← Back🌳 Broadleaved woodland

The Highams Park

✦ Ancient woodland18 ha

📷 Robin Webster · Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0

Plan your visit

WildlifeBirdsInsects

Public accessFree entryDogs welcome18 ha

Getting here

51.61296, 0.01070

Open directionsv

Google Maps↗Driving directions Apple Maps↗Driving directions Waze↗Live driving navigation Google Transit↗Bus, rail or tram Apple Transit↗Bus, rail or tram

Visiting this summer

Seasonal nature notes and what to look for now

🌞Midsummer — early morning visits most comfortable; look for deer fawns in quieter clearings
🐕Early mornings are best for dog walks in summer — visit before 9am to avoid the heat and find quieter trails
🛝Playground 266m away — built-in entertainment for younger visitors alongside the wider site

🌤️ Visiting this summer

🌞Midsummer — early morning visits most comfortable; look for deer fawns in quieter clearings
🐕Early mornings are best for dog walks in summer — visit before 9am to avoid the heat and find quieter trails
🛝Playground 266m away — built-in entertainment for younger visitors alongside the wider site

Good to know

£Free to visit — no entry charge
🐕Dogs welcome
🌿Ancient woodland — rare wildlife habitat

Bike parkingParkingPlayground

Best for

12 activities

Wildlife

Very strong match

Multi-group wildlife — Amphibians, Birds, Mammals; Multi-group wildlife — Amphibians, Birds, Mammals

Free

Bird watching

Very strong match

Birds — Pochard, Shoveler, Wigeon +55 more · last seen 2026; Birds — Pochard, Shoveler, Wigeon +55 more · last seen 2026

Free

Insect spotting

Strong match

Insects — Harlequin Ladybird, Closterotomus trivialis, Syrphus +94 more · last seen 2026; Insects — Harlequin Ladybird, Closterotomus trivialis, Syrphus +94 more · last seen 2026

Free

Dog walks

Strong match

Dogs allowed — public woodland

Free

Playgrounds

Strong match

playground, parking

Free

Seasonal nature

Strong match

Ancient woodland — bluebells, fungi and autumn colour

Free

Trails nearby

Within roughly 5 km

🚶

Walking

19 signed routes nearby

Signed route nearby

Public Right of Way 74Walking route

Named routeRef 74Local walking route

Epping Forest Big WalkWalking route

Named routeLocal walking route

London LOOP (Section 19)Walking route

Named routeRef LOOPRegional walking route

Beech TrailWalking route

Named routeLocal walking route

Capital Ring (Section 13)Walking route

Alternative step-free route in Springfield Park

Named routeRegional walking route

🚴

Cycling

120 signed routes nearby

Signed route nearby

Roding Valley WayCycling route

Named routeRef RVWPoint-to-pointLocal cycle route

Cycleway 26Cycling route

Named routeRef C26Regional cycle route

Route CCycling route

Named routeRef CRegional cycle route

Cycleway 25Cycling route

Named routeRef C25Regional cycle route

River Lea NavigationCycling route

Named routeLocal cycle route

Cycleway 1Cycling route

Named routeRef C1Regional cycle route

Wildlife to spot

50,208 records · National Biodiversity Network

Wildlife to spot

50,208 records · National Biodiversity Network

🐦

Birds32 species

winter

2026

Pochard · Shoveler · Wigeon · Black Redstart · Blue Tit +27

PochardAythya ferina
ShovelerSpatula clypeata
WigeonMareca penelope
Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros2025
Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
WoodpigeonColumba palumbus
JackdawColoeus monedula
MagpiePica pica2025
Carrion CrowCorvus corone2025
Great TitParus major
CootFulica atra
Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
MallardAnas platyrhynchos
MoorhenGallinula chloropus
StarlingSturnus vulgaris2025
RobinErithacus rubecula2025
Rock DoveColumba livia2025
Common GullLarus canus2025
Grey HeronArdea cinerea
Mute SwanCygnus olor
Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis
Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto2025
Herring GullLarus argentatus2025
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus2025
BlackbirdTurdus merula2025
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus2025
House SparrowPasser domesticus2025
Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiaca2025
KingfisherAlcedo atthis2025
CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo2025

🦌

Mammals2 species

winterspring

2026

Grey Squirrel · Brown Rat

Grey SquirrelSciurus carolinensis
Brown RatRattus norvegicus

🐸

Amphibians4 species

winterspring

2026

Smooth Newt · Palmate Newt · Common Toad · Common Frog

Smooth NewtLissotriton vulgaris
Palmate NewtLissotriton helveticus
Common ToadBufo bufo
Common FrogRana temporaria

🐝

Insects3 species

winterspring

2026

Back-Swimmer · Epistrophe eligans · Water Scorpion

Back-SwimmerNotonecta
Epistrophe eligansEpistrophe eligans
Water ScorpionNepa cinerea

Species observations from the last 10 years via NBN Atlas

Wildlife to spot

50,208 records · National Biodiversity Network

🐦

Birds32 species

winter

2026

Pochard · Shoveler · Wigeon · Black Redstart · Blue Tit +27

PochardAythya ferina
ShovelerSpatula clypeata
WigeonMareca penelope
Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros2025
Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
WoodpigeonColumba palumbus
JackdawColoeus monedula
MagpiePica pica2025
Carrion CrowCorvus corone2025
Great TitParus major
CootFulica atra
Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
MallardAnas platyrhynchos
MoorhenGallinula chloropus
StarlingSturnus vulgaris2025
RobinErithacus rubecula2025
Rock DoveColumba livia2025
Common GullLarus canus2025
Grey HeronArdea cinerea
Mute SwanCygnus olor
Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis
Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto2025
Herring GullLarus argentatus2025
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus2025
BlackbirdTurdus merula2025
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus2025
House SparrowPasser domesticus2025
Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiaca2025
KingfisherAlcedo atthis2025
CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo2025

🦌

Mammals2 species

winterspring

2026

Grey Squirrel · Brown Rat

Grey SquirrelSciurus carolinensis
Brown RatRattus norvegicus

🐸

Amphibians4 species

winterspring

2026

Smooth Newt · Palmate Newt · Common Toad · Common Frog

Smooth NewtLissotriton vulgaris
Palmate NewtLissotriton helveticus
Common ToadBufo bufo
Common FrogRana temporaria

🐝

Insects3 species

winterspring

2026

Back-Swimmer · Epistrophe eligans · Water Scorpion

Back-SwimmerNotonecta
Epistrophe eligansEpistrophe eligans
Water ScorpionNepa cinerea

Species observations from the last 10 years via NBN Atlas

Wildlife to spot

Photos

📷 Robin Webster · Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0

Woodland, the Highams Park

1 / 21

Events & activities nearby

Switch provider to compare local events, tours and bookable activities.

Bookable tours

Weather for this location

Next 14 days

Loading local forecast…

Nearby places

Useful places within 5 km

🌱Lloyd ParkUrban park3 km→🌱Ridgeway ParkUrban park2 km→🌱Ray ParkUrban park2.5 km→🌱Aveling FieldsUrban park2.9 km→🌱Clendish MarshUrban park4.4 km→🌱Lloyd ParkUrban park3 km→

Own or manage this place?

Claim this listing to keep details accurate, add photos, and highlight what makes it special — free.

Claim this page

How was your visit?

How useful was the information on this page?

id: 215b8925-cb1d-44cb-a202-456a2899c9cc