Epping Forest lies west of Loughton; paths, cycling routes and bridleways connect the town with the forest. Visiting the forest is free. This gives visitors two distinct ways to explore Loughton: getting outdoors and discovering local history through specific buildings and places.
Forest Walks and Landscapes
Epping Forest is of national and international importance for nature conservation. Among its notable features are more than 50,000 ancient pollarded hornbeams and 100 lakes and ponds. Accessible parking and easy-access paths are available throughout the forest. These features relate to the forest as a whole and complement what individual paths and places have to offer.
Near Loughton, Roding Valley Meadows offers a different landscape: a mosaic of species-rich meadows, hedgerows, wetlands, ponds, scrubland and woodland. The nature reserve has footpaths and wheelchair-accessible paths. They can be reached from Roding Valley Recreation Ground via several entrances on the Loughton side of the river. As access arrangements may change, check the latest visitor information before your visit.
Loughton Camp and Paths Around Staples Hill
Loughton Camp is one of two Iron Age earthworks, both designated as Scheduled Monuments and believed to have been built around 500 BC. The Camp is a lightly defended, single-rampart hillfort on a south-west-facing slope below the ridge that runs through Epping Forest. This description therefore links a specific historic site with its position on the slope. The Beech Trail leads from Loughton Camp towards Pillow Mounds. Cycling and horse riding are not permitted at the Camp.
Staples Hill is an area of pollarded oaks and hornbeams. Staples Hill and Loughton Brook can be explored on foot, by bike or with a dog. The walking distance from Loughton Station to these destinations is 1.6 km. This distance is separate from the route description at the Camp: the Beech Trail leads towards Pillow Mounds, while the distance from the station applies to Staples Hill and Loughton Brook.
For travel, transport information updated on 18 November 2025 lists bus routes 20, 167 and 397 for Loughton Station. Epping Forest is a 15-minute walk from there. Checking the latest timetable can help you plan your journey.
Architectural History and Townscape
Lopping Hall was built as a community building and funded by the City of London Corporation as compensation for the loss of lopping rights. The building was designed by local architect Edmond Egan and opened in 1884. Above the original entrance is a terracotta frieze depicting people lopping trees. Its architectural history, purpose and decoration are closely connected.
The churches also tell different chapters of local history. St Mary’s Church in Loughton dates back to the 13th century and retains parts of its original medieval masonry. The Parish Church of St John the Baptist was built in 1846 by Sidney Smirke in the Neo-Norman style and extended in 1877; it reflects the town’s rapid development in the 19th century. The Funeral Chapel, a timber-framed building from the late 19th century, also stands at the entrance to Loughton Burial Ground.
Since 1997, a heritage plaque scheme in Loughton has marked the former homes of people and important buildings. Three Conservation Areas lie on the town’s western forest edge. Those interested in local history can therefore find references to significant places and protected areas as well as individual buildings. Loughton is also home to the National Jazz Archive, which holds written, printed and visual materials as well as oral histories; the collection dates back to the 1920s.
Discover more destinations: Braintree, Stondon Massey, Clavering, North Weald Bassett, Tolleshunt Knights, Gosfield, Nazeing, West Horndon.
For the wider travel guide: Essex.
