Towns

Buckhurst Hill, home to fashion and café culture in a Victorian setting on the edge of the forest, welcomes Londoners to Essex.

Epping is a marketing town sitting on the northern edge of Epping Forest and on the end of the Central Line. Alight here for food and drink and shopping, or to discover the forest.

Loughton sits alongside Epping Forest and makes an ideal starting or finishing point for exploration with its cafes and restaurants and Central Line station.

Ongar can trace its history back to Saxon times and its ancient streets today still portray the layout of the Norman town complete with castle motte. Surrounded by countryside and crossed by the Essex Way, Ongar is the ideal place to stop, relax and explore. Visit the world’s oldest wooden church at nearby Greensted or take a journey by steam on the Epping Ongar Railway, or head down the road to Kelvedon Hatch and the Secret Nuclear Bunker. If you’re interested in fine dining, and especially fish, Smiths will be at the top of your list. If arts are your thing, check out what’s on offer at Zinc Arts Centre.

Waltham Abbey is a traditional market town steeped in history with Royal connections and an impressive church and abbey grounds at its centre. Its connections to King Harold, who founded the monastery and is reputedly buried in its grounds, are celebrated every year alongside a calendar of other festivals and events. Visitors are spoilt for choice with nearby attractions including the Royal Gunpowder Mills, Copped Hall, Lee Valley Park Farms and the Olympic White Water Centre. The town is surrounded on all sides by accessible countryside including nature reserves, parks and forest where a diverse range of activities and attractions are available for all to enjoy.