 |
Hainault Forest Website
Written, Designed
and with Photographs by © Brian Ecott
Things to do |
 |
|
Take
a walk in the Ancient woodland
and
Woodland Trust Fields |
The
following walk is a good all year walk as it is mainly on surfaced
paths. There is some mud but it can generally be avoided. Walking
boots are recommended in the winter months anywhere in the
forest. Some of the paths are dual purpose so you can expect to meet
horse riders on parts of the walk. The distance is between 3 - 3½
miles and you can
start in the Country park or from The Camelot. The walk is
undulating and you should allow about 2 hours to complete. As there
is no signage, photographs illustrate the way. You could print a
copy to take with you.
|
STARTING FROM THE CAMELOT
From
the Car Park opposite "The Camelot" go through the gate and onto the
main path ahead which leads towards Hainault Forest Country Park and
walk for about 1/3 mile. On seeing the view which marks the
boundary between The Woodland Trust and the Country Park, don't go
through but turn left where you will see a kissing gate. |
STARTING FROM THE COUNTRY PARK
From
the Car parks and Kiosk, walk past the Visitor's Centre to the end
of Foxburrows Road and turn left along a surfaced path alongside the
Golf Course. Walk for about 1/2 mile until you reach signpost and the
gap which marks the Country Park boundary with that of The Woodland
Trust. Go through the gap towards Lambourne and immediately turn right where you will see a
kissing gate. |
 |
 |
Just before the gap to the
Country Park, turn
left. |
Go through the gap towards
Lambourne and
immediately turn right. |
Go through the kissing gate
and after about 50 yards you will come onto a broad surfaced path which
you continue downhill for about 1/3 mile. On your right are views over the back of the golf course.
When the path divides, go through the left hand gate. |
 |
 |
Go through the kissing gate. |
Where the path divides go
through the left hand gate. |
You are now
on a narrow surfaced path which continues downhill through the ancient
woodland for 1/3 mile. As the path meanders through the trees you can
appreciate the ancient pollarded hornbeam trees whose limbs were cut for
making charcoal. Later at the bottom of the hill are some smaller
hornbeams with their tops cut off. This is how pollarding is started. At
the end of the path turn right over a wooden bridge and through a gate
into a field. |
 |
 |
The path meanders through
hornbeam pollards. |
At the end of the path turn
right and cross the wooden bridge |
Turn left and follow the field
edge downhill for about 1/3 mile until you reach a gate leading on to a
track which is part of the Havering link. Turn right on to this track. It
is very muddy at this point but it can be avoided. |
 |
 |
Over bridge, through gate and
turn left. |
Turn right on to the Havering
link track. |
Look across at the horizon to
your left and you will see the White Tower and the Church with tower of
Havering atte Bower. The woodland on the horizon is Havering Park and the
very tall trees are Wellingtonias which form an avenue in the park. The
field in the foreground is often grazed by a small herd of fallow deer |
 |
 |
In the distance the White
Tower and the Church at Havering atte Bower and on the right a row of
Wellingtonia trees in Havering Park. |
Look out
for Fallow deer, bucks (with antlers) and does in these fields.
Photo taken
13th Feb 2007. |
After about 1/4 mile along the
Havering track you will find a gate on your right leading into The
Woodland Trust fields. Go through this gate and on to a broad track. This path takes you for 1 mile
around the periphery of the fields and back to the woodland. There is a
line of newly planted hedgerow protected in tubes on your left. This was
planted by volunteers in December. At the foot of the hill look to your
left to an isolated oak tree on private land. Beneath this tree is an
erratic stone left here from the last glaciation. The path continues round the fields. |
 |
 |
From the Havering track turn
right into the Woodland Trust fields. |
The
broad path goes downhill and round the fields. Notice the tree planting on
the left. |
 |
 |
An erratic stone lies beneath
an oak tree on private land. |
At the end of the path is another gate which you cross
and bear left and back on to the return path. If you are feeling tired at
this point stop and look at the old hornbeam pollards along the way. Many
of these will be in excess of 300 years old and the branches would have
been used by the colliers to make charcoal in the forest - hence Collier
Row. The path leads back to the starting point from where you can return
to the Camelot car park or the Country Park. |
 |
 |
Go
through the gate and bear left. |
These
old Hornbeam pollards could be around 300 years old. |
Feedback appreciated to
brian@hainaultforest.co.uk |
|