West Essex Golf Course ✦ Ancient woodland 251 ha
🦉 Wildlife🦅 Birds🍂 Seasonal
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Public access Free entry Dogs welcome 251 ha
Places › England › Eastern › Epping Forest Getting here
51.64647, 0.02607
Open directionsv 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 🅿️ Parking on site — 20 car parks within reach 🌤️ 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 🅿️ Parking on site — 20 car parks within reach £ Free to visit — no entry charge🐕 Dogs welcome🌿 Ancient woodland — rare wildlife habitat🌳 Large woodland — room to roam🚲 Bike parking🅿️ Parking· Paid
🦉 Wildlife
Very strong match
Multi-group wildlife — Amphibians, Birds, Mammals, Reptiles; Multi-group wildlife — Amphibians, Birds, Mammals, Reptiles
Free
🦅 Bird watching
Very strong match
Birds — Magpie, Robin, Carrion Crow +72 more · last seen 2026; Birds — Magpie, Robin, Carrion Crow +72 more · last seen 2026
Free
🍂 Seasonal nature
Strong match
Ancient woodland — bluebells, fungi and autumn colour; Plants — Bee Orchid · last seen 2025
Free
🦋 Insect spotting
Strong match
Insects — Meadow Grasshopper, 7-spot Ladybird, Harlequin Ladybird +94 more · last seen 2026; Insects — Meadow Grasshopper, 7-spot Ladybird, Harlequin Ladybird +94 more · last seen 2026
Free
Dogs allowed — public woodland
Free
Deciduous woodland — fungi, berries and wild garlic
Varies
Trails nearby Within roughly 5 km 19 signed routes nearby · 7 public paths nearby
Signed route nearby Public paths
Oak Trail Walking route ▾
Named route Local walking route
Show on map Epping Forest Big Walk Walking route ▾
Named route Local walking route
Show on map London LOOP (Section 19) Walking route ▾
Named route Ref LOOP Regional walking route
Show on map LOOP link to Enfield Lock station Walking route ▾
Named route Point-to-point Regional walking route
Show on map Beech Trail Walking route ▾
Named route Local walking route
Show on map Hornbeam Lane public footpath · 61 m ▾
Public path public footpath Length 61 m Surface asphalt Path type: service
Show on map Woodman Lane public footpath · 95 m ▾
Public path public footpath Length 95 m Path type: residential
Show on map 114 signed routes nearby
Signed route nearby
Route (12) Cycling route ▾
Alternative (step-free) route avoiding railway bridge
Named route Ref (12) Local cycle route
Show on map NCN National Route 1 Cycling route ▾
Named route Ref 1 National Cycle Network
Show on map River Lea Navigation Cycling route ▾
Named route Local cycle route
Show on map Cycleway 1 Cycling route ▾
Named route Ref C1 Regional cycle route
Show on map Route (1) Cycling route ▾
National Cycle Network link route
Named route Ref (1) Local cycle route
Show on map Hainault Greenway Cycling route ▾
4 public paths nearby
Public paths
Pepper Alley bridleway · 393 m ▾
Public path bridleway Length 393 m Path type: bridleway
Show on map ✦ Ancient woodland — continuously wooded since at least 1600 AD. A rare and irreplaceable habitat, rich in biodiversity and historical character.
Weather for this location Next 14 days Nearby places Useful places within 5 km
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id: b302bebe-e2c0-419f-ad59-03a35f60ad65
UK green spaces mapped from open public data — so anyone can find the woodland, trail, or nature reserve closest to them.
