Welcome to Epping Forest District

Welcome to our district, an area that includes cosmopolitan towns in the south and rural villages and hamlets in the north. Bordering London, the twin green swaths of Epping Forest and the Lee Valley provide natural routes into the district and access to its history and heritage as well as shopping and café culture. We are also easily accessible via eight tube stations on the Central Line plus four junctions on the M11 and M25 motorways.

Summer is here and all the district's events and attractions are in full swing. Check out the events listing to discover traditional fairs and country shows in our towns and villages. Its also time for families to enjoy the sun and get into our beautiful countryside. So much is accessible and free whether its following one of our many paths, exploring our history and heritage, or just relaxing with a picnic beside a river or lake.

Those exploring further into our district will find unspoilt countryside with delightful towns, villages and hamlets plus hidden treasures, such as the oldest wooden church in the world, the CAMRA pub of Essex, the place they made the nation's gunpowder and explosives, and the closest heritage steam railway to the Capital – plus a whole lot more.

Explore this website and discover more information about history and heritage, events and attractions, fine food and drink and places to explore, stay and relax. Also discover more about the district, its history and heritage and, under Ideas & Inspiration, the good and the famous.

Epping Forest forms a direct green link between London and rural Essex and lends its name to a market town and surrounding district that never fails to surprise and delight visitors who discover its many attractions. And all just a walk, ride or tube journey away from the Capital.

Immersed in history, the ancient market town of Waltham Abbey is the last resting place of King Harold and home to the District Museum where you can learn about the district's rich heritage, and the Royal Gunpowder Mills were you can discover the secret history of gunpowder production and rocket development.

Just a few minutes away, the world class Lee Valley White Water Centre offers adrenaline-pumping white water adventure. Alternatively, for a gentler taste of the outdoors, head for Epping Forest, with ancient trees, sunlit glades and a host of events throughout the year. Visit Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge or explore the remains of two large Iron Age forts.

Alternatively, enjoy English countryside at its best along the Essex Way which begins right outside Epping Station at the end of the Central Line. Lee Valley Regional Park, running along the western edge of the Epping Forest district, offers much to the leisure visitor and Lee Valley Park Farms plus Ashlyns Farm at North Weald are popular family days out.

Just outside Ongar, Greensted’s 11^th Century Church is famed as the oldest wooden church in the world whilst at Copped Hall, Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream was first performed. Combine your visit with lunch in the leafy market towns of Epping or Ongar, two destinations linked by the Epping Ongar Heritage Railway, who can take you even further on one of their classic double-decker buses.

Bargain hunters head for North Weald Airfield, host to a weekly outdoor market held Saturdays and Bank Holidays on a former Battle of Britain site, still active today with historic aircraft in the skies and events throughout the year. The Airfield Museum is another must-see for enthusiasts. For the ultimate retail therapy, especially if bling’s your thing, head for Loughton and Buckhurst Hill where you’ll find shops full of the fashion and designer goods that inspired the TOWIE look. You’ll also find plenty of café’s and bars to relax and admire your purchases or plan your evening at top night spots or fine dining in one of the district’s many acclaimed restaurants.

Make Epping Forest the centre for your stay and when you've exhausted the attractions of our district, explore further. London is the obvious magnet but there's also lots to see and do in neighbouring Broxbourne which shares a border with Epping Forest along the River Lee and the Lee Valley Park. To the north of the district is Harlow which offers shopping centres, cinema complexes, a theatre, museum and lots more.