. There’s a wooded area with lots of paths here, so make sure to follow the signposts if you don’t want to get lost.
The Oak Trail continues through this wooded area to the High Road leading to Bell Common. There are pretty houses, cafes, and pubs around the common, making it a good resting point.
Leaving Bell Common, the Oak Trail in Epping Forest will take you through more woods and along the grounds of the Bell Common Cricket Club to get to the heart of the ancient woodland.
Once in the forest, you’ll spend a long time walking on wide paths under tall trees through Epping Thicks and Ambresbury Banks.
Ambresbury Banks is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. This Iron Age earthwork is believed to have been built in the mid-1st millennium BC.
Eventually you’ll cross a road and walk through Jack’s Hill Car Park before continuing the Oak Trail walk through Jack’s Hill Plain, Hatgate Plain, and Birch Wood.
After Birch Wood, you’ll walk up a hill and find yourself on the edge of the Deer Sanctuary in Epping Forest. Established in 1959 to protect the woodland’s fallow deer population, it’s a great place to spot the animals through the fence.
When you come to the end of the Deer Sanctuary, the Oak Trail in Epping Forest continues along a narrow road lined with houses, then crosses over another road and leads into areas with woods and meadows in Genesis Slade.
Eventually you’ll come out onto Coppice Row, a road that will take you along Theydon Green and back to the Theydon Bois tube station. There are more pubs and cafes here, so you can stop if you want to before finishing the Oak Trail walk.
Epping Forest Oak Trail Map
If you want to do this walk, you can find an Epping Forest Oak Trail map here. There are more detailed ordnance maps with the route online, too.
You can also get the ordnance survey map OS Explorer 174 – Epping Forest & Lea Valley if you want an official map of the Oak Trail.
Oak Trail in Epping Forest
I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at the Oak Trail in Epping Forest. It’s an easy way to escape the city and get some exercise while you’re at it.
If you want more inspiration, my blog posts about country walks near London and country walks in the UK can help.
You can also find more country walks in England in the book Time Out Country Walks: 52 Walks Near London. You can get it here. Happy walking!
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