Epping (England) - town and civil parish in Essex, England

Epping is a town in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England.

Get in

By road

Epping is next to the M25 (Junction 27) and the M11 (Junction 26).

By train

Epping Tube station 📍 is the eastern terminus of the London Underground Central line. The travel time from Liverpool Street is around 35 minutes. Epping is in Zone 6. The single fare is £5.10 peak or £3.10 off-peak using Oyster PAYG or contactless payment, or £6.00 using cash.

Get around

By car

Epping Underground station has a large car park.

See

• Hill Hall, Theydon Mount, CM16 7QQ (4 miles south-east of Epping), 51.675641°, 0.15222°. Elizabethan mansion managed by English Heritage. Much of it has been divided into private apartments; however, a portion is open to public tours. Adults £5.70, children £3.40, concessions £5.10
• Epping-Ongar Railway, Station Approach, Ongar, CM5 9BN, 51.71108°, 0.18505°, +44 1277 365200. The closest Heritage railway to London, the Epping-Ongar railway operates steam and preserved diesel trains on various days per week from Ongar to a point near Epping in February-October and in December. A vintage bus service links the railway to Epping station on running days (fare included in normal fee). Adults £13, child £7 (family of 2 adults and 3 children £34)
• Waltham Abbey 📍 is a town six miles west of Epping. The abbey survives only as the Anglican church, and a gatehouse which leads into the former abbey gardens, now a park. Epping Forest District Museum is on Sun St in village centre, open M-Sa 10:30-15:30. Half a mile north on the canal bank are the Royal Gunpowder Mills, where you'll have to use a bit of imagination. They're open Sundays in summer 10:00-15:00.

Do

• North Weald Airfield, 51.721667°, 0.154167°. Historic (est. 1916) frontline Battle of Britain airfield, still operational but now privately operated by Epping Forest District Council. Home to North Weald Airfield Museum and a memorial to all those who gave there lives while based at North Weald, as well as several onsite flying clubs and private collections of classic aircraft. Well-established venue for rallies and concerts as well as the UK's biggest Saturday Market (9AM-4PM - also on 4 Bank Holiday Mondays), it also hosts regular airshows and cycling, archery, gymnastics, model aircraft flying, model car racing and various motorsport, charity and trade events. 2018-02-28
  • North Weald Airfield Museum. 2018-02-28
• Epping Forest, +44 20 8508 0028, epping.forest@cityoflondon.gov.uk. Dawn-dusk. Large expanse of green space stretching 12 miles (19 km) from the outskirts of Epping into London as far as Forest Gate. Despite the name it is not completely wooded: in medieval times "forest" meant a royal hunting ground. Queen Victoria gave the forest to the nation in 1882, and ever since it's been known as the People's Forest. Free
  • The Oak Trail, 51.675319°, 0.10388°. A 6.6-mile/10.6-km hike through the countryside and woods just outside London, passing by a deer sanctuary and the Iron Age earthwork of Ambresbury Banks. The trail forms a loop, starting and ending in the village of Theydon Bois, and most of it is signed with yellow arrows. It's green, peaceful, and makes a lovely change of pace from city life in London. Parts of the trail can get muddy, so it's a good idea to wear boots. 2020-10-18

Buy

Epping has a small high street with several cafes, a tailor and a haberdashery.

Eat

Drink

The George and Dragon, 208 High St, CM16 4AQ, 51.69991°, 0.11280°. 9AM-11PM. 2021-10-29

Duke of Wellington, 36 High St, Epping CM16 4AE, 51.69623°, 0.10745°, +44 1992 572 388. 11:30AM-11PM. 2021-10-29

Sleep

• The Bell Hotel Epping, High Rd, Bell Common, CM16 4DG, 51.691825°, 0.095262°, +44 1992 573138.
• Waltham Abbey Marriott Hotel, Old Shire Ln, Waltham Abbey, EN9 3LX, 51.681742°, 0.028531°, +44 1992 717170.

Connect

Epping and its approach roads have 4G from all UK carriers. As of Feb 2023, 5G has not reached town but is getting close.

Go next

• West Ruislip - Ride the Central line to West Ruislip, at 34 miles it's the longest possible journey on a single Tube line.
• Chelmsford
• Bishop's Stortford