© 2026 Glade · Made with care for UK green spaces
Wildlife to spot
60,252 records · National Biodiversity Network
▾
Wildlife to spot 60,252 records · National Biodiversity Network Robin · Magpie · Black-headed Gull · Nuthatch · Woodpigeon +37
Robin Erithacus rubecula Magpie Pica pica Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus Nuthatch Sitta europaea Woodpigeon Columba palumbus2025 Carrion Crow Corvus corone2025 Great Tit Parus major Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus2025 Jay Garrulus glandarius2025 Canada Goose Branta canadensis Blackbird Turdus merula2025 Wren Troglodytes troglodytes Kingfisher Alcedo atthis Teal Anas crecca Song Thrush Turdus philomelos2025 Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata2025 Moorhen Gallinula chloropus2025 Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca2025 Goosander Mergus merganser2025 Little Egret Egretta garzetta2025 Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus Redwing Turdus iliacus Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus Greylag Goose Anser anser Goldcrest Regulus regulus2025 Dunnock Prunella modularis2025 Coot Fulica atra2025 Mute Swan Cygnus olor2025 Coal Tit Periparus ater Treecreeper Certhia familiaris Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus2025 Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus2025 Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis2025 Stock Dove Columba oenas2025 Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo2025 Common Gull Larus canus2025 Smew Mergellus albellus2025 Rock Dove Columba livia2025 Rabbit
Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus 🐸 Amphibians 4 species
spring
2026 ▾
Common Toad · Palmate Newt · Common Frog · Great Crested Newt
Common Toad Bufo bufo Palmate Newt Lissotriton helveticus Common Frog Rana temporaria Great Crested Newt Triturus cristatus 7-spot Ladybird · Nalassus laevioctostriatus · Scathophaga stercoraria · Corticeus unicolor · Myrmica scabrinodis +15
7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata Nalassus laevioctostriatus Nalassus laevioctostriatus Scathophaga stercoraria Scathophaga stercoraria Corticeus unicolor Corticeus unicolor Myrmica scabrinodis Myrmica scabrinodis Elaphrus cupreus Elaphrus cupreus Species observations from the last 10 years via NBN Atlas
Wildlife to spot 60,252 records · National Biodiversity Network Robin · Magpie · Black-headed Gull · Nuthatch · Woodpigeon +37
Robin Erithacus rubecula Magpie Pica pica Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus Nuthatch Sitta europaea Woodpigeon Columba palumbus2025 Carrion Crow Corvus corone2025 Great Tit Parus major Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus2025 Jay Garrulus glandarius2025 Canada Goose Branta canadensis Blackbird Turdus merula2025 Wren Troglodytes troglodytes Kingfisher Alcedo atthis Teal Anas crecca Song Thrush Turdus philomelos2025 Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata2025 Moorhen Gallinula chloropus2025 Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca2025 Goosander Mergus merganser2025 Little Egret Egretta garzetta2025 Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus Redwing Turdus iliacus Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus Greylag Goose Anser anser Goldcrest Regulus regulus2025 Dunnock Prunella modularis2025 Coot Fulica atra2025 Mute Swan Cygnus olor2025 Coal Tit Periparus ater Treecreeper Certhia familiaris Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus2025 Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus2025 Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis2025 Stock Dove Columba oenas2025 Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo2025 Common Gull Larus canus2025 Smew Mergellus albellus2025 Rock Dove Columba livia2025 Rabbit
Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus 🐸 Amphibians 4 species
spring
2026 ▾
Common Toad · Palmate Newt · Common Frog · Great Crested Newt
Common Toad Bufo bufo Palmate Newt Lissotriton helveticus Common Frog Rana temporaria Great Crested Newt Triturus cristatus 7-spot Ladybird · Nalassus laevioctostriatus · Scathophaga stercoraria · Corticeus unicolor · Myrmica scabrinodis +15
7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata Nalassus laevioctostriatus Nalassus laevioctostriatus Scathophaga stercoraria Scathophaga stercoraria Corticeus unicolor Corticeus unicolor Myrmica scabrinodis Myrmica scabrinodis Elaphrus cupreus Elaphrus cupreus Species observations from the last 10 years via NBN Atlas
Notiophilus biguttatus
Notiophilus biguttatus
Notiophilus biguttatus
Notiophilus biguttatus
Paranchus albipes Paranchus albipes
Paranchus albipes Paranchus albipes
Euophryum confine Euophryum confine
Euophryum confine Euophryum confine
Brown Tree Ant Lasius brunneus
Brown Tree Ant Lasius brunneus
Stenagostus rhombeus Stenagostus rhombeus
Stenagostus rhombeus Stenagostus rhombeus
Nebria brevicollis Nebria brevicollis
Nebria brevicollis Nebria brevicollis
Badister bullatus Badister bullatus
Badister bullatus Badister bullatus
Rhyzobius chrysomeloides Rhyzobius chrysomeloides
Rhyzobius chrysomeloides Rhyzobius chrysomeloides
14-spot Ladybird Propylea quattuordecimpunctata
14-spot Ladybird Propylea quattuordecimpunctata
Platyderus depressus Platyderus depressus
Platyderus depressus Platyderus depressus
Pycnomerus fuliginosus Pycnomerus fuliginosus
Pycnomerus fuliginosus Pycnomerus fuliginosus
16-spot Ladybird Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata
16-spot Ladybird Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata
Leistus rufomarginatus Leistus rufomarginatus
Leistus rufomarginatus Leistus rufomarginatus
Dienerella clathrata Dienerella clathrata
Dienerella clathrata Dienerella clathrata Events & activities nearby Switch provider to compare local events, tours and bookable activities.
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