Trees

Epping Forest – Sunday 10 November 2024

It’s autumn in the UK and while Epping Forest doesn’t have the autumnal colour ‘wow factor’ that many other forests do, there is still plenty of change going on and it’s my favourite time of year to visit. Today was particularly good as we are a week into an even thin blanket of high grey cloud and there is almost no wind. These are good conditions for photography, though I would have liked it to be a little warmer. Until last week, this autumn has been quite mild, with temperatures, in the UK’s south at least, a couple of degrees above normal. It was a bit of a shock when the temperature dropped mid-week to what is the seasonal average. It was finally time to dig out and blow the dust off the warmer jackets.

I was surprised to find the forest so busy; I don’t visit as much as I used to. Pre-Covid, which was the last time I went to the Loughton Camp area, I could easily be there for a couple of hours and only a small number of other people. I guess it’s a good thing that more people are taking the opportunity to take family to the forest, but so much for relative peace and quiet. I should have put my head-phones on to drown the constant calling to errant dogs, but the forest has traditionally been the one place I don’t need to have music going to block out the world. Next time I will try and get there earlier in the day.

I had planned to spend a couple of hours walking and managed to fill that time easily enough and other than the dog-callers I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I will go back again another time this winter, if I can fit it into what looks to be a very busy schedule.

I chose Loughton Camp as, apart from being one of my favourite sections of forest, it’s easy to get to. Loughton is four stops up the Central Line from me and the ‘camp’ is less than a thirty-minute walk from the station. Loughton Camp is the site of an Iron Age encampment/village, potentially lived in by Boudicca as she led the resistance against Roman occupation. The site is just earthen mounds, banks and pits, there are no remains of ancient buildings or stone tombs or anything that shouts ‘ancient site’ but it’s a lovely clear section of beech forest and in the autumn it’ glorious, and it is 2000 years old.

I must admit to having to get my phone out (I didn’t lose it this time) to check the direction to Lost Pond, not that either I or the pond were particularly lost. I used to come here so much back before the pandemic that I knew my way around quite well, the forest has changed a lot in the intervening years. I was uncertain of which direction was which, and this was not helped by that flat grey sky. Everything seemed so different.

I should have just read the trees.

Lost Pond was very busy, and obviously no longer lost. I had to wait for 15 minutes to get a photo of this 1000 year old pollarded and copparded beech, which is just off the bank of this small and dark pond. It is my second favourite tree in the forest. There were kids climbing on it and well I’m not going to be pointing my camera at kids in a forest.

After visiting the old beech it was time to bush crash my way down the hill to the road, and back to Loughton Station and the westbound train towards home. Next visit I will give myself more time and hope to walk most of the way home through the forest.