20 Attractions to Explore Near Epping Forest

Gilwell Park, world famous home to the Scout movement, is a truly unique venue for both corporate events and private special occasions. It has been the venue for many hundreds of events ranging from Scout camps, Outdoor Education programs for schools, getaways for corporate groups and conferences.

Copped Hall is a fine Georgian mansion that is currently under restoration. It is superbly sited on a ridge overlooking its landscaped parkland.

The Abbey Church of Waltham Holy Cross and St Lawrence is the parish church of the town of Waltham Abbey, Essex, England. It has been a place of worship since the 7th century. The present building dates mainly from the early 12th century and is an example of Norman architecture. To the east of the existing church are traces of an enormous eastward enlargement of the building, begun following the re-foundation of the abbey in 1177.

This was once one of the largest Augustinian abbeys in the country. The remains of some of the abbey buildings can still be seen today, including the gatehouse and the passage from the cloisters to the sleeping quarters. Its beautiful rose gardens also provide plenty of benches and picnic tables to relax.

The Royal Gunpowder Mills is a great place for families to spend days out exploring the secret history of gunpowder, explosives and rocket propellants and so more. It is a Scheduled Monument with over 20 listed buildings. It is also designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for it wildlife. Its alder woodland is undergoing conservation.

Lee Valley White Water Centre is a white-water slalom centre, that was constructed to host the canoe slalom events of the London 2012 Olympic Games. It offers a range of white water activities including white water rafting on the London 2012 Olympic course, corporate days, hen and stag parties, children's parties, and much more.

River Lee Country Park is a 1,000-acre park with a variety of activities for all ages to enjoy, great for families with young children to couples, walkers, cyclists, and wildlife watchers. The park follows the course of River Lee and has green spaces, country parks, nature reserves, and lakes and sports centers.

Cedars Park has been a popular public park since it was first gifted to the people of Cheshunt in 1919. For 100 years the park has provided essential space for quiet recreation in a landscape of lawns, woodland and formal gardens. The park has received a Green Flag Award every year since 2009, rewarding it for promoting standards of good management for green spaces.

Lee Valley Regional Park Authority comprises of 10,000 acre park with its huge variety of award winning green spaces, world class sports venues and ecologically vital wildlife havens. The park was created by a unique Act of Parliament as a “green lung” for London. Now over 50 years on, the Authority has world class sporting venues, award winning green spaces and habitats in its portfolio.

The New River is neither new nor a river. It is a water supply aqueduct, completed in 1613, to bring drinking water from Hertfordshire to North London. It used to go from New Gauge in Hertford down as far as Sadlers Wells in Clerkenwell but now the overground waterway now ends at Stoke Newington though there are some ornamental waters along its route south of Stoke Newington.

North Weald Airfield is an operational general aviation aerodrome located in North Weald Bassett – Epping Forest, Essex. It was an important fighter station during the Battle of Britain. Although unlicensed it is home to many private aircraft and historic types, and is host to a wide range of events throughout the year, including the Air-Britain Classic Fly-in and smaller airshows.

Parndon Wood Nature Reserve, run by ECCO, is an area of the ancient woodland home to a huge range of birds, small mammals, deer, flora, and fungi. The reserve is a Special Site for Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its variety of flora and has received a Green Flag Award, which recognizes the best parks in the country, for the last 11 years.

Lowewood Museum showcases the history of the Borough of Broxbourne. Discover the history of the local area from prehistoric times to the present day. Explore the stories of those who have lived and worked here, from Royal Academy artist James Ward to the Pulhams of Broxbourne, one of the most important garden designers of the Victorian era.

Paradise Wildlife Park is a majestic family-run animal park located in Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, England. The zoo is home to over 800 animals including Amur tigers, white lions, snow leopards, European wolves as well as African penguins, red pandas, Green anacondas, Two-toed sloths, lemurs, meerkats, Bactrian camels, Plain's zebras, Brazilian tapirs, and many more.

World of Dinosaurs at Paradise is now one of the UK’s biggest Dinosaur attractions and features thirty, moving, snapping, roaring dinosaur models. From cunning Velociraptors, to vast Brachiosaurus, from terrifying Spinosaurus to unpronounceable Pachycephalosaurus, plus of course, a mighty T Rex, they are all here! There’s a Dino Dig area too plus lots of other Dinosaur themed treats for all the family.

The woods are part of a wider, very large area of Sessile Oak and Hornbeam woodland at the northern most part of its natural range. Both woods contain protected Sites of Special Scientific Interest, one area in Broxbourne Wood undergoing significant restoration to a more open landscape with grazing animals.

Rye Meads is a 58.5-hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Rye House, Hertfordshire. It is one of series of wetlands and reservoirs situated along the River Lea. This delightful wetland reserve beside the River Lee is a firm favourite with walkers, birdwatchers and photographers thanks to its many trails and hides. The HMWT site is an ancient flood meadow that has a variety of habitats including reedbed, marshy grassland and fen. It is grazed by ponies and water buffalo.

Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker is a large underground bunker used during the Cold War as a Regional Government Headquarters. Since being decommissioned in 1992, the bunker has been open to the public as a tourist attraction, with a museum focusing on its Cold War history. It was originally built for air defence but turned into a regional government headquarters as the Cold War progressed. Now open to visitors as a museum.

The Epping Ongar Railway is a preserved railway, which runs along the last section of the old Great Eastern Railway and London Underground Central line branch line. Take one seat in one of the period coaches and watch the train pass through beautiful countryside from Ongar to North Weald, from here you can catch the heritage rail shuttle which takes you through Epping Forest and so more.

Weald Country Park in Brentwood, enjoy over 520 acres of woodland, lakes, hay and wildflower meadows, deer park, open grassland and spectacular views. The park started life as a medieval deer park during the 12th century and you can get up close to their resident herds of deer in the deer enclosure.